MORE
Video - Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery
Speaker - Todd Fink
Donate - https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=6FD65NH6WZFBU
Location
1. Qumran is located on the northwest side of the Dead Sea on Hwy. 90 about 13 miles (21 km.) east of Jerusalem.
2. It’s in the Judean Wilderness, where it’s barren and hot.
3. It’s located 1200 feet (366 m.) below sea level.
4. Its water source comes from the Judean Mountains to the west of the community via an aqueduct.
5. There are many caves in the area.
6. At Qumran, one of the most important discoveries in the history of biblical archaeology took place in around 1947.
Historical Background
1. It’s believed that the ancient settlement of Qumran was established by a Jewish group called the Essenes.
2. They lived here from about 200 BC to around 68 AD.
3. There were around 200 people who inhabited Qumran during its history.
4. The Essenes were a Jewish sect that flourished from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. They were a spiritually devoted group of folks who left Jerusalem because they believed that the priesthood had become corrupted beyond repair and separated themselves to study the Bible, copy it, and seek the Lord in the desert.
5. The Essenes existed in large numbers; thousands lived throughout Judaea. They were fewer in number than the Pharisees and Sadducees (the other two major sects at the time). The Essenes lived in various cities but congregated in communal life dedicated to voluntary poverty, daily immersion, and asceticism. They mainly lived in the surrounding caves or tents just outside the community.
6. They were a strict Torah observant, Messianic, apocalyptic, new covenant Jewish sect. They were led by a priest they called the "Teacher of Righteousness.” They were highly educated and very familiar with writing and study.
7. The Essenes most likely wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls from about 200 BC to 68 AD.
8. It's likely the Essenes stored their copied manuscripts in caves so they were protected from the elements and safe in case of war.
Historical Background of the Dead Sea Scrolls
1. Around 1947, Bedouin shepherds were tending their goats and sheep near the ancient settlement of Qumran. One of the young shepherds threw a rock into a cave and heard an echo sound. He and his friends later climbed into the cave and found a collection of large clay jars, seven of which contained leather and papyrus scrolls. The scrolls would eventually find their way into the hands of archaeologists and scientists.
2. The scrolls were discovered in eleven caves between the years of 1947 and 1956. The manuscripts are numbered according to the caves in which they were found.
3. There are around 972 manuscripts (15,000 fragments) that have been found to date. The longest is 26 feet (8 m.) long.
4. They include fragments from every book of the Old Testament except for the Book of Esther (Esther might have been lost or decomposed due to time or may have been damaged by the Bedouin shepherds).
