At 09:02 PM 5/12/98 -0800, Cory Holmes wrote:

Actually, I've read that the Dead Sea Scrolls are records of a jewish sect
group.  They are records of their way of life.  They've recorded for all
time how they lived, preserved for any who want to know.

  The Dead Sea Scrolls contain biblical writings, apocryphal writings,
pseudographica, commentaries, rules of community life, prayers (including
some that were topical for the time), psalms, and other odds-and-ends.
Some of the writings are mystical and apocalyptic, including one about a
"son of God" who opposes God and is ultimately overthrown by the "people of
God".  I think there is another one that refers to a war between the
"Children of Light" and the "Children of Darkness", but IIRC, scholars
believe that it reflects the influence of Persian Manicheism.  For biblical
scholars and archaeologists, the main value is the insight into the thought
and philosophy of that time and possible influences on early Christianity.
Biblical scholars were also pleasantly surprised to find that the biblical
texts found at Qumran are almost word-for-word identical to the same
sections in the standard Bible (Old Testament), including the entire text
of first Isaiah.  

                                                        dml