Dead Sea Scrolls, Essenes, Qumran, Hasidim, Secret Calendars.
Information on the Dead Sea Scrolls
Information regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran Societies - Essenes, has been vital to understanding what is perceived by the King's Calendar to be redactorial rewriting of the Chronology of Ancient Israel. (What is the King's Calendar?)
After it was substantially indicated that the synchronous chronological details contained in the books of Kings and Chronicles were indeed articifial, it took a long time to discover the source of that artificiality.
The initial indication was discovered when comparing the chronological details of the 'Damascus Document' with the King's Calendar Artificial Calendar. [Refer Chapters 1 & 2 of the King's Calendar : The Secret of Qumran. Go to:Articles in the Chapter Precis Section)
From that point it was necessary to examine more closely the details surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community.
I discovered many books on the subject, some of which are listed in the Bibliography section below these comments.
By far the least confusing and most helpful to me personally was:
Wise.M., Abegg.M., Cook.J.R., Cook.E. (1996) Dead Sea Scrolls: A comprehensive translation of the controversial ancient scrolls with material never published or translated before now, and including the most recently released texts. Published by Hodder & Stoughton Australia.
Whilst some might find it a dry read, I found it very informative and while I have tried to locate it on the internet, I have so far been unsuccessful.
R.P.BenDedek
Other Books on the Dead Sea Scrolls
Shanks.H. (1992) Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls. New York. Random House
Talmon.S. (1989) The World of Qumran from Within. Jerusalem. Magnes Press
Vanderkam.J.C. (1994) The Dead Sea Scrolls Today. Michigan. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Wilson.E. ( 1978 ) Israel and the Dead Sea Scrolls. New York. Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
Knibb.M.A. (1987) The Qumran community. Cambridge university Press.
Golb.N. (1995) who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Search for the Secret of Qumran. New York Scribner.
Schonfeld. H.J. (1984) the Essene Odyssey : The Mystery of the True Teacher and the Essene Impact on the Shaping of Human Destiny. U.K. Element Books
Davies P.R. (1982) Qumran. Michigan. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing co.
Eisenman. R.H., Wise.M. (1992) The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered. Element Books.
Vermes.G. (1987) The Dead Sea Scrolls 3rd Ed. London. Penguin Books
King's Calendar Premise.
The King's Calendar operates on three fundamental premises.
That the Mosaic Exodus was a 15th Century BCE / 18th Egyptian Dynasty event. No. 5: ANCIENT EGYPT
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
What is the King's Calendar? The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix Five to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
General formula for Biblical Data conversion:
The formula for constructing the artificial calendar was:
'X' times 364 equals 'Y' days
'Y' days divided by 336 equals 'Z' artificial years.
Values are:
'X' = any given number of 'real/solar' years
364 = perceived days in the sectarian calendar
'Y' = number of days calculated
336 = number of days in an artificial year
'Z' = artificial years = 1.083'X' and represents the original number of the converted years plus 8%.
To reverse the process by hand:
'Z' years times 336 equals 'Y' divided by 364 equals the Number of 'X' years converted.
To see how effective this method is, SEE:Appendix 5:Diagrammatic Reconstruction of Israelite History from 936 to 586 BCE:
The Principle of Linear Causality
The King's Calendar is a very simple approach to Biblical Chronology. It substitutes a value of 336 days for every year listed in Scripture. As far as the Divided Kingdom is concerned, when you use this 336 day year value, the synchronisms actually work. To see how effective this method is, SEE:Appendix 5: Diagrammatic Reconstruction of Israelite History from 936 to 586 BCE
Because it is a mathematical system, the King's Calendar must abide by certain mathematical rules, the most important of which, is that if you change any date for any day, month, or year every other day, month, or year is effected and must also change. It's like a 'domino effect'. Chronological references cannot be 'forced' to fit, and nor can they simply be ignored or 'compressed' as is the usual case with historians and archaeologists.
If any King's Calendar chronological determination disagrees with anything in the history books, it must argue the case as to why the history books are wrong, or why the evidence for an assertion is untrustworthy. If the King's Calendar successfully defends its' position, then the history books cannot be treated as definitive, and if the King's Calendar is 'proven' wrong, then every other chronological reference it provides is also wrong.
Because of this, the King's Calendar Chronological Reconstruction of Israel's history is unique, in that its' methodology can be scientifically (mathematically) tested and demonstrated to be either true or false. Its' chronological predictions are able to be 'proved' or 'disproved'.
R.P.BenDedek is from Brisbane Australia and is the author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' at http://www.kingscalendar.com His academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
He writes photographic 'Stories from China' and social editorial commentaries, both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing newspaper columnist. He currently teaches Conversational English in China and in addition to his English Lessons at KingsCalendar, he has created specific sites for Students of English.
