The Dead Sea Scrolls - Facts You Need to Know

The Dead Sea Scrolls are papyrus and leather scrolls that were discovered near the ancient settlement of Qumran, located on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in what is now known as the West Bank before the state of Israel was even formed.

Here are a few things of importance about these ancient scrolls that you should know.

Scientific radiocarbon dating tells us that the Dead Sea Scrolls were written between 150 B.C. and 70 A.D., but nobody really knows for sure who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is theorized that these scrolls are the works of scribes from the Jewish sect called the Essenes.

There are fragments from every book of the Old Testament except for the Book of Esther.

The book of Isaiah is the only complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible preserved among all of the scrolls discovered in the caves of Qumran.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are written in different languages. Most are written in Hebrew, while others are written in Aramaic and some in Greek.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were not all Biblical texts, some were writings about sectarian regulations, such as the Community Rule, and other religious writings that are not found in the Old Testament. 

The most curious of these other writings has to be the Copper Scroll, which is sort of an ancient treasure map. These particular scrolls are written with both Hebrew and Greek letters carved into metal sheets describing 64 underground hiding places around Israel that supposedly contain gold and silver caches stashed away for safekeeping.

We know from history that the Romans pillaged Judaea during the first century A.D. and that the Second Temple was destroyed. The riches described in the Copper Scrolls have never been found. One can only wonder if they are still out there somewhere or maybe they were recovered already by the Romans. To this day no one really knows for sure.

You can view the Dead Sea Scrolls by visiting the websites listed below.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library

The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls