The Dead Sea Scrolls are not only a significant archeological find, but are also of great spiritual importance to those of both the Jewish and Christian faiths. Twenty-seven scrolls, ten of which are on exhibit for the first time, are on display at the San Diego Museum of Natural History through the month of December. According to a museum employee, the scrolls had their own seats on an airplane – and were flown from Israel highly guarded and shrouded in secrecy.

In order to view the entire exhibit visitors must experience the Dead Sea Scrolls twice, with the first visit occurring before the end of September. Due to the fragile state of the scrolls, the Israel Antiquities Authority will only allow the loan for a maximum of three months. The scrolls that will be returned after three months will be replaced by another shipment of scrolls. However, three documents from the Department of Antiquities of Jordan will be on display for the entire six months.

"The scrolls are the oldest discovered copies of the books of the Hebrew Bible…" said Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn, curator of the exhibition and director of San Diego State University’s Judaic Studies Program. "Every piece has its own history and its own significance."

The Dead Sea Scrolls date from 250 BCE to 68 CE. The first scrolls were discovered in 1947 hidden in eleven caves near the shores of Israel’s Dead Sea. Scrolls continued to be discovered until 1956. A portion of the museum’s exhibit chronicles the first discovery by a Bedouin goat herder. Over 100,000 fragments of text were found and scholars have pieced together approximately 900 separate Biblical and non-Biblical documents.

The majority of the scrolls are made of leather parchment, some texts are written on papyrus, but only one non-Biblical scroll is inscribed on copper. Most of the scrolls are written in Hebrew and an older form of Hebrew (paleo-Hebrew); however, some texts are in Aramaic and Greek. Most scholars agree that the scrolls were written by a Jewish Essene sect, who lived Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] a communal life in the area of Qumran. There is also a theory that some of the scrolls were written in Jerusalem and hidden in the caves when the Romans became a threat to the city.

Jozef Milik, a Dead Sea Scroll scholar and archeologist, was frustrated when some of the scroll fragments were unable to be saved. When removed from the caves they became vulnerable to the elements. "Some manuscript fragments were there, soft and warm to the touch. In the air they dried quickly and crumbled to dust. There I was watching them in utter despair."

The Biblical scroll displays at the San Diego Natural History Museum include actual translations of the passages, which makes the display more spiritually significant. When I viewed the Dead Sea Scrolls at another exhibit the experience was not nearly as meaningful because scroll translations were not included in the displays. During my visit to this collection it was amazing to see how closely the 2,000-year-old texts resemble recent translations.

Examples of scripture comparisons:

• Deuteronomy 3:18 (Dead Sea Scroll): "[The LOR] D your God has given you this country to possess."

• Deuteronomy 3:18 (New International Version): "The LORD your God has given you this land to take possession of it."

• Deuteronomy 3:22 (Dead Sea Scroll): "Do not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who will battle for you."

• Deuteronomy 3:22 (New International Version): "Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you."

The longest and most complete Biblical scroll on display is from Psalms. Like the passages from Deuteronomy, this document does not waver much from modern translations. Other Biblical texts currently on display include portions of the Book of Isaiah.

Nothing could sum up this amazing exhibit more appropriately than the comment made by Charles Curo, vice chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians: "What a moment in history this is for the people of San Diego!"

Dead Sea Scrolls

San Diego Natural

History Museum

1788 El Prado, Balboa Park

San Diego

(619) 232-3821

www.sdscrolls.org

Through December 31, 2007