Two thousand years ago the Romans annihilated a mysterious Jewish cult called the Essenes. A thousand years later, did the Knights Templar unearth their secret knowledge and vast treasure? Fast forward yet another nine hundred years and in the 20th century, the hidden library of the Essenes – the Dead Sea Scrolls – was discovered. This has excited Templar theorists who believe it proves the knights made contact with the Essenes.
Who were the Essenes?
The Essenes were a Jewish sect that flourished during the Second Temple period (2nd century BCE to 1st century CE), known for their ascetic lifestyle, communal living, and strict observance of Jewish law, with their central location being Qumran near the Dead Sea, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The Essenes attributed their interpretation of the Torah (Jewish scripture) to their early leader, the Teacher of Righteousness, possibly a legitimate high priest.
The Essenes practiced a form of asceticism, emphasizing simplicity, purity, and communal living. They held a dualistic worldview, believing in a struggle between good and evil, and a coming end of the present age. The Essenes engaged in mystical practices and believed in prophecy, including the prediction of the fate of political figures.
In 68 CE, the Roman army destroyed Qumran, forcing the Essenes to abandon their settlement and hide their sacred scrolls in nearby caves. The Romans were suppressing the First Jewish Revolt, which led to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and a grim and bloody determination by Rome to reassert its authority.
The Essenes disappeared. Their influence on Judaism and early Christianity was not fully appreciated until the discovery of The Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 by Bedouin shepherds in caves near Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, and further discoveries up to 1956. Beyond the Hebrew Bible, the scrolls contain a wealth of non-biblical writings, including hymns, prayers, commentaries, and legal documents, which reveal a broader range of ancient Jewish religious thought.
The most enigmatic find was the so-called Copper Scroll. This object was found in 1952 in Cave Three at Khirbet Qumran, near the Dead Sea. Unlike the other scrolls written on parchment or papyrus, the Copper Scroll is inscribed on thin sheets of copper that were joined together.
It is not a literary work, but a list of 64 locations where various items of gold and silver were buried or hidden. Many believe it’s a treasure map revealing where sacred items from the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem were hidden from prying Roman eyes. But attempts to prove this have turned up nothing.
Did the Templars encounter the Essenes?
So, how does this involve the Knights Templar? There are various esoteric theories suggesting the Templars discovered Essene scrolls that either revealed forbidden knowledge and/or their treasure. It’s even claimed that the Knights Templar were formed to fulfil this objective and that the scrolls were under their headquarters on the Temple Mount.
It was thanks to the Essenes that the Templars imbibed a gnostic account of Christianity that was completely at odds with the theology of the Roman Catholic church. Their locating of the treasure of the Jewish Temple, destroyed by the Romans, explains how they got so rich, so quick. There’s no evidence for any of these assertions but they have proven to be very seductive.
If you would like to know more about the Knights Templar, then get your hands on a copy of my book: The Knights Templar – History & Mystery. Published by Pen & Sword and available on Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and WHSmith. Don’t miss out on your copy!
