Prof. Esther Chazon: The first teams to study the scrolls were themselves exclusively male, and this helped to shape the then-consensus about the celibacy and maleness of the Qumran Yahad. Even rooms at Qumran were named w/ names from monasteries #NYUvirtualDSS

This even drove gendered emendations of the Qumran texts, as shown below.

Chazon: Based on the burial evidence, women constituted at least 11% of the sectarian group at Qumran.

Chazon, acknowledging Maxine Grossman: The language of The Community Rule––the "flagship" document for those who argue for a celibate male group––is far more gender neutral than is often represented in translations. #NYUvirtualDSS

Chazon, in conclusion: Not only were women members of the Yahad, they also held positions of honor and authority within the community. #NYUvirtualDSS