An Essene Filled with the Holy Spirit? Revisiting the Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls) Hypothesis of John the Baptist Considering an Afro-Christian Pneumatological Hermeneutic

Discussion concerning the Qumran-Essene identity of John the Baptist has been put forth by Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship in the past. This was the case in consideration of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls which revealed numerous similarities and significant differences. In examining the correlations, never has the New Testament gospel Luke 1:13-15 and 41 been taken into consideration. This article explores the correlations considering a pneumatologically reading of John’s experience with the Holy Spirit in Luke 1:41. Revealed in this examination is John the Baptist’s pneumatological experience and his archetypal nature regarding the pneumatological experience of early African American Baptist-Holiness figures. Key Words: Qumran, Essenes, Dead Sea Scrolls, John the Baptist, Luke 1:41, Pneumatological, Holy Spirit, Holiness-Baptist, Sanctification, Disfellowship, Afro-Christian, African American, Charles Harrison Mason, Azusa Street Revival, Pietism, Praxis, Ideology, Hermeneutics