Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Chris Albert Wells — France (10/9/2008 9:24:33 AM)

As they stand today, their importance is terribly underestimated because the public has given up following the scholarly debates that brought more confusion than clarification. This was however a necessary phase where all ideas, be they contradictory, had to be debated. Everybody agrees on the importance of the DSC for nascent Christianity, but nobody agrees on their exact significance. Something new has to happen to shake off drowsiness. Time has come when we have to think differently. And realise that the Qumran Messiahs of the 'Apocalyptic fragment' represented two different clans supporting two different projects within the Teacher's Community. They were not waiting for two Messiahs, but each clan for its own Messiah. The avant-garde won, advocating a more political approach than the Essene traditionalists who did not search much further than eschatology. This is an enormous change in perception, and opens up to a different view of the Gospels. Considering all the affinities between the two communities, do the Gospels also oppose two Messiahs? Here also, we have to think differently. The first Gospels were written by a Jewish community for their own purposes and were not originally intended to becomoe a religion for Rome. We can therefore expect the Gospels to convey a local message very different from the one currently understood after they had been exported and set out of context. Thinking differently means realising that the Gospels are not telling us about a wandering Messiah whose words and deeds have been collected by different witnesses, but the story of a community at different stages of its history, explaining the baffling differences. They tell the story of the Essene community becoming a 'Christian' community. This community context in Antiochus where the Gospels were written becomes terribly apparent for the authors are also dealing here with two Messiahs, one winning, the other losing, quarelling until they accept to recognise the traditionalists in as much as they had preceeded the avant-garde and that they belonged to their antecedents. This is the meaning of the baptism of Jesus by John: a peace treaty. The avant-garde no longer rejects the traditionalists portrayed by John the Baptist and his baptism by water. The 'Jesus' clan is saying 'we accept that you were there before us and belong to our history'. This scene did not initially belong to Mark, the quarreller, but is typical of Mathew's healing the divided community. Thinking differently also means that we are terribly endebted to all those who previously studied the scrolls and were circling around their real meaning, without landing where they wanted on the planet Eurêka.

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Why the Dead Sea Scrollls are Important

Monica Lewallen — USA (10/6/2008 8:49:18 PM)

To Matt who doesn't understand why the Dead Sea Scrolls are important. Excerpting from the article: The scrolls were written between the dates of 250 B.C.E. and 68 C.E. when the Roman legions were on their way to destroy Solomon's Temple in 70 C.E. Matt, these scrolls were written during these times in history, just think back over all of those years and realize the these documents which are real and in the hands of autoratative people being deciphered so that we can now know their contents and see the actual original documents when they are on public display. Matt, what would it mean to you to have in your hands important archaeological religious historical documents written well over 2,000 years ago. Matt, the most important information was given to us at the beginning of the article. I am quoting directly from the manuscript: Read carefully . . . "This priceless collection of ancient manuscripts is invaluable to our understanding of (1)the history of Judaism, (2)the development of the Hebrew Bible, and (3)and the beginnings of Christianity."

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Connie's question

Richard — USA (8/21/2008 1:34:41 PM)

Connie, if you research under "calendar" or "roman calendar" you will see that the current calendar was presented to the then-current Pope in 531 by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus. But Dionysius was wrong about the date of the birth of Jesus - scholars now put that three years earlier in 4 BC not 1 BC. So if Jesus was born in Aril 4BC, he could not have been born in the year 0, Dec 25, or in the year -1 (1 BC), on Dec 25. In effect, if you do some research, you will see that all dates are wrong, from that starting point in 531. Everyone knows but no one wants to change the calendar.

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NEED MORE INFO ON WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT

MATT — (8/20/2008 9:16:50 AM)

Its pretty good but i think it needs to have more information on why they are important to us!!!

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time line

connie — United States (8/4/2008 11:30:24 AM)

I am a little confused on the time line you have posted, I was always under the assumption that the cuurent era began with the birth of Jesus. And that hew was app. 33 years when he was crucafied. That would make His crusafixtion somewhere betwee 32-34 AD. The time line shows His birth at 4A.D. and his crucafixtion at 30 A.D.. Which would make him 26. We have always been told that men could not begin to teach before the were 30 years old. Could you explain this to me, I am sure I am missing somethg significant. Thank you.

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SCROLLS

JOHN — (6/10/2008 12:30:06 PM)

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

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teacher of righteousness

silvertongue — England (6/1/2008 11:08:26 AM)

does Barbara Thiering's theory of the teacher of righteousness being John the Baptist, fit with the idea that the text is telling of future events when the end of days is imminent?

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The Dead Sea Scrolls

dmanh — USA (5/31/2008 6:29:12 PM)

I agree with Mr. Johson in the fact that the scrolls should be shared publically. No one should have absolute authority as to peace-meal the information out as they see fit.

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DSS

Oscar Johnson — USA (5/15/2008 7:37:10 AM)

I certainly agree with Don. those findings should be shared with the public. remember the scrolls were not found by archaeologist but rather poor shepherds. even then it was shared.

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Photos

William Chamberlin, Bible Collector — United States (5/14/2008 8:05:30 PM)

The Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah is available on the Internet along with an English translation. I also have two different book with photos of the entire scroll of Isaiah. But, that is all a layperson can find. I would like to have photos of all of the balance of the scrolls and fragments.

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Robert Eisenmann

Meyer Gross — USA (5/14/2008 4:36:19 PM)

Why is not Bob Eisenmann mentioned amoung the people surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls. Surely, his efforts deserve mention

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Where are the photo copies?

Don Srail — USA (5/14/2008 3:15:14 PM)

Why are photocopies of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the internet not available free to the public? Why are the intellectuals who control them allowed to have such exclusive rights, and cut the public out of such finds of Biblical importance? I’m only glad these fellows went into the field of archaeology. Had they gone into the field of atmospherics we would all be denied the very air we breath.

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