Dead Sea Scrolls

Dead Sea Scrolls

The famous Dead Sea Scrolls belong among the most spectacular archeological finds of the 20th century. Some caves were discovered coincidentally by Bedouins near Qumran on the Dead Sea in 1947, in which mysterious scrolls of parchment were hidden in clay pots. These documents are 2,000 year old testimonies to ancient Judaism! The scrolls also have an extraordinary importance for the Christian Bible. The compendium assembled here presents three of the best-surviving scrolls, in addition to three additional fragments of documents from one of the caves. The scrolls from Qumran are unique pieces of world history!

A Religious Book and Religious Rules of Conduct

The compendium of three great scrolls offers a wonderful inside view of the Qumran discoveries. The impressive scrolls originate from Cave 1, and are accompanied by three additional fragments from Cave 4. These are the famous Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa), The Order of the Community (1QS), and The Persher to Habakkuk (1QpHab). The first scroll, measuring 734.0 x 26.2 cm, is “the only biblical book among the Dead Sea Scrolls to survive wholly intact.” Additionally, the Great Isaiah Scroll presents the biblical text as being practically unchanged in comparison to modern editions! The second scroll, 186 cm long, contains rules that expanded on the commandments of the Torah for the Jewish community of Qumran. It conveys coexistence in a Jewish community in the first pre-Christian century. Finally, the third scroll contains a so-called pesharim, a clarifying commentary to a biblical text, in this case the prophet Habakuk.

2,000 Year Old Documents

The scrolls assembled here originate from the time period between 120 B.C.E and 70 C.E. The scrolls show rips, seams, holes, and defective pages, but are nonetheless in good condition and belong among the best preserved and most complete specimens from among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Great Isaiah Scroll consists altogether of 17 sewn-together pieces of parchment, which together yield a length of seven meters. Both of the other are roughly one and a half meters long. The Hebrew scrolls were written with carbon ink on leather and parchment, wrapped in linen and stored in clay jars. Thus protected, the precious documents were able to survive for two thousand years! These three scrolls are appended by some of the Jordanian fragments from the National Archeological Museum in Amman: Quohelet (4Q109), Pesher Isaiah (4Q162), and Testimonia (4Q175).

The Spectacular Find

The exceptionally significant Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves near Qumran. This location on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea was settled early on by a Jewish community. In 1947, three Bedouin shepherds made the spectacular discovery: they found ancient scrolls, sometimes stored in clay pots in a cave. Additional caves were discovered in the years to follow and the numerous scrolls were extensively studied. Thus, a comprehensive collection of scrolls and countless fragments from various caves existed after two decades of searching.

A Long Trip to Jerusalem

The first scrolls came into the possession of scholars and researchers, who made the outstanding significance of the documents known, by means of antique dealers who were ignorant of the enormous significance of the find. The Qumran Scrolls travelled by various routes to various places, the USA and Jordan among them, passing through many hands and owners. They were finally bought back by the Israeli government in 1954 and are stored today in Jerusalem in a so-called Shrine of the Book, constructed in 1962. The three scrolls from the compendium at hand allows one to relive the exciting history of the mysterious discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Thus, “one of the most important archeological finds of the 20th century” is brought to life!