Were The Essenes Authors of The Dead Sea Scrolls?

Discovered between 1947 and 1956, the Dead Sea scrolls altered the historical view of Biblical times and were of great importance in our understanding of Christ and antiquity. Found in eleven caves at Wadi Qumran on a shore of the Dead Sea, the roughly 900 documents include copies of Biblical documents. Written on parchment or papyrus and in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the manuscripts range in date from 150 years before Christ to 70 years after his birth. The scrolls are most commonly identified with the ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes.

Scholars have put forth many well-reasoned doubts as to whether the Essenes existed, or were invented by Greek and Laton historians. Rachel Elior is one of them. More