I am studying 1QS (known popularly as “The Community Rule”), so I decided I would post my notes here for anyone who may be interested.
The “community” of 1QS is the Yahud, or the Unity (היחד).
There is a figure known as the Teacher, who is depicted as the authoritative interpreter of Moses and the prophets, who teaches the community how to live before God. To live correctly is to love what God loves and to hate what God hates, including wicked people known as “Sons of Darkness” ( בני חושך).
Those who love what God loves enter into a “Covenant of Grace” (בברית חסד, 1:8). Those who enter this Covenant may join the “counsel of God” (בעצת אל), which allows them to live according to God’s Law. According to 1:19-20 there seems to be an initiation ritual with priest and Levites present who bless God while the one being initiated affirm their blessing (saying, “Amen, Amen!”, אמן אמן). Those who are in the Covenant are called, “Sons of Light” (בני אור).
This group held all things in common. Those who entered the community had to share their possessions with the Yahud. This was the beginning of strict adherence to the rules of the Yahud. Obedience was demanded so that no one would abandon God during the “rule/dominion of Belial” (בממשלת בליעל, 1:18).
When the newly initiated enter the Covenant, the Priests declare God’s compassionate-hesed to Israel” (חסדי רחמים על ישראל, 1:22) and then cite the “iniquities of the children of Israel” (עוונות בני ישראל, 1:23) that were committed under the “dominion of Belial”. It is interesting to note that this sect seems to have view of themselves as a remnant of Israel and those who are not part of this remnant are under the dominion of Belial. There is a cry of repentance and confession present in 1:25ff. that accompanies entrance into the community. After repentance the initiated person must aim to live perfectly in accordance with the Law as interpreted by the Teacher.
There is no compassion for those outside the community. In fact, the “Levites” curse those who are of the “lot of Belial” (גורל בליעל, 2:5) wishing, “Be cursed because of all your guilty wickedness! May [God] deliver you up for torture at the hands of vengeful Avengers (נוקמי נקם, 2:6)! May [God] visit you with destruction by the hand of all Wreakers of Revenge! Be cursed without mercy because of (4Q256) the darkness of your deeds! Be damned in the shadowy place of everlasting fire (באפלת אש עולמים, 2:8)! May God not heed when you call on him, nor pardon you by blotting out your sin! May [God] raise his angry face toward you for vengeance! May there be no “Peace” for you in the mouth of those who hold fast to the Fathers!”[1] The initiated must agree to this with “Amen, Amen!”
Curses are placed on those who enter the Covenant, but who do not maintain their place within it. The person who fails to remain obedient receives this curse: “All the curses of the Covenant shall cling to him and God will set him apart for evil. He shall be cut off from the midst of all he Sons of Light, and because he has turned aside from God on account of his idols and his stumbling-block of sin, his lot shall be among those who are cursed forever.”[2]
This ritual occurs “year by year” (שנה בשנה, 2:19). When it begins the Priests enter first, then the Levites, then the people in grounds of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (indicating that this document was likely written in anticipation of the day when the Yahud would be a larger group than it seems was a reality at any point). This is in order to preserve the social hierarchy within the group.
Some elements of 1QS parallel the language of early Christianity. There is a Covenant that is characterized by grace. Those who enter this Covenant are “Sons/Children of God”. Those who are not in the Covenant are under the power of the evil being, Belial in 1QS and Satan in most Christian writings (but Belial is mentioned). There appears to be a sense in which one can be part of Israel and then another sense in which there is a truer manifestation of Israel.
There are elements of 1QS that stand in contrast to early Christianity. One can juxtaposes the curses placed on those outside the Covenant with Paul’s words in Romans 9:1ff. Those Paul could speak of people being accursed, it doesn’t seem that he wanted this to happen and he does not command anyone to act this way toward outsiders. Likewise, while there has been much discussion over whether Judaism of Paul’s day was “legalistic”, and while scholarship has shifted from this language due to the work of E.P. Sanders and others like him, this doesn’t mean that we should dismiss the reality that there were some Jewish sects who maintained very strict interpretations of the Law. It seems as if expulsion from the Yahud was always a possibility, and therefore eternal punishment.
the archives near Emmaus 
To understand the ‘dominion of Belial’, read and understand the ‘Baal-Cycle’. What ‘gods’ are mentioned in the Baal Cycle?
