The Dead Sea Scrolls, Cairo Geniza, and critical study of rabbinic literature have contributed to our understanding of when and how fixed public worship developed within the Jewish community. The Dead Sea Scrolls show that prayer was practiced by at least some Jewish groups while the Second Temple still stood and that it drew heavily from biblical language, as can also be seen in the latest biblical books. However, Genizah documents demonstrate the persistence of liturgical diversity as late as the tenth century and, with critical study of rabbinic texts, raise questions about the acceptance of rabbinic authority.