DID THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS PREDICT A MESSIAH?

Did the Dead Sea Scrolls predict a Messiah? The answer is, yes. They not only predicted a Messiah, they predicted and expected two Messiahs – one political and one priestly.

The Essene Jews who lived in Qumran near the Dead Sea (ca. 150 B.C. to 68 A.D.) believed they were near the eschaton, that is, the end of time. They believed two Messiahs would soon appear to usher in the New Kingdom of God. The political Messiah would be a descendent of the famous King David (reigning from 1000 – 961 B.C.) and would restore Israel to the greatness it had in David’s time. The priestly Messiah would be a descendant of the High Priest, Aaron, and would restore true worship and sacrifice in the New Temple in the New Jerusalem.

Sadly, those expectations were not fulfilled as they hoped. The Romans quashed the Jewish revolt beginning in 66 A.D. and by 70 A.D. had totally defeated the Jews and destroyed Jerusalem and the famous Jewish Temple. So the Dead Sea Scrolls predictions of two Messiahs to usher in the New Age of the Kingdom of God went unfulfilled.

Except, except, the early Christian movement which believed Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah, the Christ, the descendent of David anointed to be King. True, Jesus did not conquer the Romans as the Dead Sea Scrolls expected. Instead, as the early Christians put it, Jesus conquered death itself, the ultimate enemy of humans. By his resurrection Jesus triumphed over humanity’s most powerful foe.

But not only did Jesus fulfill the political Messiah’s role, he also, in the view of early Christians, fulfilled the priestly Messianic role. Jesus was not a descendent of Aaron, but early Christians said he was a “descendent” of the mysterious high priest of Jerusalem, Melchizadek. (read New Testament book of Hebrews, chapters 7 – 10) Melchizadek was also without genealogy, i.e.. without any known connection to Aaron.

So while the Essene Jews apparently were disappointed their Messianic expectations were not fulfilled, early Christians celebrated the fulfillment of the prophecies and expectations in the person of Jesus, in his life, death, resurrection and ascension.

Did the Dead Sea Scrolls predict and expect a Messiah? Yes, a political one and a priestly one. And early Christians believed Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecies and expectations.