I have been studying some of the recent scholarship on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, and the possible links between Qumran and the Essenes. Logos already has a number of good books on the subject, and here are three more to consider.
All three authors here are well-represented in Logos on similar topics. These books are very good in explaining some of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the thoughts of the devout men of Qumran, who were waiting in the desert for the appearance of the messiah, in accordance with Isaiah 40:3.
Actually, those in Qumran expected two messiahs, a royal and a priestly (hence the one title below, "Seeing double?") But one of their documents focuses messianic hope on a mysterious Melchizedek, who will arise at the end of time to proclaim a supernatural Jubilee Year (check out Jewish Jubilee year laws - debts forgiven is one aspect; this Melchizedek would proclaim a "spiritual" Jubilee year, forgiving sins).
Also, there is a strong link between the Gospel of Luke and some of the Qumran documents - Luke wrote in a way that "spoke" to the Qumran community in how Jesus fulfilled some of their own non-biblical written prophecies and their commentaries on Isaiah, found in the caves. Also, the way Luke describes John the Baptist almost suggests that John is the royal messiah and Jesus is the priestly messiah, in "Qumran-speak".
Interesting stuff, in Logos and here!
Abegg, Martin. “The Messiah at Qumran: Are We Still Seeing Double?” Dead Sea Discoveries 2, no. 2 (1995): 125–144.
Collins, John J. “Ideas of Messianism in the Dead Sea Scrolls.” Pages 20–41 in The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Faith. Edited by James H. Charlesworth and Walter P. Weaver. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1998.
Knohl, Israel. “Melchizedek: A Model for the Union of Kingship and Priesthood in the Hebrew Bible, 11QMelchizedek, and the Epistle to the Hebrews.”
