mydievo~ & revolutie in lichaam, geest en communes

The idea
of shared wealth
played an important role
in the overall ideology
of the Dead Sea
Community.

Analysis
of this unique phenomenon
reveals that it is linked
to broader economic issues
in the sect's worldview.

Indeed,
there is a causal connection
between the Essene doctrine of shared wealth,
on the one hand, and their religious, social,
and political teachings,
on the other.

A thorough discussion
of the rich and varied ramifications of this Essene doctrine
may shed light on the mutual influences of economics, religion, and politics in other groups,
during other times, living under
different circumstances.

One approach
to the Essenes' shared wealth
is from parallel groups in Christian sects that existed
from those days down
to the present.

This phenomenon,
which appears time and again in the Christian world,
has its origines in the Essene
teachings.

Indeed,
today it is evident that the Essenes
had a considerable impact on all the movements within early Christianity,
as it emerged in the late Second Temple period. The sources indicate that communal property was instituted in the Church of Yerushalayim, as described in Acts 2.44-45, a description that spawned many imitations among radical Christians in the Middle Ages
& modern era.

One
of the first
of these were the Hussites,
in the 15th century Bohemia,
whose center was
the city Tabor.

Over time,
other Christian sects emerged
that adopted a life of shared wealth,
particularly in the United States and Canada.
I spent time on several agricultural sectarian communes in different countries, among
other reasons to learn how shared property works in religious communities, in the hope of learning about the life of the Essenes and the ideological issues that emerge from such communities. There are those who argue that these non-Jewish agricultural communes
influenced the kibbutz movement
in its infancy.

If so, it appears
that the roots of the kibbutz phenomenon
lead back to the Dead Sea
communities.

In any case,
there was evident and understandable interest
among the kibbutzim in the Essene sect,
interest that predated the discovery
of the scrolls.

Idealistic people,
living according to strict codes of conduct
enjoining shared property, developed ideologies similar
to that of the Qumran communities.

Thus, for example,
they had to face the problem of economic ties
with the outside world.

For them,
as for the Essenes, such ties were, of course, necessary,
but were restricted to certain
staff members.

Similarly,
the Essenes placed outside economic ties
under the jurisdiction of the 'inspectors' {'secretaries'/commissions},
already mentioned several time sbefore, who were charged
primarily with the economic life
of the community.



Ik
bedoel maar:
de mensheid heeft 'van nature'
al de culturele neiging om bepaalde ontdekkingen
met elkaar te delen in tijd en ruimte, of we nu wel of niet met elkaar in contact staan?

Aanvankelijk deden we er nogal lang over om stokken & stenen, wapens & werktuigen te leren hanteren!

Na verloop van tijd komen we dus met z'n allen in stroomversnellingen terecht via individuele gedachten,
groepsactiviteiten, kolonialiserende & missionerende zendingsreizen over de hele wereld,
tot en met de microkredieten van vandaag, 't verder delen
van moderne technologie, electronica, satellieten,
internet, cellphones &
wat al
niet.

De techniek
is nu niet meer
zozeer het hoofdprobleem,
maar veel meer onze educatie
van jongsaf aan.

Golfbewegingen dus:
een puur menselijke kwestie
van evenwicht scheppen tussen
geest & lichaam,
en vice
versa
...