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THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in 1947 and the succeeding years, have given to the world the oldest Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament. Before the finding of these scrolls the oldest manuscripts reached back to about 900 A .D. which are known as the Masoretic text. The discovery of these texts was about a mile from the Khirbet Qumran ruin on the west side of the Dead Sea and not far from its northern end. An Arab goat-herd, a Bedouin, sometime in the years 1945-1947 accidentally discovered a cave in which he found some clay jars. Inside the clay jars were leather scrolls wrapped in linen cloth. Late in 1947 these scrolls were brought to Jerusalem by a Syrian Orthodox dealer who had purchased them from the goat-herd. Four of these seven scrolls were sold to the Syrian Orthodox patriarch in Jerusalem, the other three to Professor E. L. Sukenik of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Four of these scrolls were carried to the United States during hostilities between the Israeli and Arabs in the late forties for safe keeping. They were purchased by private treaty for the Israeli Government. These contain the first Isaiah Scroll which is almost complete and known as Isaiah A. The manual of discipline was included which is in two parts, the Habakkuk Commentary, and an Aramaic manuscript identified as a work on Genesis. The works bought by Professor Sukenek contained an incomplete Isaiah Scroll known as Isaiah B. There was also an eschatological manuscript entitled The War of the Sons of Light with the Sons of Darkness. He also purchased a work of 25 Thanksgiving Psalms. All seven of these Scrolls have been photographed and published and those of Professor Sukenik have an introduction both in Hebrew and English. Excavation of Cave I by Jordan’s Department of Antiquities and the French School of Archaeology in 1949 led to the discovery of manuscript fragments numbering the hundreds. A still further excavation during the years 1951 to 1956 covered the whole area of Khirbet Qumran. From this the archeologists and Biblical scholars were able to reconstruct the probable activity and daily life of the Qumran Community. This excavation also yielded some more scrolls and thousands of manuscript fragments. This was a well organized and thoroughly disciplined Jewish monastic community which existed the last century B. C. and the first century A. D. There was found in the ruins of the area a scriptorium in which the manuscripts were written. Two additional groups of scrolls and fragments have been uncovered in other excavations and are include in the broad term, Dead Sea Scrolls also. They have been found in 11 caves and contain material from the same time period as the original finds. Cave IV yielded fragments of 382 manuscripts. Every book of the Bible, except Esther, is represented and some books by many copies. There are 14 of Deuteronomy, 12 of Isaiah, 10 of the Psalms, and 10 books of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha are represented. There are commentaries on various books and collections of prayers, hymns, and treatises dealing with the end of this earth and describing the world to come. There are also manuscripts like The Manuel of Discipline which gave the rules for the Qumran Community. The first seven are at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The others are at the Palestine Archaeological Museum of Jerusalem. Thee, an international team composing Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish scholars are studying and evaluating these great discoveries. The renowned scholar William F. Albright said that these were “the most important discovery ever made in Old Testament Manuscripts. These scrolls have stopped many arguments which used to be made by agnostics that have cast doubt on the authors of Old Testament books as well as content. For instance I am told that the old argument on there being two divisions and two authors of Isaiah has been shown to be false by the Isaiah Scrolls. The scriptures were not late dated books by people who lived far from the dates of the events they record. They are the genuine work of men like Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. And God saw fit to leave us these old copies of those original manuscripts so we would just have one more evidence of the authenticity of the Bible. People have tried to destroy the Bible but they have always miserably failed. We wonder about the purity of the text. These discoveries help us to know that we do have the word of God preserved just like Jesus said it would be. Heaven and earth shall pass away but the word of God shall never pass away. (Matthew 24:35; I Peter 1:24, 25). This is God’s instruction book and by His mercy, love, and goodness he will see to it that we shall always have it. Take advantage of the opportunities provided to learn from the great word of God. Sunday School classes provide one avenue of learning. The worship services provide another opportunity. Then there are the Wednesday night Bible Classes which give a mid week break from daily routine to contemplate the things of God. Why not take just a few minutes each day to meditate or study the scriptures? It would be really rewarding. Blessed indeed are the people who delight in the word of God and meditate therein day and night (Psalms 1:1-6). The inspired John said, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:30, 31). C. D.
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