A Statistical Identity for the Teacher of Righteousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls

More than sixty years of intensive research on the Dead Sea Scrolls have not yet yielded up a satisfactory identity for the mysterious Teacher of Righteousness. This paper claims the simplest yet most plausible argument so far for an identity. The results of a comprehensive inferential survey are first discussed, followed by the argument that the murdered Onias III is the first Teacher of Righteousness, the title being then transmitted where, unbeknownst to the Essenes, their last forecasted one or the “star” is Christ. The star’s “seed” finds expression in the papacy. The first Wicked Priest is identified as Menelaus where probably that epithet was also transmitted to the non-Zadokite high priesthood in Jerusalem. According to the hypothesis of this paper, the “scepter” or king was supposed to have installed the “star” and to have inaugurated the new age of Temple Zadokite/Essene high priests. The argument concludes with the introduction and relevance of new rules as promised by Jeremiah. The importance of these rules is briefly discussed for current Israeli foreign and domestic policy. An enormous amount has been written about the Teacher of Righteousness (TR) in the Dead Sea Scrolls. A survey of recognized academic religion experts in North America was conducted in lieu of the traditional literature review. The methodology has distinct advantages. Aside from generating ideas, the approach can appraise relatively quickly whether there is any consensus of opinion. The list of suggested candidates can also be explored and argued more thoroughly by the experts. Since the out-of-pocket budget was limited to US$1000, I sampled the experts to arrive at a new composite theory. But, simply blindly tallying the degrees of popularity of a potential candidate obviously contains a flaw. There always exists the problem of group think. We find the classic one in the failure to recognize Joseph of Arimathea (the birthplace of Samuel) as Christ’s biological father.[14] And the question of the resurrection is not one of theological but practical necessity to attract attention.