Guide
The Corruption of the Temple
2nd Century BCE–1st Century CE
Criticism of the Hasmonean priesthood is a common theme in the sectarian texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran. The fragmentary passages here accuse the Temple establishment of a variety of infractions, including violation of sexual prohibitions, theft, oppression, and desecration of the Sabbath and festivals. See also Sectarian Texts from Qumran.
Related Primary Sources
Primary Source
Priests Accused of Violence and Fornication
And concerning the wom[en . . .] and the disloyalty [ . . . ] for in these matters [. . . because of] violence and fornication [many] places have been ruined. [And also] it is writ[ten in the book…
Primary Source
Defilement of the Temple
And they also defiled the temple, for they did not keep apart in accordance with the law, but instead lay with her who sees the blood of her menstrual flow. [ . . . ]
The…
Primary Source
A Sinful Priesthood
[And each] will steal what belongs to one’s neigh[bour] and they will oppress one another; they…