ePub Early Tantric Medicine: Snakebite; Mantras; and Healing in the Garuda Tantras by Michael Slouber in History

Description

This book offers a novel approach for the study of law in the Judean Desert Scrolls; using the prism of legal theory. Following a couple of decades of scholarly consensus withdrawing from the "Essene hypothesis;" it proposes to revive the term; and suggests employing it for the sectarian movement as a whole; while considering the group that lived in Qumran as the Yahad. It further proposes a new suggestion for the emergence of the Yahad; based on the roles of the Examiner and the Instructor in the two major legal codes; the Damascus Document and the Community Rule.The understanding of Essene law is divided into concepts and practices; in order to emphasize the discrepancy between creed; rhetoric; and practices. The abstract exploration of notions such as time; space; obligation; intention; and retribution; is then compared against the realities of social practices; including admission; initiation; covenant; leadership; reproof; and punishment.The legal analysis yields several new suggestions for the study of the scrolls: first; Amihay proposes to rename the two strands of thought of Jewish law; formerly referred to as "nominalism" and "realism;" with the terms "legal essentialism" and "legal formalism." The two laws of admission in the Community Rule are distinguished as two different laws; one of an association for a group as a whole; the other as an admission of an individual. The law of reproof is proven to be an independent legal procedure; rather than a preliminary stage of prosecution. The methodological division in this study of thought and practice provides a nuanced approach for the study of law in general; and religious law in particular.