Light and Darkness

---

Welcome to Pleroma Pathways apocalyptic and mystic Christianity where we explore esoteric and apocalyptic texts.

Light and Darkness

The ancient Persian Zoroastrian influence, particularly the monistic version where Zurvan (Time) created both Ahura Mazda (the principle of good) and Angra Mainyu (the principle of evil), has left a distinct imprint on Jewish religious heritage (Cohn 1993, 193). This influence is notably reflected during the period of the Jewish exile and return, with the Persian king Cyrus himself being proclaimed the Messiah or "anointed one" for his role in fostering the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity.

The natural affinity between these two patriarchal religious visions encouraged a degree of cultural assimilation. Persian ideas were absorbed into Jewish thought, especially in the opposition of darkness and light, and the development of eschatological views about cosmic renovation at the end of days. This dualistic contrast between light and darkness, along with a developed resurrection hope, differed from earlier Hebrew beliefs.

While the Sadducees adhered to the traditional Jewish belief that after death souls would descend into Sheol—existing as pale, disembodied shades—and rejected the resurrection of the dead, the Pharisees embraced the apocalyptic vision found in the Book of Daniel. Rabbi Hillel, a contemporary of Jesus, taught that the dead would be kept in heaven or hell until the Day of Judgment, an idea that echoes Persian eschatology. However, the Pharisees did not go so far as to accept the notion of a great satanic opponent to God, such as Belial or Mastema, as the Essenes did (Cohn 1993, 220–226).

Among the Essenes, one of the most crucial doctrines was the "Morality of the Two Ways," a concept entirely unknown to ancient Hebrews. This doctrine set forth the Way of Light and the Way of Darkness, with each representing moral and cosmic realities—light symbolizing order and goodness, darkness symbolizing chaos and evil. This perspective is clearly linked to Zoroastrian dualism and cosmic renovation, as well as later Gnostic sentiments, such as those found in Manichaeism. It also resonates strongly with aspects of the Gospel of John, previously thought to be Hellenistic but now increasingly understood as deeply rooted in Jewish thought.

"The Messiah or Teacher of Righteousness is opposed to a Demon of Evil, most frequently known as Belial. The way of Good leads to salvation; the Way of Evil to torment. There is to be a Last Judgment at the end of time—equally unknown to ancestral Judaism—when the Messiah shall divide the world" (Wilson, Edmund, The Scrolls from the Dead Sea, p. 71). During this time, the Elect will be saved and the faithful avenged. Until then, the sect was to remain pure, participating in sacred meals and ritual baptisms as acts of purgation and preparation.

The Manual of Discipline, a key Qumran text, elaborates further:

"[The God of Knowledge] has created man to govern the world, and has appointed for him two spirits in which to walk until the time of His visitation: the spirits of truth and falsehood. Those born of truth spring from a fountain of light, but those born of falsehood spring from a source of darkness. All the children of righteousness are ruled by the Prince of Light and walk in the ways of light, but all the children of falsehood are ruled by the Angel of Darkness and walk in the ways of darkness..." (Manual of Discipline 3:18–21).

The opposition of light and darkness is depicted as an ongoing battle:

"For God has established the spirits in equal measure until the final age, and has set everlasting hatred between their divisions. Truth abhors the works of falsehood, and falsehood hates all the ways of truth. And their struggle is fierce in all their arguments for they do not walk together" (Manual of Discipline 4:16–18).

Nevertheless, God has "ordained an end for falsehood, and at the time of visitation he will destroy it forever."

Two prominent texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls dealing with this theme are The War of the Children of Light against the Children of Darkness and the Commentary on Habakkuk. The latter, dating to around 41 BC, identifies the oppressor as the "Kittim," likely a reference to the Romans and their allies. The Commentary on Habakkuk is of particular significance regarding the Teacher of Righteousness, a messianic figure whom we will consider further elsewhere.

Some scholars, reflecting on the Qumran discoveries, have re-evaluated the Gospel of John. Whereas it was once believed to have been heavily influenced by late Hellenistic or Gnostic ideas, it now appears that John may be the most deeply Jewish of the Gospels, rooted firmly in Essene thought.

At the beginning of John’s Gospel, the conflict between light and darkness is immediately introduced:

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4–5).

Moreover, many of John's phrases—"the spirit of truth," "the light of life," "walking in the darkness," "children of light," and "eternal life"—find parallels in the Manual of Discipline. One remarkable similarity lies in the description of the Logos:

"And by his knowledge everything has been brought into being. And everything that is, he established by his purpose; and apart from him, nothing is done" (Manual of Discipline 11:11).

Compare this with John 1:2–3:

"He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made."

The connection between Qumran and New Testament thought is further exemplified in 2 Corinthians 6:14–15:

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?"

The exclusive division between light and darkness, the use of the name Belial, and the portrayal of a divided humanity echo strongly the Essene worldview.

Thus, the dualistic theology of Light and Darkness, introduced into Judaism under Persian influence and developed by the Essenes, profoundly shaped early Christian thought and left a lasting mark on apocalyptic and mystical traditions.