The Essene hypothesis: insights from religion 101
General insights from the discipline of religious studies may contribute to a better understanding of the Essene Hypothesis. In its “softer” form, the Essene hypothesis posits a sub-group relationship between the Qumran community and a larger Essene movement as described, above all, by Josephus. Thi...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
Published: |
[2016]
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In: |
Dead Sea discoveries
Year: 2016, Volume: 23, Issue: 1, Pages: 51-78 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Qumran Community
/ Essenes
/ Science of Religion
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IxTheo Classification: | AA Study of religion HD Early Judaism |
Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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Summary: | General insights from the discipline of religious studies may contribute to a better understanding of the Essene Hypothesis. In its “softer” form, the Essene hypothesis posits a sub-group relationship between the Qumran community and a larger Essene movement as described, above all, by Josephus. This effort to accommodate differences between accounts of the Essenes and the Scrolls can be better understood when contextualized in light of the so-called “insider/outsider” problem. Josephus’s use of the term “Essene” can be productively compared to generalized labels for groups of sub-groups, like “Quaker,” “Mormon,” “Hasidic” and “Gnostic”—terms used more often by outsiders, and frequently by writers of introductory religion textbooks. The Essene Hypothesis makes a greater deal of sense when seen in light of the ways generalized labels are used in a variety of descriptions of religious groups, both ancient and modern. |
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ISSN: | 0929-0761 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Dead Sea discoveries
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685179-12341369 |