Did the Essenes Write the Dead Sea Scrolls?: Don’t Rely on Josephus

The vast majority of Dead Sea Scroll scholars are committed to the so-called Essene hypothesis--the belief that the scrolls were written by the Essenes, an exotic Jewish movement described at some length by the ancient Jewish historian Josephus. The Essene hypothesis is based primarily on the writings of Josephus. It is the supposed similarities between Josephus's description of the Essenes. Here, Mason argues that the "Essene Hypothesis" is wrong and that the true authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls remain a mystery.