Sons of Light

The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls

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The victory of the forces of light was to signal the final destruction of evil, after which the God of Israel would rule eternally in justice. See also Dead Sea Scrolls. We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval.

Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. The New Testament does not mention them directly, but its pages contain remarkable similarities with the movement that Josephus believed to be as important as the Pharisees.

The War Scroll

His successors continued his campaign to bring Greek culture to every part of the known world. The Hellenistic worldview glorified the human being through culture, philosophy, athletics, and religion. The devout Jews of the land were deeply troubled by its subversion of their biblical worldview.

To the nonreligious, this philosophy was seductive, and soon many of the Jewish people were deeply involved in secular Hellenism. Initially, Alexander's successors, the Ptolemy family from Egypt, controlled Israel, allowing the Jewish people significant religious freedom. During this time, the Old Testament was translated into Greek, a version known as the Septuagint.

Ambitious empire builders, the Hellenistic Syrians brought a more aggressive approach to the spread of Greek culture, defiling the Temple in Jerusalem with pig's blood and dedicating it to the Greek god Zeus. The Torah was banned, as were observing the Sabbath and circumcision.

To violate these bans meant death. Faithful Jews, led by the Hasmonaean family known to history as the Maccabees revolted. By God's blessing, Judah Maccabee and his brothers were victorious and drove out the pagans, reestablishing Jewish independence for the first time in nearly years. The temple was cleansed and rededicated, and the worship of Yahweh resumed.

Sons of Light

The Maccabees' great victory became the focus of the Feast of Dedication, known today as Hanukkah John But soon the descendants of the Jewish heroes, known by their family name, Hasmonaeans, became as Hellenistic as the Greeks had been. They openly flaunted the despised pagan practices and fought bitterly with those who followed the Torah.

When Jonathan the Hasmonaean took the office of high priest, it was the final straw. Not only was Jonathan Hellenistic in his lifestyle, he also was not of the line of Zadok, Solomon's high priest, a requirement supported by the religious community.

The Hasidim, a pious group of Jewish believers, had been the main supporters of the Maccabee revolt. They now became the major opponents of the descendants of Judah and his family. Out of the Hasidim a word meaning "pious ones" came two movements: While there is still some debate scholars believe that the appointment of Jonathan as high priest was the moment when many Godly priests decided the Temple was now defiled and the true worship of God had ended and formed a separatist movement called by others the Essenes.

They declared the religious establishment invalid and established a religious movement dedicated to the restoration of the true worship of God. While there were apparently Essene communities scattered throughout Galilee and Judea and in Jerusalem itself, the majority of this separatist movement lived in the community of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. Here, in obedience to the prophet Isaiah, they went to the desert to "prepare the way for the Lord" Isaiah Though small in number ancient sources indicate 4, , they exerted significant influence on the religious community of their day.

In the first year they shall fight against Mesopotamia, in the second against the sons of Lud, in the third 11 they shall fight against the rest of the sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Togar, and Mesha, who are beyond the Euphrates. In the fourth and fifth they shall fight against the sons of Arpachshad, 12 in the sixth and seventh they shall fight against all the sons of Assyria and Persia and the easterners up to the Great Desert. In the eighth year they shall fight against the sons 13 of Elam, in the ninth year they shall fight against the sons of Ishmael and Keturah, and during the following ten years the war shall be divided against all the sons of Ham 14 according to [their] c[lans and] their [terri]tories.

During the remaining ten years the war shall be divided against all [sons of Japhe]th according to their territories. The description of the trumpets. On the trumpets for the assembly of the congregation they shall write, "The called of God. The description of the banners. On the grand banner which is at the head of all the people they shall write, "People of God," the names "Israel" 14 and "Aaron," and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel according to their order of birth.

On the banners of the heads of the "camps" of three tribes 15 they shall write, "the Spirit [of God," and the names of three tribes. O]n the banner of each tribe they shall write, "Standard of God," and the name of the leader of the t[ribe] 16 of its clans. On the banner [ On the banner of the tho[us]and they shall write, "The Anger of God is loosed against 2 Belial and all the men of his forces without remnant," and the name of the chief of the thousand and the names of the chiefs of his hundreds.

And on the banner of the hundred they shall write, "Hundred 3 of God, the power of war against a sinful flesh," arid the name of the chief of the hundred and the names of the chiefs of his tens. And on the banner of the fifty they shall write, "Ended 4 is the stand of the wicked [by] the might of God," and the name of the chief of the fifty and the names of the chiefs of his tens. And on the banner of the ten they shall write, "Songs of joy 5 for God on the ten-stringed harp," and the name of the chief of the ten and the names of the nine men in his command.

When they set out to battle they shall write on the first banner, "The congregation of God," on the second banner, "The camps of God," on the third, 10 "The tribes of God," on the fourth, "The clans of God," on the fifth, "The divisions of God," on the sixth, "The congregation of God," on the seventh, "Those called by 11 God," and on the eighth, "The army of God. The banner of the whole congregation shall be fourteen cubits long; the banner of th[ree tribes' thir]teen cubits [long;] 16 [the banner of a tribe,] twelve cubits; the banner of ten thousand, eleve[n cubits; the banner of a thousand, ten cubits; the banner of a hu]ndred, [n]ine cubits; 17 [the banner of a fifty, ei]ght cubits; the banner of a ten, sev[en cubits.

The description of the shields. The description of the arming and deployment of the divisions. There shall be seven forward rows 4 to each battle line, arranged in order; the stahon of each man behind his fellow. All of them shall bear shields of bronze, polished like 5 a face mirror. The shield shall be bound with a border of plaited work and a design of loops, the work of a skillful workman; gold, silver, and bronze bound together 6 and jewels; a multicolored brocade. It is the work of a skillful workman, artistically done. The length of the shield shall be two and a half cubits, and its breadth a cubit and a half.

In their hands they hold a lance 7 and a sword. The length of the lance shall be seven cubits, of which the socket and the blade constitute half a cubit. On the socket there she be three bands engraved as a border of plaited 8 work; of gold, silver, and Copper bound together like an artistically designed work.

And in the loops of the de sign, on both sides of the band 9 all around, shall be precious stones, a multicolored brocade, the work of a skillful workman, artistically done, and an ear of grain. The socket shall be grooved between the bands like 10 a column, artistically done. The blade shall be of shining white iron, the work of a skillful workman, artistically done, and an ear of grain of pure gold inlaid in the blade; tapered towards 11 the point.

The swords shall be of refined iron, purified in the furnace and polished like a face mirror, the work of a skillful workman, artistically done, with figures of ears of grain 17 of pure gold embossed on both sides. The borders shall go straight to the point, two on each side. The length of the sword shall be a cubit 13 and a half and its width four fingers. The scabbard shall be four thumbs wide and four handbreadths up to the scabbard. The scabbard shall be tied on either 14 side with thongs of five handbreadths. The handle of the sword shall be of choice horn, the work of a skillful workman, a varicolored design with gold and silver and precious stones.

After them, three divisions of infantry shall advance and stand between the battle lines. The first division shall heave into 2 the enemy battle line seven battle darts. On the blade of the first dart they shal1 write, "Flash of a spear for the strength of God.

The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness

After these, two divisions of infantry shall march forth and stand between the two battle lines, 5 the first division equipped with a spear and a shield and the second division with a shield and a sword; to bring down the slain by the judgment of God, to subdue the battle line 6 of the enemy by the power of God, and to render recompense for their evil for all the vainglorious nations. So the Kingship shall belong to the God of Israel, and by the holy ones of His people He shall act powerfully.

The description of the deployment of the cavalry. Their ranks shall be positioned on both sides, seven hundred 9 horsemen on one side and seven hundred on the other. Two hundred horsemen shall go out with one thousand men of the battle line of the infantry, and thus 10 they shall take position on all sides of the camp.

The total being four thousand six hundred men, and one thousand four hundred cavalry for the entire army arranged for the battle line; 11 fifty for each battle line. The horsemen with the cavalry of the men of the entire army, will be six thousand; five hundred to a tribe.

