James, Paul, and the Dead Sea Scrolls

James, Paul, and the Dead Sea Scrolls

James, Paul, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The article investigates the sharp theological divide between James the Just and Paul, using the Dead Sea Scrolls as a lens to reassess early Christian origins. It suggests that the original followers of Jesus—led by James—were far more aligned with the Essenes (authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls) than with the Pauline churches. Paul, the article argues, invented a new religion that was incompatible with both Jesus’ teachings and Jewish tradition.