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Israel Antiquities Authority

“Hear now, my sons,” begins the Damascus Rule, an explanation of Essene teachings followed by a list of community rules. (It is known as the Damascus Rule because it includes mention of a “new covenant” made in Damascus.) At least ten fragmentary copies of the Damascus Rule were uncovered in caves near Qumran, including this tiny piece, which includes only six or seven Hebrew letters from a rule forbidding divorce.