The War of the Sons of Light with the Sons of Darkness
For the In[structor, the Rule of] the War. The first attack of the Sons of Light shall be undertaken against the forces of the Sons of Darkness, the army of Belial: the troops of Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the [Amalekites], Philistia, and the troops of the Kittim of Asshur. Supporting them are those who have violated the covenant. The sons of Levi, the sons of Judah, and the sons of Benjamin, those exiled to the wilderness, shall fight against them with […] against all their troops, when the exiles of the Sons of Light return from the Wilderness of the Peoples to camp in the Wilderness of Jerusalem. Then after the battle they shall go up from that place a[nd tile king of; the Kittim [shall enter] into Egypt. In his time he shall go forth with great wrath to do battle against the kings of the north, and in his anger he shall set out to destroy and eliminate the strength of I[srael. Then the]re shall be a time of salvation for the People of God, and a time of dominion for all the men of His forces, and eternal annihilation for all the forces of Belial. There shall be g[reat] panic [among] the sons of Japheth, Assyria shall fall with no one to come to his aid, and the supremacy of the Kittim shall cease that wickedness be overcome without a remnant. There shall be no survivors of[all the Sons of] Darkness. Then [the Sons of Rig]hteousness shall shine to all ends of the world continuing to shine forth until end of the appointed seasons of darkness. Then at the time appointed by God, His great excellence shall shine for all the times of e[ternity;] for peace and blessing, glory and joy, and long life for all Sons of Light. On the day when the Kittim fall there shall be a battle and horrible carnage before the God of Israel, for it is a day appointed by Him from ancient times as a battle of annihilation for the Sons of Darkness. On that day the congregation of the gods and the congregation of men shall engage one another, resulting in great carnage. The Sons of Light and the forces of Darkness shall fight together to show the strength of God with the roar of a great multitude and the shout of gods and men; a day of disaster. It is a time of distress fo[r al]l the people who are redeemed by God. In all their afflictions none exists that is like it, hastening to its completion as an eternal redemption. On the day of their battle against the Kittim, they shall g[o forth for] carnage in battle. In three lots the Sons of Light shall stand firm so as to strike a blow at wickedness, and in three the army of Belial shall strengthen themselves so as to force the retreat of the forces[of Light. And when the] banners of the infantry cause their hearts to melt, then the strength of God will strengthen the he[arts of the Sons of Light.] In the seventh lot : the great hand of God shall overcome[Belial and al]l the angels of his dominion, and all the men of [his forces shall be destroyed forever].”
The Essenes thought themselves to be the holy elect of Israel, the Sons of Light, who would at the end of time engage in a catastrophic war with the enemies of Israel, the Sons of Darkness. The War Rule, discovered in Cave I of Qumran in 1947, is a manual that gives rules for military organization and strategy, including detailed specifications for battle gear. It is also a theological discourse that develops the doctrine of the spirits of truth and perversity mentioned in the sect’s Manual of Discipline. This document gives an account of a 40-year war, a “holy war” between the forces of good and evil. Engaged in battle are forces of heaven and earthly soldiers. The elect of Israel are joined by an angelic host, while the devil and the evil angels fight alongside other nations of the Earth. The victory of the forces of light was to signal the final destruction of evil. Once they are defeated, the G-d of Israel would rule eternally in justice. Kittim is mentioned often – they are believed to be the Romans who invaded and occupied Judea in 63 BCE.
How easy is it for us to identify the forces of good and evil in our world today? With the continuing conflicts that exist in Gaza, in the Korean peninsula, and the like, we like to draw lines between who is on the side of good, and who is on the side of evil. Sometimes, those lines are blended to the point it is hard to pick sides – it is hard to know who is good, and who is evil. As such, we can only hope that good wins out over evil, and that it becomes easier to know which is which.
And now, listen to me, all who have entered the Covenant, and I will open your ears to the fate which attends the wicked. God loves knowledge. Wisdom and sound sense has He posted before Him. Prudence and knowledge minister to Him. Patience attends on him and abundant forgiveness, so that He may shrive the repentant But also with Him are might and power and great wrath, along with flames of fire and all the angels of destruction-appointed for them that turn aside from His way and treat His ordinance as a thing to be shunned, to the end that they shall be left without remnant or survival.
Never, from the very beginning of the world, has God approved such men. He has always known what their actions would be, even before the foundations of them were laid. He has anathematized whole generations on account of bloodshed, hiding His face from the land. Their end has always been pre-determined. He has always foreknown how long they would endure and the exact and precise extent of their continuance; yea, all that has happened in their several epochs throughout history, and likewise all that was to befall them. Nevertheless, in all of their generations He has ever raised up for Himself duly designated men, so that He might provide survival for the earth and fill the face of the world with their seed. And to these has He ever revealed His holy spirit at the hands of His anointed7 and has ever disclosed the truth; and He has clearly specified who they were. But those whom He hated He has always left to wander astray.”
Because it gives insights into the religious attitudes of its writers, the Damascus Document is considered by many scholars to be one of the most important sources for understanding the Essene movement. The document seems to have been written in stages between 175 BCE and 70 CE, after which the community at Qumran was abandoned. The first section of this document concerns the community’s religious vision. In particular, it stresses devotion to Israel’s covenant with G-d, the hope of the imminent coming of the Messiah, and a strict interpretation of the Jewish law. It also speaks of the community’s mysterious Teacher of Righteousness and his enemy, the Man of Lies. Various theories have emerged concerning the identity and roles of these two antagonists – one can only speculate.
The document’s second section contains a set of regulations concerning community life and discipline. It gives a sense of the sect’s strict religious tradition as its members—living in communities scattered throughout Israel—prepared themselves for the Messiah’s coming. The document provides valuable insights into the varied religious cultures of Judiasm while also giving information about why the teachings of Jesus created so much opposition among the many pious Jews.
If you think about it, the teachings of Jesus continue to stir agreement and opposition among pious Jews, pious Christians, and pious Muslims. Within the many Christian communities today, there are plenty of areas where we create opposition among ourselves – arguments like how often to celebrate communion, when we should baptize new converts, and the role of women in leadership positions.
There are plenty of documents that are being written today that help us interpret the teachings of Jesus. But when we find ourselves disagreeing more than finding commonalities, perhaps we should focus more on Jesus teachings of love and service.
Lutheran Schreff 