One of the Dead Sea Scrolls' greatest mysteries may have finally been solved by Israeli researcher

An Israeli researcher has proposed a solution to one of the greatest mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls: the Qumran sect's unique 364-day calendar. For decades, scholars have wondered if the calendar was ever used in practice. Tel Aviv University Prof. Eshbal Ratzon suggests that the calendar was indeed used by the sect in its early years and may have even been at the heart of the conflict that drove the sect to its desert isolation. The calendar, which ensured holidays always fell on the same day of the week, was a "symbol of rebellion against mainstream ancient Judaism." However, Ratzon notes that the calendar was likely later abandoned due to its divergence from the astronomical year and the sect's warming relations with Hasmonean leadership. "It is quite possible that the calendar was in fact used for a certain period of time, but then, losing its practical role due to both inherent problems and political changes, became a religious ideal and a symbol of identity," Ratzon concluded.