John, Qumran, and Virtuoso Religion

Brian Capper draws on social-science models to discuss the wide-ranging impact of the Essenes on pre-70 c.e. Judean village life. He points out that an overemphasis on celibate Essenes may lead one to overlook a much larger number of married members of the sect who lived communally in Judean villages. His study proceeds to consider two sites mentioned in the Fourth Gospel—Bethany and the location of Jesus’ final meal in Jerusalem— where the Essenes may have been active. John’s interest in and awareness of these locations may also reflect an awareness of Essene thought and, thus, of the type of thinking preserved in the scrolls.