The Typographic Philip K. Dick

 Albemuth 

Letter to Claudia Bush

July 22, 1974

Dear Claudia,

I think I've solved what's been in my head at night.

I'm seeing all the books and writing tablets, all the written materials night after night: the Qumran Scrolls. Gee. It finally fits together, all this stuff.

They're what people call the "Dead Sea Scrolls." I've been doing research. I'm positive. Hundreds have been unjarred, opened, and translated recently. In England and Israel. 

The Qumran community of Essenes. Here, before the scrolls were found, is Will Durant's description of the Essenes:

“possibly they were infuenced by Brahamic, Buddhist, Parsee (which is Zoroastrianism, Pythagorean and the Cynic search for the honest man, ideas that came to the crossroads of trade at Jerusalem... They dwelt in homes owned by their community ... i.e. communistic ideas of property: 

“A rich man is a thief"  

They hoped that by piety, abstinence and contemplation they might acquire magic powers and foresee the future. Like most people of their time they believed in angels and demons, thought of diseases as possession by evil spirits, and tried to exorcise these by magical formulas; from their "secret doctrine" came some parts of the Kabbala. They looked for the coming of a Messiah who would establish a communistic egalitarian Kingdom of Heaven on earth; they were ardent pacifists and refused to make implements of war."

The Romans wiped them out, so the contents of the Qumran Scrolls would contain all the elements I've been entertaining in my mind, and scrolls equal books.  The Essenes were into prophecy, or anyhow wanted to be. It's all there: 

The numbers (Pythagoreanism), the weird semi-words (Kabbala). This is exactly what Jim Pike was into.

All of the above. See, Claudia?

The Essenes sent teachers to the various cities; these teachers concealed their Essene background and training. Jesus Christ is the best known example. (The Qumran Scrolls indicate he was indeed a "secret Essene.) Another example would be Appolonius of Tyana (died 98 A.D.).

Look him up, Claudia; you'll see what I mean. These Essene secret teachers fanned out into the Roman Empire and so-to-speak subverted it with their doctrines . After the Essene Community was wiped out around 70 A.D. such secret teachers as Appolonius of Tyana continued to spread their doctrines . These underlie — covertly — our world.

Nobody knew the source of these teachings until the Qumran Scrolls were recently found; no wonder Jim Pike and other theologians went crazy with excitement — saw Christianity in an entirely new light. It isn't a Jewish heresy, it is based on the sources I quote from Will Durant above. They were also into cypher (Tensor) and prophecy (Transformer)— and lots and lots of what probably are prophetic books (Seals).

And since Jim's death many more have been dug up and translated (which also means deciphered). 

Query: If the Essenes were successful prophets not just trying and failing, did they anticipate their being wiped out, and anticipate leaving their entire doctrines and views and information as sort of time bombs which would remain hidden until today? Is it possible?

Very possible, I think. They hid all their stuff to be found later - much later.  Once more to be reintroduced into the world as it was fading out.

Reintroduced to revive it.

JFK

MLK

RFK

PKD