3. On scrolls and fragments

‘On scrolls and fragments’ explores the physical difficulties in working with the Dead Sea Scrolls. Firstly: how does one define a scroll? There is not a single, complete scroll in the entire collection, and questions exist about how many scrolls there were originally. Counting the scrolls is also difficult—are two fragments of the same scroll distinct? The scroll fragments are grouped together according to language, content, and handwriting, with obvious joins between fragments providing definitive proof that they are related. Handwriting was taught through scribal traditions, and as such palaeography is difficult but not impossible. Radiocarbon dating using accelerometer mass spectrometry has accurately dated the scrolls.

12. The greatest manuscript discovery

Are the Dead Sea Scrolls the greatest manuscript discovery of the 20th century? The public perception of this question differs greatly from the scholarly view. ‘The greatest manuscript discovery’ concludes that, for Jewish studies of the Second Temple period and biblical studies, they are. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide the earliest Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts of almost all the biblical books—illuminating the canonical process; dual pattern of scripture and tradition; and graded authority of compositions: biblical, non-biblical, and sectarian. The scrolls are the oldest examples of Old Testament texts, but they also act as a foil bringing out new insights into the early Christian church and New Testament.

1. The Dead Sea Scrolls as cultural icon

‘The Dead Sea Scrolls as cultural icon’ asks: how did the Dead Sea Scrolls become so popular? Discovered in 1947 and published fully in 1991, the term ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ has become a catch-all term for ancient manuscripts. The media played an important part in the popularization of the scrolls, but advances in computer and digital technology have improved access to the scrolls. Dead Sea Scroll tourism is popular even during unrest in the Middle East. The discovery of the scrolls coincided with the founding of Israel, giving the documents a profound political importance. Vatican conspiracy theories and copyright lawsuits have also captured the public’s imagination.

11. The scrolls and early Christianity

‘The scrolls and early Christianity’ looks at what the Dead Sea Scrolls can tell us about Christianity. Any link between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the early Church generates a great deal of sensationalism. Some say that the scrolls are New Testament documents that depict Jesus. For instance, one fragment apparently tells of a ‘slain prince [or messiah]’. In fact, the prince was actually slaying someone else—oddities in vowel and suffix use in ancient Hebrew give rise to the misinterpretation. Another theory suggests that there was a common sectarian matrix in use at the birth of Christianity, meaning that one sect could use words very differently to another.

9. The communities of the Dead Sea Scrolls

‘The communities of the Dead Sea Scrolls’ assesses what we know about the social structure and daily lives of the Qumran community. Early estimates of the community’s size suggested thousands of members, but it was more likely dozens. Vermes describes a monastic brotherhood living in the desert with a strict penal code and stratified hierarchy. A parallel urban community lived nearer to Jerusalem. This group shared many beliefs with the brotherhood but attended Temple and raised families. Debates rage about the communities’ origin. The Damascus Document suggests they predate the Maccabaean period, but this does not tally with our knowledge of their adversaries. The Groningen Hypothesis is a viable alternative.