https://brill.com/display/book/9789004665156/B9789004665156_s007.xml
Owing to the work of Levy, Dupont-Sommer and others, the evidence that the Essene
sect at Qumran was basically Pythagorean, as stated by Josephus,
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3263388?read-now=1&seq=8#page_scan_tab_contents
Fascinating!
the 'Jewish Pythagoras' based on the idea that the movements share the same philosophical tradition based on Judaism and Pythagoreanism. The prototypes of the Dead Sea Scrolls are explained in their Egyptian context, in association with the Library of Alexandria, the Egyptian temple manuals, and the formation of libraries in the Hellenistic period including that of Qumran. [Publisher's text].
The main thesis of the volume is that Pythagorean philosophy is the core and ba-
sis for the beliefs reflected in the non-Biblical texts found at Qumran.
His book consists of the following seven chapters: “I. Alexandria and
Jewish Philosophies” (pages 1-68); “II. Pythagorean Philosophy”
(pages 69-98); “III. Background of the Organization of the Qumran-
Essene Community” (pages 99-113); “IV. Qumran and the Pythagorean
Philosophy: The Eleven Pythagorean Tetrakyts in Comparison with the
DSS” (pages 114-302); “V. Daily Life and Religion among the Qumran-
Essenes” (pages 303-351); “VI. The Qumran Sundial and Ancient Solar
Thinking” (pages 352-83); “VII. Back to the Beginning” (pages 384-
491); “VIII. Summary” (pages 492-503). The book also contains a com-
prehensive bibliography and index.
Silver’s effort to connect the Essenes with Pythagorean philosophy
is not new.
This year, 2017, marks 70 years since the discovery of the famous
Dead Sea Scrolls at Khirbet Qumran by the Dead Sea in 1947. The Dead Sea
Scrolls are one of the most well-known archaeological discoveries of
the 20th century. This book addresses the proto-history and the roots of
the Qumran community and of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the light of
contemporary scholarship in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria, as the centre
for Hellenistic Jews and the location of the Library of Alexandria,
forms a key to understanding the theme of the book. The relationship of
this context to the thoughts of the Essenes, the Jewish philosopher
Philo of Alexandria, the Jewish Therapeutae of Egypt living in the
neighbourhood of Alexandria and the Pythagoreans are especially studied
in this work. Historical sources (both Jewish and Classical authors) and
archaeological evidence are taken into account in the wider
Graeco-Roman context. The connection between the Jewish Therapeutae in
the Lake Mareotis region and the Palestinian Essenes is explained by the
‘Jewish Pythagoras’ based on the idea that the movements share the same
philosophical tradition based on Judaism and Pythagoreanism. The
prototypes of the Dead Sea Scrolls are explained in their Egyptian
context, in association with the Library of Alexandria, the Egyptian
temple manuals, and the formation of libraries in the Hellenistic period
including that of Qumran.
Dr Kenneth Silver is a historian and professional archaeologist,
who has lived and worked for decades in the Near East. He is a
specialist in Hellenistic and Roman archaeology, history and
numismatics. He has worked with archaeological material in Israel,
Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. He has previously published a number of
scientific articles and monographs in this field. His current research
interests include the study of early Jewish-Christian relations and the
history of early Christianity. Presently he is the director of a survey
and mapping project in Northern Mesopotamia studying the border zone
between the late Roman/ Byzantine Empire and Persia.
Wow - it's only sold out of the UK. hahahah
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