Language and Group Identity in the Dead Sea Scrolls: the Case for an “Essene Hebrew”

The reasons for the label Essene Hebrew are twofold: first, writing—and specifically, orthography—is a result of social practice embedded in social groups. Orthographies are essential in defining and maintaining group boundaries. Second, the label “Essene” reflects a social group—albeit a broad, diverse, and complicated group. Such a broad and complex term better reflects the complexity of the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In contrast, “Qumran” reflects a very narrow geographical area, which gives the misleading impression of a singular location and a less complicated system of beliefs. Ultimately, the rationale is simply that language, linguistic choices, writing systems, and orthography are central to group identities. And, the study of the Hebrew in the Dead Sea Scrolls should account for this in a more conscious way in our description of the language.