Bound in Love

Two or only One Messiah?

The scrolls suggest the Essenes were looking for a returning Aaron as the return of the true High Priest and a returning David as the return of the King.

There were other themes of expectation: that a combination priest-king in the order of Melchizedek would return for the final Jubilee and usher in a new Israel.

John the Baptist

From the stories about John the Baptist we read in the gospel (especially the Gospel according to St. Luke), we get some interesting lifestyle tidbits. The scrolls and contemporary historical sources like Josephus confirm how much of what we read about John in the gospels is in line with the lifestyle and teachings of the Essenes.

The Gospel of Luke Continues Essene Themes

Much of what Luke describes about John the Baptist resonates with our new understanding of the teachings of the monks at the Qumran monastery.

The early stories about Jesus related in Luke’s gospel account also have Essene themes and touch on the expectations the men of Qumran had for the new Messiah — and how he would be recognized as such.