70 A.D., clearly established that this had been the
monastery of the religious community to which the
scrolls belonged. The geographical location, as well as
the doctrines and ritual practices described in the texts,
have permitted scholars, in particular Prof. Dupont-
Sommer, to identify this community with the Essenes
about whom we had already known from the writings of
Josephus and Philo the Jew. In this connection I refer
the reader to the book written by Millar Burrows. ¹

A discovery of this kind is in itself quite sensational.
But what endows it with a unique significance and
character is that it bears a direct relation to the problem
of the origins of Christianity, which is one of the most
intriguing and exciting problems of historical research.
As a matter of geographical fact, the Essenian commu-
nity did live in Palestine and, more specifically, in a
region visited by Christ. Historically, the final phase of
its history encompasses a period of time that coincides
exactly with the life of Christ and the first develop-
ments of the Church. The first question, then, that
immediately comes to mind is: Did early Christianity
have any contacts with this community? A comparative
study of the documents permits one to state that such
contacts did indeed take place. In this book we shall
deal with the following questions: What was the nature
of these contacts? What do Christianity and Essenism

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