found in Cairo-Geneza before the Dead Sea Scrolls; similar to the Manual of Discipline (practices of the Qumran sect, although nobody knew what it was then)

- references the Teacher of Righteousness

- suggests the sect are a new covenant referred to in Yechezkel

"miqtzat ma'asei torah"

- letter to the priests in Jerusalem, listing demands that would allow the Qumran sectarians to come back

- possible that we can learn about thier ideas from which mitzvot they insisted upon

1. they were originally from a Temple archive but were hidden in the desert to protect them

2. they're Karaitic stuff

- they were religious Saduccees who were mad that an invalid line of priests had taken over in Jerusalem (they placed tons of emphasis on the priesthood in their daily life and the family of Zadok was very prominant)

- solved the issue of Shavuot being mimachorat ha-shabbat by having a solar calendar on which Shavuot was  always on a Sunday

- in the Psharim there is open criticism to the Pharisees - their interpretations are "smooth", calls their learning process false

- MMT document rules immersion according to the Saduceean law - that after slaughtering the red calf one must wait until nightfall to be pure

- can only eat the animals the Torah SPECIFICALLY says are kosher

- wait six hours after meat and three hours after dairy

- on the one hand, they were put under harsh cherem

- on the other, the Mishna says their food is kosher and they are scrupulous in their observance of the mitzvot

a) there were two groups of Shomronim, one of which was antagonistic towards the Jews and were excommunicated, and another group that maintained respect for Jewish tradition

b) there was a change in approach - the Tannaim were unimpressed, but the Amoraim were much more okay with them

- had no leap year, so thier calendar was very different

- didn't hold that you could use fire at ALL on shabbat

- holy place is Har Grizim, NOT Jerusalem

- two services on shabbat (one very early in the morning, another right before the end where the Torah was read)

- men must cover heads while praying

- removed shoes before entering synogogue

PESACH

Nisan 1-14 are the "days of watching" where they make sure the sacrifice has no mum; they sacrifice on the 15th, which is the holiest day of the year; 7th day of Pesach is pilgrimage to Har Grizim; start 50 day count on Sunday during Pesach so Shavuot falls out on a Sunday; 4th day of 6th week they celebrate recieving the Torah and go to Har Grizim

Josephus: they were originally Kutim because they were resettled from Kuta

- they converted to Judaism because they were being attacked by animals; the Chachamim say they are invalid converts (because they did it under duress) and the Rabbis say they're fine.

- wanted to help build the Temple but were rejected; in revenge, they got the Persian emperor to stop the building process. 

Menashe was a Jewish priest who married Nicaso, the daughter of Sanballat, the Samaritan king; this was viewed as intermarriage at the time. Sanballat told Menashe that if he stayed married to Nicaso, he would be made the high priest of a Samaritan temple on Har Gerizim

(this is during the times of Ezra/Nechamia)

he changed the old Hebrew script from k'tav ivri to k'tav ashuri

- we know it used to be different because of a tradition that it was a miracle that the ayin didn't fall out of the rock because of how it was shaped; OUR version of it wouldn't need a miracle, there's no isolated rock when you carve it out! Therefore the alphabet must have changed. 

- anyway, Ezra made the new alphabet for the sake of the "hedyotot" - the common people - refers to the Shomronim!

- Kohen Gadol was head of state and also was in charge of religious life

- government was Tzduki

- taken over by the Prushi majority

- High Priest had less power - it went to the Sanhedrin, like the power to declare milchemet r'shut

- killed a fellow Jew (like Pinchas)

- fought on Shabbat - defensive warfare as pikuach nefesh

- to be free to worship

- to rebel against the Saduceean/Hellenistic established Priesthood

- to gain independance

Matityahu was NEVER Kohen Gadol; there wasn't a new dynasty until his brother, Shimon Hasmonai, took over; said that they recognized this was against tradition and if a prophet contradicted it he'd step down

- decision was made by "Synogogia Megala" - could have been the Knesset ha-Gedola!

- stopped flying foreign flags, kicked out foreign influence - total independance!

During the Selucidean/Ptolomeic war, the Judeans heard the Antiochus had been killed while attacking Ptolomy and tried to take advantage by getting rid of Hellenist influences (were really pissed with Menelaus and Jason) - Antiochus wasn't really dead, and he was pissed off.

- or he didn't have to have a reason, he was insane.

- or he was just a super-Hellenist, and was ticked off that the Judeans were resisting

- socio-economic: vs. the priesthood

- anti-Hellenistic culture

- religious freedom

- national independance

- Queen Shlomtzion didn't want Herkenus in charge of Judea, so she appointed him High Priest and his brother, Aristobulus, king

- Antipati persuaded Herkenus that Aristobulus was going to exile him, and to attack in advance with Antipati's mercenary army.

- Aristobulus was beseiged in Jerusalem; Antipati had Herkenus send him up a pig instead of a legitimate sacrifice, and there was an earthquake

- each party, plus a third, sent a messanger to Pompeii, who was in the area at the time; Pompeii listend to Antipati's promise that he would Hellenize Judea, and chose Herkenus as leader (the third delegation was probably Hassidim, who didn't care who ruled as long as they had religious freedom)

religous pharisees; extreme nationalists; very anti-Roman

- they hung out in the Galil and got killed by Herod a lot.

Avot d'Rabi Natan - leaves immediately - seems to be a total pacifist

Eicha - doesn't leave until the situation looks hopeless

- frustration with the Procurators

- independance being encroached upon by Rome - Sanhedrin lost power to decide capital cases (although some accounts say this was voluntary)

- spiritual motivation: the emperor was putting up statues of himself in the other provinces

Diocassius: Hadrian turned Jerusalem into a pagan city called Aelia Capitolina

Spartianus: Hadrian prohibited brit milah

Eusebius: the Jews are just rebellious in general.

NOT Sadducees, but rather Essenes

- they believe in fate, unlike Sadducees

match descriptions of Essenes by Pliny the Elder - location, communal habits, beliefs, etc.