Purification by Fire, Water, and War: Doing the Work of the Lord in the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls are exceedingly important original texts, yet the general public is still largely unaware that our understanding of what happened 2,000-years ago needs revision. It appears that the sectarians behind the Scrolls initiated an extreme form of fundamentalism and a militant messianic agenda. Two interrelated themes are expressed in this book: the allusions in the Scrolls to mystery rites, replete with virgins and angels; and the expansion of the works of the classical prophets to inspire unusual acts of faith in the era of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The author also elaborates on some exotic borrowings from Babylon and Egypt, which she believes became absorbed into the developing sectarian "way." The reader will see why this schism in ancient Judaism left a lasting, but not altogether positive imprint on religious mysticism today.