esus.” Whatever the exact meaning the Essenes put in the Teacher of Righteousness’ life and teachings, his presence is undeniable, and it puts into question the individuality and originality of Christianity into question. While the comparison of the Teacher of Righteousness to Jesus Christ is somewhat superficial in that it relies heavily on the common Judaism and the presence of prophets at the time, the methods of organization in the Qumran community and in primitive Christian communities can be even more closely paralleled. The entire community formed a congregation, from which, in the Essene community, the Twelve were chosen as representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel. Likewise, “Jesus tells the twelve ‘disciples’ whom he appointed to be his inner circle that they were to be enthroned as judges over ‘the twelve tribes of Israel.’” Beyond this structural parallelism, the Essenian and Christian societies were also based on a fundamental value of communal living, sharing all things in common. “It is known, as a matter of fact, that the Act of the Apostles tell us that the first Christians held everything in common. Now this holding of good in common and this renunciation of individual property is one of the most characteristic features of Qumran.” The communist lifestyle shared by these two communities shows that even at the most fundamental level, the Christian and Essene brotherhoods functioned in a very similar way. Both societies considered themselves peoples of a New Covenant, or of a New Testament, returning to the laws of Moses. Beyond these principles of organization, the Essenes of Qumran and the primitive Christians also shared specific religious rituals. Two examples of this are the sacred meal and purification by baptism. Both sects shared a meal where a Messiah is represented by sacred food and through prayer. Davies says of these sacred meal...