El
Yah(m)
Baal
Hadad
Qodesh
Amrur
Notwithstanding the question of whether Baal and Hadad were one and the same, Archaeologically, what evidence ties worship of these ‘gods’ to actual nations?
Hadad was worshiped in Damascus.
El, Baal, Qodesh, and Astarte (Easter) were worshipped in Edom,
Milcom was worshipped by the Ammonites,
Baal and Chemosh was worshipped by the Moabites (see the shrine of Beyt-baal-me’on)
Baal and Qodesh worship were associated with Edom. Qos is a theophoric form of Qodesh seen associated with Edomite Kings in ancient Assyrian texts and others – for example: Kings of Edom include QOSmalak, QOSgabri, QOSa (Tell-el-Kheleifeh artifact), Galti-QOS and from 1 Chron 15.17 QOSaiah (Kushaiah).
Now look at the prophecies about the the House of Judah. Notice they all contain warnings to nations that would afflict the House of Judah? Isn’t it interesting that most of the God’s mentioned in the Baal-cycle theologically belonging to Edom and Moab are also tied together prophetically as a curse to the House of Judah? (Obadaiah, Isaiah 11:14, Jer 9:26, Daniel 11:41)
If there are hints reminiscent of Baal-Cycle elements in biblical prophecy, this might qualify as a historical ‘dominion of Belial’ would it not? Which means we have to see historically what happens to Moab and Edom.
Also “Sons of Light” (בני אור) would from [Isa 42:6; 49:6; and 60:3]. If the sons of Israel became followers of their shepherd [Isa 40:11][Jer 31:10[Eze 37:24] and like Him, this makes the fulfilment of [Isa 42:6; 49:6; and 60:3] a Messianic function (thus explaining the ‘Teacher of Righteousness element).
With respect to the un-Christian-like ‘curse’ two things can be said:
1. Is it really un-Christ-like? Jesus cursed the Pharisees, the Sadducees, Hypocrites, and the Synagogue of Satan. If the “lot of Belial” (גורל בליעל, 2:5) where the same, and indeed executed great wickedness how do we know God had not also cursed them (recognizing that it is God’s place alone to curse, not ours).
2. If the ‘Lord’s curse is indeed on the house of the wicked’ [Pro 3:33] and this house of the wicked constituted not only the political, but also the religious leadership in Jerusalem for both the time of the Essenes and Christ ( as a curse devouring the land [Isa 24:6-7] in which the vine languished), than this curse was all to be expected.
If it is certain the shepherd’s sheep listen to his voice [John 10:16,27], and they know Him, and He knows them, but these creatures don’t know Him and don’t listen to his voice, either:
1. They are not sheep (perhaps goats)
2. Or they are not His ..
Judaism of Paul’s day was “legalistic” given that Judaism of Paul’s day was dominated by Pharisees and Sadducees and their corrupt religion. Stephen compared these Pharisees and Sadducees to those who persecuted the prophets. Christ cursed them.
The question is ‘was Judaism of the prophets, and indeed Christ himself’, ‘legalistic’. Given Christ’s example – modern Christianity is likely closer to the Judaism of the prophets and patriarchs than that abomination displayed by the Pharisees and Sadducees, later solidified in Rabbinic Judaism.
Accordingly, when Christian’s pick up the distorted lens of the Pharisees and Sadducees to peer at the faith of the Old Covenant patriarchs, and believe they see and understand the religion of Isaiah or Moses accurately, despite Christ’s disdain for this distortion, it simply dims the eyes, and dulls the ears. No wonder people struggle with the OT.
People should see that Christ did not bring something new, rather he restored something old to its intended form. (Christianity is actually older than Judaism)
I realize that the New Testament contains cursing/anathema language. It is the difference in how the curses are presented. I think reading the curses of 1QS make it quite evident that there is something distinct about the nature of their curses, however one may want to frame it.
Dr. Gary Rendsburg has an interesting video series on the DSS. He covers in a nutshell the culture of the Qumran Covenanters and their documents. He interestingly points out that there was a lot more contact with the outside world than some of the texts, such as 1QS, would lead one to believe. One little phrase he loved saying when he could was pointing out when a text was “sectually explicit” about an issue.