The Dead Sea Scrolls: the Greatest Archaeological Discovery of Our Time
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St Barnabas THE MAGAZINE OF ST BARNABAS ANGLICAN CHURCH STOKE focus OCTOBER – NOVEMBER 2011 The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Greatest Archaeological Discovery of Our Time As we continue our journey through the Bible in the E100 challenge, we continue to look at the events and manuscripts that confirm the authenticity of scripture. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948 led to famed archaeologist and leading Biblical scholar William Albright making the extraordinary claim that the Dead Sea Scrolls were “the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century.” The scrolls in general have provided many new readings that confirm the accuracy of the history of the Old Testament. On 28 September 2011, the Dead Sea Scrolls, so ancient and fragile that direct light cannot shine on them, were made available to search and read online in a project launched by the Israel Museum and Google Inc. Dr Peter Flint, Professor of Religious Studies and Co-Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at Trinity Western University in British Columbia, Canada provides an overview of the importance of the scrolls. his amazing discovery was made in 1947 by Bedouin fragmentary. shepherds in a cave near Khirbet Qumran, about one mile The earliest scrolls found at Qumran date from about 250 B.C. or a T inland from the western shore of the Dead Sea. By 1956, a little earlier; the latest were copied shortly before the destruction total of eleven caves had been found at Qumran, about one mile of the Qumran site by the Romans in 68 A.D. Further scrolls were inland from the western shore of the Dead Sea. By 1956, a total of discovered at other locations in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, eleven caves had been found at Qumran. especially Wadi Murabba‘ât (1951-52), Nahal Hever (1951-61), and The caves yielded various artifacts, especially pottery. The most Masada (1963-65). important find was scrolls written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, Scholars divide the 950 or so scrolls found in the Judean desert into the three languages of the Bible. Almost 900 were found in the two general categories of writings: the “Biblical” scrolls, which con- Qumran caves in about 25,000-50,000 pieces. While a few scrolls stitute our earliest witnesses to the text of Scripture, and the “Non- are well-preserved, almost all are damaged and most are very Biblical” scrolls, which anticipate or confirm numerous ideas and In this issue: ▪ The Dead Sea Scrolls ▪ Financial Results to August ▪ Mission Tanzania An examination of the scrolls The challenge continues Msloto Mission Update ▪ Round and Round... ▪ The Holy Roller ▪ Two Months of Sundays The Judges and Ruth Church on the Big Screen October/November Events and ▪ The Peasants Rockquest win ▪ St Barnabas Online Sunday Services Winning Music Detailed website guide. 1 2 3 1. One of the more complete scrolls, The Great 2. Cave 4 .This most famous of the Dead Sea Scroll 3. Map showing location of the The Dead Sea Isaiah Scroll 1BC from Qumran Cave 1. This scroll caves is also the most significant in terms of finds. Scrolls discovery in 11 caves near Khirbet Qumran, disappeared for 6 years and was recovered following More than 15,000 fragments from over 200 books on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea in a small advertisement surfacing in The Wall Street were found in this cave, nearly all by Bedouin Israel. Journal under the category “Miscellaneous for thieves. 122 biblical scrolls (or fragments) were Sale” (June1, 1954): “The Four Dead Sea Scrolls” found in this cave. From all 11 Qumran caves, every Biblical Manuscripts, dating back to at least 200 Old Testament book is represented except Esther B.C., are for sale. This would be an ideal gift to an educational or religious institution by an individual or group. Box F 206. Haggling took many weeks, including secret meetings to authenticate the scrolls. The parties finally agreed on a $250,000 purchase price and the scrolls were shipped quietly to Jerusalem to avoid claims by Jordan for the scrolls. teachings found in the New Testament and in later Rabbinic (Hebrew v. 17) of the traditional Masoretic text, which reads writings (the Mishnah and Talmud). “For dogs have surrounded me: the assembly of the wicked have With respect to the 230 or so Biblical Scrolls (about 25% of the encompassed me: like a lion are my hands and my feet.” The total), there are four reasons for Albright’s claim that the scrolls King James Bible, following the Septuagint (Greek Old are the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century. Testament) reads “They have pierced my hands and feet.” The first reason is the Scrolls were Found in the Land of Israel It has been suggested that the Septuagint reading here Itself. Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, virtually no represents a modification of the Hebrew “like a lion” in order to writings dated to the Second Temple Period (that is, when the make better sense of the verse, or that early Christian editors Temple stood from 516 B.C. to 70 A.D.) had been found in Israel. changed the Greek text in order to find evidence for Jesus’ Now we have hundreds of documents from the time of Jesus crucifixion in the Hebrew Bible. and earlier that were written or produced near Jerusalem and The passage is preserved in the Psalms scroll from Nahal Hever, other Biblical sites. which reads “They have pierced my hands and feet.” Also The second is that the Scrolls are written in the three languages supported by the Septuagint and a few Masoretic manuscripts of scripture. For Biblical scholars, the most important from the Middle Ages, this reading has been adopted by many manuscripts are written in the original Hebrew, Aramaic and modern English Bibles, including the Revised Standard Version, Greek. The Scrolls include ancient Biblical manuscripts in the New Revised Standard Version, the New American Bible, the Hebrew and Aramaic (portions of Daniel), and parts of the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version, Septuagint in the original Greek. the English Standard Version, and the Holman Christian Bible. The third is the Scrolls Include our oldest biblical manuscripts. The 650 or so Non-Biblical Scrolls contain a wealth of writings, The antiquity of the Biblical Scrolls is of supreme importance for most of them previously unknown to scholars. These can be Biblical scholars. Virtually all copies of the Hebrew Bible used divided into are five categories: Rules and Regulations (e.g., the today are based on medieval manuscripts; the oldest Hebrew Community Rule); Poetic and Wisdom Texts (e.g., the Thanks- manuscript fragment known before the discovery of the scrolls giving Psalms); Reworked or Rewritten Scripture (e.g., the was the Nash Papyrus, which is dated at 150-100 B.C. Genesis Apocryphon); Commentaries or Pesharim (e.g., the Commentary on Habakkuk); and Miscellaneous Writings (e.g., In contrast, all the scrolls found at Qumran are dated within the the Copper Scroll). Second Temple Period, from 250 B.C. or a little earlier to just before the destruction of the Qumran site in 68 A.D. These documents provide two additional reasons why the Dead Sea Scrolls comprise the greatest archaeological find of our The fourth is some biblical scrolls preserve lost readings with times: messianic Implications. One example is at Psalm 22:16. This Psalm (which begins with “My God, my God, why have you Firstly they contain new information on second temple Judaism. forsaken me?”) is significant in both Jewish and Christian Several non-Biblical Scrolls record the ideas and outlook of the exegesis, and is quoted several times by Jesus in relation to his Qumran Community, whom most scholars identify with the sufferings and death. A difficult reading is found in verse 16 Essenes. We already knew a good deal about the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two main Jewish groups in the days of Jesus Christ. Some scrolls provide further information on these groups, but also contain fascinating insights on the intense competition among various Jewish groups in ancient times to be the legitimate and chosen people of God. One such document, from Cave 4 at Qumran, is called Some of the Works of the Law, in which the Essenes or their predecessors spell out the rules and observances that make a person acceptable in the sight of God, in contrast to the incorrect observances promoted by their opponents, the Pharisees. Secondly, they contain new information on the New Testament and Christian origins. The scrolls were not written by Christian authors and never mention any Christian individuals by name, and thus have no direct relationship with Jesus and early Christianity. How-ever, some manuscripts are important for understanding Jesus’ life and teaching, while others anticipate several New Testament doctrines. More specifically, these ancient documents throw welcome Foyer @4 is an annual concert series held at St light on the Gospels by providing helpful information about Barnabas on Sunday afternoon at 4.00pm. Jewish society, groups, practices, and beliefs at the time of Jesus and the early Christians. They also increase our knowledge The series includes classical and contemporary about Early Judaism, which makes it clear that many aspects of the Gospel message are indebted to the mother religion. They music from both New Zealand and overseas also help us see in sharper outline some of the basic differences performers . between the message of Jesus and other Jewish groups. The scrolls have also provided new texts with similarities to certain Gospel passages, which indicates that some of Jesus’ teaching and other information was anticipated in earlier texts, rather than being the product of the later Church.