Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness

Between 1947-1956, over 900 documents on parchment and papyrus were discovered in caves near the Qumran settlement. For those of you unfamiliar with this location, it is south of Jericho on the Judea border. Historians suggest that the settlement was home to a Jewish religious group known as the Essenes. Supposedly, the sect was a large community consisting of high priests and believers with extreme ascetic customs; in an effort to cleanse themselves of unrighteous sins. The scrolls discovered were said to consist of the Essenes' library; and eventually became known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

One such scroll said to inhabit the Qumran caves is known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness." Scholars have long interpreted the intensely, detailed apocalyptic prophecy. Though it appears to be a manual for military defensive and offensive positions, the characters involved are thus identified in the books of the Old Testament. Whether the document is past or future-tense remains uncertain; however, if it refers to the apocalypse then it is likely to describe the revelation of God's will. In other words, the apocalypse is known as the end of man's reign on Earth after Good and Evil battle.

The intense details mentioned afore were no exaggeration. Descriptions of each banner include what tho{us} shall write, along with the length of cubits each should be made. The shields shall be inscribed with the name of each Leader, along with each tribe according to their order of birth. Descriptions of arming the troops along with the formation, deployment, and recruitment hold even more elaborate demands. Prayers and blessings must be recited by specific individuals and trumpets must be sounded to engage and withdraw from battle.

Though the war is suppose to extend over a 40 year period of time (yes, the number of 40 again!), the scroll focuses on the final battle between Good and Evil. As the war is nearing an end, and Good and Evil are engaged in a tie among each other, God puts forth his hand and destroys the forces of Evil. They consent to the Lord, and accept the punishment because they too, have declined many offers to subject to his will.

The story appears to have many references to the bible; almost as if the Essenes were inventing their own apocryphal vision of David and Goliath, or Moses against Pharaoh. The moral of the story comes to a conclusion as God casts down Evil and provides Good with everlasting life in his Kingdom. Even the Sons of Darkness eventually accept the punishment subjected to them by God's will. However, whether the story is simply that of morality and religious enlightenment will remain unknown; as it seemingly is considered an apocalyptic prophecy.

Meta-Religion (2007). The War Scroll. Retrieved Nov 09, 2009 from http://meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Christianity/Other_Books/Dead_Sea_Scrolls/the_war_scroll.htm