I'm reading now about the Qumran Community.
All I knew about them, that it was a place where the archeologists found some early manuscripts in 1947, that's all.
Interesting to know, that Qumran was a place where priests who were disappointed with the hypocritic Temple service came around 150 B.C. and decided that they will not compromise with the Torah and their faith and worship, and will not mix it with the Greek ideas from Syria.
That was the foundation of so called Qumran Community. They wanted to remain faithful to God of their fathers.
and the striking fact was that the archeologists found the whole Tanak (or the Old Testament) just except the book of Esther (the manuscript was very damaged)
One of the good doctrines in that so called Old Testament Jewish Community was - that it is impossible to ''obtain forgiveness except through God's 'mercy' ''!
And it is true!
Nice book - The Dead Sea scrolls, Charlesworth. Paul Siebeck, 1994.
