ZARAHEMLA REC New Findings from Scrollt@lfrii"ffio*'''*' ScholarsGathered to ShareResearch by Angela M. Crowell ngela Crowell attendedan ered. The only complete Biblical two different Hebrew scripts. One international Dead SeaScroll book found is the text of Isaiah (66 script, known as the "sqlJare"script Conferencein New York City, chapters). Besides the complete or Assyrian script, adopted while December 74-17,7992.. It was book of Isaiah, between 20 and 24 the Jews were in Babylon during sponsored by the New York Acad- partial copies of Isaiah have also their exile,is the one in use today. emy of Sciencesand the Oriental been found. The remaining scrolls The other script, an earlier one Institute of the University of Chi- are partial books from every book of known as the paleo-Hebrew script, cago. She also attended meetings at the Bible except Esther. Commentar- was used prior to the Babylonian the Society of Biblical Literature and ies on Biblical books were also Exile (before600 B.C.). the National Association of Profes- found. Also, the languageof the two sors of Hebrew in San Francisco, A second category is the non- previously unknown scripts appears November 74-27, where scroll Biblical or sectarian books. Most of to be Hebrew. One has been deci- research was presented. We have these have been published. Some phered but not yet published. prepared the following interview to important fragments are being share Angela's findings with our prepared for publication now. What recent developments readers. A third category is Jewish writ- should we be aware of? ings from the Second Temple period Much controversyhas arisenin First of all, what are the (332 B.C. - A.D. 70). These were the last few yearsbecause a large Dead SeaScrolls? written outside of Qumran. Some group of manuscripts,almost 600 tn'1.947,a Bedouin boy threwa books of this period were known from Caves4 and 11,have not been stone into a cave and was surprised earlier and are included in the published. Control of thesemanu- to hear the sound of clay pots Septuagint (LXX) which is a Greek scripts lies with a small official shattering. In those clay pots were translation of the Hebrew Bible. editorial team who have declined to ancient scrolls. He had made the These books are referred to as the publish them. Other prominent first of the history-making discover- Apocrypha. Other jewish writings scholarshave not had accessto these ies of what are now known as the not included in the Septuagint or particular manuscriptssince their Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient jewish Apocrypha have been referred to as discovery. Hershal Shanks,editor of writings and Biblical manuscripts. the Pseudepigrapha. BiblicalArchaeology Reztiew, and In a period from 7947 to 1,956,scrolls The fourth, smaller category is others have publicized this fact and were found in a total of eleven caves made up of fragments of 30 non- have sought to gain releaseof these in the Judean Desert located on the literary works which consist of lists manuscriptsso that all scholars northwestern shore of the Dead Sea and contracts. could have accessto them. near the ruins of an ancient settle- Worldwide interestin the Dead ment called Khirbet Qumran (i.e., What languages are the Scrolls SeaScrolls escalated in 1991with the ruins of Qumran). written in? publication of a reconstructedtext Scholars have divided the scrolls The majority of the scrolls are from unpublished, non-Biblical into four categories: Biblical, sectar- written in Hebrew.Other scrolls are scrolls from Cave 4. Ben-Zion ian, |ewish writings and non-literary writtenin Aramaicand a few in Wacholder,professor of Talmudic works. More than 190 scrolls in the Greek and Nabatean. studiesat Hebrew Union Collegein Biblical category have been discov- The Hebrew scrolls are written in Cincinnati and his researchassoci- on pg' 2 thot they (the remnonf of the houseof tsroet)moy know the covenonfs of the Lord ,, ,Cont'd ate,Martin Abegg, reconstructedtheir texts from the A second significant text Michael Wise translated is unpublished scrollswith the aid of a computer and a related to the book of Daniel and is called the "Son of concordancewhich was compiled in the late 1950sbut God" text (4Q256). It reads: remainedunpublished until 1988. The fact that the concordanceexisted proves that transcriptionsof the He shall be called the son of God; they will call him son of texts could have been made availablethirty years earlier. the Most High. His kingdom will be an Eternal The television program NOVA featured the story of the Kingdom and he will be Righteousin all his Ways. text reconstructionin "secretsof the Dead SeaScrolls" He lwill judJgethe earth in Righteousness. and every which aired in October 1'991.. nation will bow down to him. His rule will be an Following Wacholder and Abegg's publication, the Eternalrule... Eisenmanand Wise 1,992:70-71 Huntington