All the cavalry that go out 12 to battle with the infantry shall ride stallions; swift, responsive, unrelenting, mature, trained for battle, 13 and accustomed to hearing noises and seeing all kinds of scenes. Those who ride them shall be men capable in battle, trained in horsemanship, the range 14 of their age from thirty to forty-five years. The horsemen of the army shall be from forty to fifty years old, and they 15 [ These are the [ The recruitment and age of the soldiers. The commissioners of the camps shall be from fifty to sixty years old. The officers 2 shall-also be from forty to fifty years old.

All those who strip the slain, plunder the spoil, cleanse the land, guard the arms, 3 and he who prepares the provisions, all these shall be from twenty-five to thirty years old. No youth nor woman shall enter their encampments from the time they leave 4 Jerusalem to go to battle until their return. No one crippled, blind, or lame, nor a man who has a permanent blemish on his skin, or a man affected with ritual uncleanness of 5 shis flesh; none of these shall go with them to battle.

All of them shall be volunteers for battle, pure of spirit and flesh, and prepared for the day of vengeance. Any 6 man who is not ritually clean in respect to his genitals on the day of battle shall not go down with them into battle, for holy angels are present with their army. There shall be a distance 7 between all their camps and the latrine of about two thousand cubits, and no shameful nakedness shall be seen in the environs of all their camps.

The ministry of the priests and Levites. In the hands of the remaining six shall be 13 the trumpets of assembly, the trumpets of memorial, the trumpets of the alarm, the trumpets of pursuit, and the trumpets of reassembly. When the priests go out 14 into the gap between the battle lines, seven Levites shall go out with them. In their hands shall be seven trumpets of rams' horns.

Three officers from among the Levites shall walk before 15 the priests and the Levites. The priests shall blow the two trumpets of assem[bly With 17 each battle line they shall go out according to all [this] o[rder Afterwards the priests shall blow on the trumpets of return, and they shall go along the side of the first battle line 3 to take their position.

The priests shall blow on the trumpets of assembly, and 4 the three divisions of infantry shall go out from the gates and stand between the battle lines, and beside them the cavalrymen, 5 at the right and at the left. The priests shall blow on their trumpets a level note, signals for the order of battle.

When they have positioned themselves in three formations, 7 the priests shall blow for them a second signal, a low legato note, signals for advance, until they draw near to 8 the battle line of the enemy and take hold of their weapons. Then the priests shall blow on the six trumpets 9 of the slain a sharp staccato note to direct the battle, and the Levites and all the people with rams' horns shall blow 10 a great battle alarm together in order to melt the heart of the enemy.

With the sound of the alarm, 11 the battle darts shall fly out to bring down the slain. Then the sound of the rams' horns shall quiet, but on the tru[m]pets 12 the priests shall continue to blow a sharp staccato note to direct the signals of battle until they have hurled into the battle line 13 of the enemy seven times.

Afterwards, the priests shall blow for them the trumpets of retreat, 14 a low note, level and legato. According to this rule the [pr]iests shall blow for the three divisions. When 15 the first division throws, the [priests and the Levites and all the people with rams'] horns shall blow a great alarm 16 to direct the bat[tle until they have hurled seven times.

Afterwards,] the priests [shall blow] for them 17 on the trumpe[ts of retreat The priests shall blow the alarm to direct the battle, 3 and when they have been defeated before them, the priests shall blow the trumpets of assembly, and all the infantry shall go out to them from the inidst of 4 the front battle lines and stand, six divisions in addition to the division which is engaged in battle: All these shall pursue in order to destroy the enemy in God's battle; a total annihilation 6 The priests shall blow for them the trumpets of pursuit, and they shall divide themselves for a pursuit of annihilation against all the enemy.

The cavalry 7 shall push the enemy back at the flanks of the battle until they are destroyed. When the slain have fallen, the priests shall continue blowing from afar and shall not enter 8 into the midst of the slain so as to be defiled by their unclean blood, for they are holy.

They shall not allow the oil of their priestly anointment to be profaned with the blood 9 of the vainglorious nations. The description of the maneuvers of the battle divisions. The shields of the soldiers of the towers shall be three cubits long, and their lances eight cubits l[on]g.

The towers 13 shall go out from the battle line with one hundred shields on a side. F[or] they shall surround the tower on the three frontal sides, 14 three hundred shields in all. There shall be three gates to a tower, one on [the right and] one on the left. Upon all the shields of the tower soldiers 15 they shall write:

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