15 April 2014: What Do We Know about the Essenes?

On Tuesday 15th April, the third edition of Groningen-Leuven Encounters on the Dead Sea Scrolls will be held at the Faculty of Theology in Leuven. The Groningen-Leuven Encounters are organized annually to provide a platform for exchange and discussion on central issues in Qumran studies, but also to create a lively and interactive network of Qumran scholars in the Netherlands and Belgium. The event usually consists of a workshop in the morning and presentations by young scholars in the afternoon. The meetings are of an informal nature and are especially intended to foster exchange between young scholars and more experienced scholars. The meetings are open to participants from any country. The workshop, presentations and discussions are all in English.

At the coming meeting, Steve Mason (University of Aberdeen) will conduct a workshop that addresses the question what we can and cannot learn about the Essenes from the classical sources. In the afternoon Mladen Popovic (University of Groningen) will introduce and lead a plenary discussion on the question whether the Essenes can be connected with the Qumran discoveries. The day will be closed with a session of presentations by three young scholars from Groningen and Leuven who will discuss their current research. For more details: see the program attached.