Library in SanMarino, California released their photographsof the unpublished Dead SeaScrolls to This is very similar to the first chapter of Luke where all scholars. the angel Gabriel speaks to Mary about a son she will The Biblical ArchaeologySociety published a two- bear and name Jesus. volume work, A FacsimilieEdition of theDead Sea Scrolls, which contains7,787 photographs of unpublished Dead He will be great and will be calledthe Son of the Most High; SeaScroll fragments. Now all scholarscan have accessto The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; photographsof the unpublished scrolls,40 yearsafter and he will reign over the house of Jacobforever; his their discovery. kingdom will never end. Luke 1:32-33NIV For additional books,rnagazinesand videos on the Dead SeaScrolls, see "Reader Resources" at the end of the Here again the sameterminology is used in Luke and article. in the Dead SeaScroll fragment. Another remarkablefragment is the "New Jerusalem" What newly published texts should we be aware of? text. Michael Wise related in a television interview that Michael Wise, assistantprofessor of Aramaic at the it speaksof an angel who leadsa seer(someone like University of Chicago,has published a translationof Ezekiel)"around the city of Jerusalemthat existsin the fragment 4Q521'(Wise & Tabor 1992:62).This text heavensthat's going to somedaybe on the earth" (Levitt containsstriking parallelsto both Matthew 11:4-5and 1992). Luke 7:22-23.Wise's translationreads: This text has beenfound on scrollsfrom five different caves. It is similar to Ezekiel'svision of the measuringof The heavens and the earth will obey His Messiah . a new temple found in Ezekiel40-48and the description He will heal the sick, resurrect the dead and to the poor of the New |erusalemin Revelation2l,-22.Someone "is announce glad tidings . led around the city that will stand on the site of Zion" (Eisenmanand Wise 1992:39).A companion measured Both Matthew and Luke record that while in prison different structureswith a caneseven cubits long (c. 10.5 john the Baptist heard about the works of Christ and sent feet). The walled city he measuredwas a rectangle13x18 two disciplesto ask |esusif he was the Messiah. ]esus miles that had twelve gatesfor the twelve tribes of Israel. responded: It containedalmost 1,500towers, eachover 100feet high. Besidesgiving a referenceto Babylon, the Dead Sea Go and shewjohn againthose things which ye do hearand Scroll text contains a greater number of measurements see:The blind receivetheir sightand the lamewalk, the and other items of information than are given in the lepersare cleansed and the deafhear, the deadare raised up Bible. and the poor havethe gospelpreached to them. Sinceits releaseon November 8,799'1,the "Pierced Matthew11:4-5 KfV Messiah" text (4Q285)has receivedthe most publicity from the media. Scholarlydebate on its translation The Dead SeaScroll fragment (4Q521)and the Mat- continueson the pagesof BiblicalArchaeology Reaiew. thew and Luke texts use identical languagein describing Michael Wise translatedfragment 7 to read (quoting the work of the Messiah. Both Michael Wise and james from Isaiah11:1): Tabor claim that this Dead SeaScroll text "containsone of the closest,most direct linguistic parallelsto a New (2) A staffshall rise from theroot of Jesse,land a Planting Testamenttext that has ever been discovered in the from his rootswill bearfruitl . scrolls" (Wise and Tabor 1992:65).It also presents "the (3) the Branchof David. Theywill enterinto fudgement first evidence outside the New Testament" (Wise and with. Tabor 1992:65)that the Messiah is the one who will raise (4) and they will put to death the Leader of the Community, the dead. This newly releasedtext shows that the writers the Branlch of Davidl (this might alsobe read, depend- of the scrolls and early Christians shared a similar ing on the context, 'and the Leader of the Community messianicunderstanding. the Branlch of David'1,will put him to death) . (5) and with woundings, and the (high) priest will century composition. Beforethe Dead SeaScroll discov- command. ery somescholars thought that due to the imagery of (6) [the sl]ailn of the Kitti[m] . Eisenman and Wise'1992:29 dualism found in the Gospel of john, but not in other Jewishworks, the book must be a second-centurywork Wise feels "this text is bringing togetherquotations influencedby Greek thought. However, this same from various portions of the book of Isaiah,applying imagery of dualism has beenfound in many of the them to a [messianic]figure" (Levitt, transcript of video scrolls. Becauseof this discovery,some scholars now tapefour,pp.1.6-77). concludethat John may contain some of the oldest This preliminary translation is the first mention of a sectionsof the Gospelsand that it may be the most Qumran belief in a slain messiah. The debateis over the |ewish of the Gospels. translationin line 4 above.