In 1947 a Bedouin shepherd boy who was searching for a stray goat, discovered a cave in which Hebrew scrolls were preserved in jars. This event in a remote area of the Judean desert, known as the Qumran region, sparked an unprecedented ripple effect of archeological activity that yielded the most significant treasure of ancient biblical texts of the modern era. A compilation of scrolls and fragments that have come to be known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
In total, eleven caves were found, yielding partial and complete scrolls. One cave alone contained 15,000 fragments from at least six hundred composite texts. Another cave held the Psalms Scroll, an Aramaic tagrum of Job, and the Temple Scroll, the longest of the manuscripts (approximately twenty-nine feet in length).
The Isaiah Scroll, also known as the Great Isaiah Scroll, one of the first seven scrolls discovered, is written in Hebrew and contains the entire book of Isaiah. It is the oldest complete copy of Isaiah and is approximately 1000 years older than the oldest Hebrew manuscripts. The scroll is written on 17 sheets of parchment and is about 24 feet long.
The first seven scrolls discovered are housed at the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum along with the Temple Scroll. The minute fragments, remaining manuscripts and sizable texts can be found at the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem. The scrolls have been dated to the Second Temple period corroborated through historical, linguistic and paleographic evidence along with carbon-14 dating.
Who Were The Essenes?
It is widely accepted that the people responsible for the preservation of the scrolls was a religious sect known as the Essenes. During the time of the Maccabees, an anti-Hellenistic group known as the Hasidim withdrew from mainstream society to strictly observe the Torah and it is thought they preceded the Essenes. They have been referenced in the writings of Josephus Flavius, Philo of Alexandria, and Pliny the Elder.
Josephus wrote that during the Second Temple period, Jewish religious leaders were divided into the orders of the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Essenes. The Essenes were a separatist group and lived in a monastic community in the wilderness. It is believed that when the Maccabean princes, Jonathan (160-142 BC) and Simeon (142-134 BC) usurped the office of the high priest, it precipitated the alienation of the Essenes who denounced these rulers.
The Essene community at Qumran was destroyed in 68 AD by the Romans, two years before the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, the caves where they stored their precious scrolls remained unharmed and concealed for nearly 1900 years.
The writings of this sect of Jews provide insight and authenticity to other biblical texts and to Jewish culture from the Second Temple period. They include biblical, apocryphal and sectarian documents. The biblical texts are the earliest known copies in existence and display remarkable similarity to the Masoretic texts. Additionally, some texts follow the Septuagint in Greek.
Establishing A Remarkable Burden Of Proof
The biblical scrolls have provided new perspective that facilitates the reconstruction of the Old Testament when compared with other ancient copies. Also of significance, several biblical manuscripts including the Leviticus Scroll are inscribed in the ancient paleo-Hebrew script as opposed to the Jewish script which was prevalent at the time.
Some of the apocryphal texts are closely related to the biblical narratives such as the Book of Jubilees and Enoch. Others are independent writings. The sectarian texts include the Damascus Covenant which reveals the beliefs and customs of the commune, including rules and ordinances, biblical commentaries, apocalyptic visions and liturgical works.
The biblical commentaries, or pesharim, include the Habakkuk Commentary, the Nahum Commentary and the Hosea Commentary. These writings not only corroborate with other known manuscripts to establish greater credibility to the authenticity of the Bible but illustrate the immense value the Jews placed upon the preservation of their religious texts.
In March, 2021, new fragments from a Dead Sea Scroll were found in another cave, consisting of texts from the 12 minor prophets, including Zechariah and Nahum. Although they are written in Greek, the scroll contains the name of God written in Hebrew (YAHWEH).
Part of the text from the Zechariah fragments includes, “These are the things you are to do: Speak truth to one another, render true and perfect justice in your gates. And do not love perjury, because all those are things I hate – declares the Lord.”
Shira Rubin, a reporter wrote, “The Dead Sea Scrolls have been recognized for generations as one of the most convincing methods of proof of Jesus’ existence, both historically and theologically. Because they date back so closely to the time of Christ, they are all the more solidified as honest records of the Hebrew Bible.”
Connecting The Dots
Among Christians today there is uncertainty as the message preached from many pulpits has drifted away from biblical exposition and towards social commentary. Many believers question whether Jesus is the only path to heaven or if the concept of God includes the beliefs of other religions. There are calls to revise Christianity and rewrite the Bible to reflect cultural “progression.”
The Bible tells us that God does not change and His word stands forever. Is it coincidence that in our modern era that the word of God has been discovered and found to be preserved with such accuracy that substantiates all known translations of scripture? Or has God himself revealed the perfection with which he operates and the validation of His own testimony?
The relevance of the Bible, the accuracy of scripture and the authenticity of the Christian faith are all preserved in these significant scrolls. Not only do they authenticate the historicity of first century Jewish religion and culture, they stand as a testimony to the meticulous efforts and commitment of those who hand copied each word.
When you consider the messianic prophecies contained within the Book of Isaiah alone, that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the presence of this scroll in the Qumran discovery lends monumental credibility to the gospel and to the Christian faith. The scrolls reinforce the truth that God foretold and fulfilled his redemptive plan in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was quite direct when He asserted, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6).
When combined with other archeological discoveries, such as the Pool of Siloam, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the Pilate Stone, and the silver scrolls inscribed with the “Priestly Blessings” from the Book of Numbers that were unearthed at Ketef Hinnom, the corroborative evidence overwhelmingly supports the Bible as authentic.
Additionally, the Dead Sea Scrolls establish a level of integrity underpinning the veracity of the writings of the early church fathers as reliable witnesses. They include Tertullian of Carthage, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus of Lyons, Papias of Hierapolis among others, and their writings constitute trustworthy testimony corroborating the Bible.
God has spoken through scripture and His word will remain forever. At a time when the Bible is being scrutinized by skeptics and judged by a society that is confused by gender and disconnected with truth, the authenticity of scripture has been vindicated by the existence of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They remind us of the perfect nature of God’s revelation to mankind and the overwhelming inference that He exists.
