Proudly, fiercely, they guarded wisdom; br wisdom that had outlasted fashion, br the cults, the sects, the mass conversions, br the messaiahs, and the promises; br br They had gathered this knowledge br in the days of garnered wisdom br 250 years before that guy from Galilee; br and then around twice his lifetime upon earth br as numbers dwindled, they stored this knowledge br in a cave not so far from Jericho, br near the sea that died into a lake. br br Discipline, ritual, held them together; br and cleanliness; the communal latrine br was 1,000 cubits or a little more, say half a mile, br from the city where they lived; I guess br some walked, some ran br there from Qumran br – except on Saturdays, when br they were not allowed to leave the town br and therefore did not defecate that day.. br then on return from the latrine, their faeces neatly buried, br a ritual, totally immersed bathing was required. br br Alas, if these wise men had asked the Arab Bedouins br they would have known that, had they left their faeces br uncovered in the sun, it would have killed br the roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms, pinworms, br which, walked back on their feet and thriving in the ritual bath, slowly br killed this community of wise men from inside, br so that only 6 percent lived beyond forty years; br eventually depositing their wisdom on scrolls br (how few men left to place them there, that solemn day?) br to be uncovered after nearly two millennia br darkly in a cave. br br That is the story of Qumran. I guess it's one br for those who say, what you live by, that, you die by; br in this case, ritual.