The Dead Sea Scrolls and Biblical Accuracy
by Owen Borville
November 24, 2018
Bible, Archaeology, History
The Dead Sea Scrolls remain one of the greatest discoveries of modern times. These ancient manuscripts were found in clay jars inside the Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea in Israel. Discovered by a Bedouin boy of the Ta'amireh tribe in late 1946 or early 1947, researchers have discovered almost 1,000 manuscripts from 12 caves near the Hellenistic Period Jewish settlement in the eastern Judaean Desert near the Dead Sea. The scrolls are believed by experts to have been written between 300 B.C. and 100 A.D. and have great religious and historical significance, being the second oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible along with other manuscripts containing religious writings of various religious sects of the area and time period. With the exception of two silver scroll-shaped amulets containing portions of the Book of Numbers believed to date to 600 B.C., the Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest-known manuscripts containing Biblical scripture. In fact, the Dead Sea Scrolls contain portions from every book in the Old Testament of the Bible with the exception of the Book of Esther.
The best preserved scripture within the scrolls is known as the Great Isaiah Scroll, which contains a complete copy of the Book of Isaiah of the Old Testament. The majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls are written in Hebrew, with some content written in Aramaic and Greek. For many years, researchers have associated the scrolls with the ancient Jewish sect known as the Essenes, however recently experts have theorized that other Jewish groups were responsible for the origin of the scrolls. Of the portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls that have been identified, some 40 percent are copies from the Hebrew scripture, while some 30 percent contain scriptures not included in the Hebrew Bible, such as the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, the Book of Tobit, the Wisdom of Sirach, and Psalms 152-155. In addition, 30 percent of the scrolls include sectarian manuscripts of unknown origin from Judaism.
Researchers believe the scrolls originate from a Jewish sect who was in opposition to the Jewish establishment priesthood. Some also question whether the scrolls originated from the ancient Qumran community or originated in Jerusalem and were hidden in Qumran during the Roman invasion. The Dead Sea Scrolls are some 1,000 years older than the previously oldest-known Biblical manuscripts. Therefore, the greatest significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls is that they demonstrate that the Biblical scriptures have been translated and transferred accurately through the generations for over 2,000 years.
by Owen Borville
November 24, 2018
Bible, Archaeology, History
The Dead Sea Scrolls remain one of the greatest discoveries of modern times. These ancient manuscripts were found in clay jars inside the Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea in Israel. Discovered by a Bedouin boy of the Ta'amireh tribe in late 1946 or early 1947, researchers have discovered almost 1,000 manuscripts from 12 caves near the Hellenistic Period Jewish settlement in the eastern Judaean Desert near the Dead Sea. The scrolls are believed by experts to have been written between 300 B.C. and 100 A.D. and have great religious and historical significance, being the second oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible along with other manuscripts containing religious writings of various religious sects of the area and time period. With the exception of two silver scroll-shaped amulets containing portions of the Book of Numbers believed to date to 600 B.C., the Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest-known manuscripts containing Biblical scripture. In fact, the Dead Sea Scrolls contain portions from every book in the Old Testament of the Bible with the exception of the Book of Esther.
The best preserved scripture within the scrolls is known as the Great Isaiah Scroll, which contains a complete copy of the Book of Isaiah of the Old Testament. The majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls are written in Hebrew, with some content written in Aramaic and Greek. For many years, researchers have associated the scrolls with the ancient Jewish sect known as the Essenes, however recently experts have theorized that other Jewish groups were responsible for the origin of the scrolls. Of the portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls that have been identified, some 40 percent are copies from the Hebrew scripture, while some 30 percent contain scriptures not included in the Hebrew Bible, such as the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, the Book of Tobit, the Wisdom of Sirach, and Psalms 152-155. In addition, 30 percent of the scrolls include sectarian manuscripts of unknown origin from Judaism.
Researchers believe the scrolls originate from a Jewish sect who was in opposition to the Jewish establishment priesthood. Some also question whether the scrolls originated from the ancient Qumran community or originated in Jerusalem and were hidden in Qumran during the Roman invasion. The Dead Sea Scrolls are some 1,000 years older than the previously oldest-known Biblical manuscripts. Therefore, the greatest significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls is that they demonstrate that the Biblical scriptures have been translated and transferred accurately through the generations for over 2,000 years.
