Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered - The Preterist Archive

interesting and complements the reference in the Aemilius text, also to 'Arabs'.
But James the just (note the parallel to Honi's cognomen) was also reckoned as one of these
primordial rainmakers. This is described in a notice from the fifth-century AD historian Epiphanius,
probably based on a lost work about James which he mentions - the Anabathmoi Jacobou (The
Ascents of James; Haeres. 78:14. Note too the possible allusion to the Mysticism of Heavenly
Ascents). Also the letter ascribed to James' name abounds with the imagery of 'rainmaking' in its
apocalyptic and climactic final Chapter, evoking one of the first archetypes in this tradition connected
to apocalyptic 'Judgement', Elijah (Jas. 5:7-18).
This evocation of rain and its connection with eschatological judgement is strong as well in the War
Scroll from Cave 1 at Qumran, where it is again connected to the exegesis of 'the Star Prophecy' and
combined with the famous eschatological allusion from Dan. 7 of 'the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of Heaven'. The 'clouds of Heaven' here, as we have seen, are the Heavenly Hosts or all the
Kedoshim / 'Holy Ones’ - the 'rain' being the judgement they bring (see Eisenman, 'Eschatological
Rain Imagery in the War Scroll from Qumran and the Letter of James', JNES, 1990). Josephus,
perhaps sums the situation up very incisively when he observes that it was 'Imposters and magicians'
of this type who were more dangerous even than the violent revolutionaries, because they were
scheming to bring about both 'innovation' (religious reform) and 'change in government' (War 2.259).
One should also note the relationship of 'thunder' symbolism to the two 'twins', John and James, called
in the New Testament 'Boanerges' / 'Sons of Thunder' (Mark 3:17). Whether this epithet has any
relevance to the issue we are discussing is difficult to assess, but since the same two apostles were
represented as having asked Jesus to be allowed to sit on his 'right hand' (Matt. 20:21; see too Mark
14:62's 'sitting on the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of Heaven'), one can assume
that it does.
The supernatural aspects of the 'sons of Zadok' or 'the Elect of Israel' have also been discussed at
length in this work. There is no doubt that these have a role to play in the Last Judgement. The
Messiah himself has 'Heaven and Earth' at his disposal in the text by this title with which we begin the
work. The Zaddikim were 'the Pillars' that upheld the earth; so were presumably 'Pillar' apostles like
James (Gal. 2:9). 'The Son of Man' was to come 'on the clouds of Heaven' and the Heavens were 'to
rain down Judgement'. Elijah, referred to in the Letter of James, and Phineas, apparently too, before
him, were archetypical rainmakers; so was Honi, called 'the Circle-Drawer', because of the circles he
drew to bring the rain. James, too, was to bring the rain – ‘rain’ taken both in its mundane sense and
eschatologically.
The zodiacal dimension of the notation 'twins' is in a certain sense reinforced by the name in Aramaic
of one of the astronomical zodiacal signs mentioned in this text, Thomiah, i.e. Gemini. This in turn
relates to the name of another of the disciples of Jesus, with regard to whom the 'brother' signification
is prominent as well, Judas Thomas / 'Thomas the Twin'. The 'brother' signification with regard to
either or both of the two James mentioned above is also clear.