Archaeologists Challenge Link Between Dead Sea Scrolls and Essenes

For those of us concerned with apologetics to alternative spiritualities, this is potentially a big deal. So in a nutshell, here's the nub of it:

For years, Dr. Golb has argued that the multiplicity of Jewish religious ideas and practices recorded in the scrolls made it unlikely that they were the work of a single sect like the Essenes. He noted that few of the texts dealt with specific Essene traditions. Not one, he said, espoused celibacy, which the sect practiced.
The scrolls in the caves were probably written by many different groups, Dr. Golb surmised, and were removed from Jerusalem libraries by refugees in the Roman war. Fleeing to the east, the refugees may well have deposited the scrolls for safekeeping in the many caves near Qumran.

I'm aware of the pottery factory hypothesis, but I had thought that it had been seen as unlikely because of the placing of the latrines on the Qumran site which indicated a religious community's concerns. So I also issue a 'health warning' that there may be a lot more argument going on about this than the press picks up, especially when it is involved in a book promotion. Nevertheless, a 'watch this space' item. And, of course, if any reader has more intel on the matter, comment it.
Archeology :: Archaeologists Challenge Link Between Dead Sea Scrolls and Ancient Sect:
Filed in: Qumran, Essenes, Dead_Sea_scrolls, archaeology