The French Biblical School in Jerusalem had a largest collection of the scrolls and did not allow any outside study of them for several decades. This brought out speculation that they had discovered information that was unfavorable to the Catholic Church so they were hiding it. Many of the scrolls are kept and protected by Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. The Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem has many scrolls and artifacts. At all these organizations the scrolls and artifacts are studied and attempts are made to preserve them for future generations.
As is often the case when mankind finds something new he immediately starts to study it and in many case try to preserve it but in virtually every case his efforts end up doing more damage than good. Such is the case with the Dead Sea Scrolls. As I indicated in my first posting some scrolls were actually cut into pieces and sold as souvenirs. The scrolls as the names implies were in rolls and very dusty ( if not dirty ) so the cleaning and unrolling process was extremely difficult. There were many large as well as hundreds of small fragments of scroll material. In an effort to piece these pieces together often they were taped together with cellophane tape so they could be read and studied. In some instances the parchment was placed between panes of glass and the pressure of the glass caused the adhesive of the tape to be forced into the parchment Further damage happened when the tape was removed. Some scrolls were stored under wood floors where the accumulating moisture damaged them.
Several theory have been advanced about who wrote the scrolls and where were they written. One theory is that they were written in Jerusalem and transported in pottery jars to the caves of Qumran when Roman soldiers advanced on Jerusalem. Another theory is that they were written in Rome and transported in pottery jars to the caves of Qumran. Why they would have been moved from Rome is unknown. Another theory is that they were written by the Essenes in Qumran and placed in jars in the caves above Qumran as Roman soldiers approached and destroyed the settlement of Qumran. Modern science and technology such as DNA, and various kinds of analysis has helped answer some of these questions
First lets look at the Jewish religious community back 2,000 years ago where we find there were 3 different sects. One was the Pharisee. Then there were the Sadducee's. Then a third much smaller group was the Essenes. It appears this last group played a major role in the writing and placing the scrolls in the Qumran caves. They lived in Jerusalem then moved to Qumran where they lived for about 200 years. It is believed the scrolls were written by the Essenes who placed the scrolls pottery jars and stored them in the caves as the Roman Army approached and destroyed the settlement. There they stayed until discovered in 1947. It appears the Essenes spread out across the country and were never again located in a settlement like Qumran.
Much of what is known about the Essenes comes from the writings of Josephus Ben Matthias who was born into a family with a long history of priests and he became a priest himself. He spent time with an Essene sect before becoming a Pharisee at the age of 19. He realized the power of Rome could not be defeated so he discouraged the Jewish rebellion against Rome. He was swept up in the rebellion and was made a commander of Galilee. When Jerusalem was destroyed he was taken to Rome as a prisoner. His life was spared when he predicted that Vespasian would become emperor which he did 2 years later. Upon release he adopted the family name of Flavius the name of the emperor. In A. D. 70 Josephus Flavius he joined Vespasian's son Titus to march on Jerusalem and this made him an unforgivable traitor by many of the Jews. Later he returned to Rome where he became a Roman citizen and started writing about the history of the Jews. Some think his writings were not only to record history but an explanation of the Jews to the Romans and perhaps try to redeem himself.
With that background of Josephus has a lot to offer about the Essene sect. The Essenes reject pleasure as evil. They despise riches and seem to all share all things in common so that no one seems poor and another one rich. They do not anoint themselves with oil and consider it a defilement. They think that to be sweaty is a good thing. They are clothed in white garments. Josephus indicates they have no certain city but many of them live in many cities thus when one travels he always finds one Essene he can stay with. They have very strict rules about eating, bathing, and reading and studying the holy writings. They spend several hours a day devoted to reading and studying. What they most honor after God himself is the name of their " legislator " Moses whom if any blaspheme, then that is a capital sin. The process for a man to join the sect is roughly a three year process of rigorous routine. Generally most do not marry. One sect within the Essene do marry for the continuance of mankind and not for the pleasures of marriage. This marriage is on a trial bases for three years and if it appears the wife may be able to conceive then the marriage is official.
Now lets look at how science and technology has helped answer some of the questions. When the scrolls have gone through the years of cleaning and restoration much of the materials removed have been saved. Examination of this material has been under the microscope. Small insects, some white fibers and head lice have been discovered. This white thread may be from the white garments the Essene wore. It is thought that DNA may be retrieved from these head lice and other materials may be traceable to human bones removed from graves during early excavations. ( Israel prohibits removal materials from burial sites now ). Many of the scrolls were written on goat skin and they have been able to obtain DNA from these scrolls and determine that the skins that certain scrolls were written on were from the same goat. They have found that some scrolls that are not legible to the naked eye are clearly readable under UV light or different colored lights.
To me one of the most amazing fact is the examination of the clay that was used to make the jars which contained the scrolls. They took samples of the clay used in Jerusalem to make pottery. They took samples of clay used in Rome to make pottery and they took samples of clay used to make pottery in Qumran. They found that the pottery at Qumran was made at Qumran thus dispelling the idea that the scrolls were moved in pottery from Jerusalem or Rome. This furthers the position that the scrolls were also written at Qumran by the Essenes at Qumran.I want to conclude by showing a few photos.
Caves like this where Dead Sea Scrolls were found
Caves like this where Dead Sea Scrolls were found
Caves where scrolls were found
Entrance of cave where 530 scrolls were found in 1952
Same cave as shown above
Closer view of entrance of the cave shown above
This shows damage to one of the scrolls
This shows how some pieces of scroll were sown together
Just had to show you two more giant elephant ear photos. Below is the third blossom on the same plant.
Well it has been a busy day working on this posting. Signing checks at church. Then taking Michael to get his hair cut then a good meal with him at Cracker Barrel. Finally got home about 6:30. The traffic was a mess.
As I always say God loves you and so do I.
Grandpa Bill
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