The story of The Dead Sea Scrolls
Unveiling the Mystery: The Dead Sea Scrolls' Ancient Legacy
Over the centuries, it has become so salty that it is impossible for living things like fish or plants to live in it. Yes, there are definitely many bacteria that can tolerate any environment. That is why it is called the ocean. Meaning the sea of dead things or the sea where nothing can live. It is 430 meters (1,412 ft) below sea level, and at a depth of 304 meters (997 ft), it is the deepest in the world in terms of salt concentration in the water. Also, the location. The salinity or salinity of the water here is 34.2%, and makes it the largest reservoir of salt water in the world. The Dead Sea has been called by many names throughout history, and this 'closed sea' is mentioned in the Bible. Also mentioned. In Roman times, it was also called the Salt Sea, meaning the salt sea. Salt is the Latin word for 'salt', which is also the chemical name for salt. The Dead Sea or the Salt Sea was so important to the Romans that they guarded the sea so that no one could take salt from it. And they used to pay wages to the workers in the form of salt. It is also said that the English word 'salary' is derived from the same word.)
These caves are found in the valley between the Dead Sea and the northwest of Jerusalem. Residents call it "Wadi Al Qamran". This valley was once inhabited by people who used to hide literature in these caves. These people are called "People of Qumran," and these scrolls are called "Qumran Scrolls."
The Enigmatic Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Journey to the Past
The original story of the scrolls
The term Dead Sea Scrolls is used for documents that were discovered in 1947 in caves on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Organ of Alexandria, a third-century Christian ecclesiastical scholar, used some manuscripts found in a jar near Jericho. One of them had entered the cave, but when the dog did not return, he entered the cave himself and found the man lying there with a large number of scrolls. He reported the scroll to some Jewish scholars in Jerusalem; the scholars took with them a large number of scrolls, most of which were Old Testament books. When excavation work started in this area in 1950, the ruins of a large building were also discovered. Traces of pottery making, cloth making and dyeing were also found in it. Apart from this, Dhobi Ghat, Nathishtha Gah and a seventy feet long hall were also discovered, in one corner of which there were about a hundred food vessels. In the room adjacent to the hall, around 1,000 dishes were found. The impression that the inhabitants lived here as a community. The writings and codes discovered here are closely related to the codes of the Asini sect, who lived there from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. Although the scrolls existed in these caves for centuries, they were unknown to the world before 1948.
The Serendipitous Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Unearthing a Priceless Treasure
In the spring of 1948, three Arab shepherds were grazing their sheep in this area. A shepherd lost his sheep, and he reached a cave in search of it. A shepherd named Muhammad Azib threw a stone inside the cave, and he heard the sound of a pot breaking because the boy was teen age, and it was evening. So he went back. After a few days, the boy again descended into the cave, hoping to find some treasure. He found there some pots ten inches wide and twenty-five to twenty-nine inches high. Neither the boy's words had any effect on anyone. However, an Orthodox Christian from Bethlehem, who was a cloth merchant, was persuaded to sell the scrolls to a local cobbler named "Kondo." This could not happen because the cobbler was not interested in buying these turbans. Then, the Syrian Christian talked to his church leader in Jerusalem. he bought about four or five scrolls for twenty-four pounds, and the rest of the scrolls were bought by an antiquarian for seven pounds, which later went to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Syriac Archbishop Athanasius Joshua Samuel bought the scroll and delivered it to the Syriac Orthodox monastery, located in the part of Jerusalem that later came under Arab control. The monk immediately recognized that these ancient manuscripts were in Hebrew, but he could not determine what the manuscripts were about.
Archbishop Samuel's Bible Seminary: A Crucible of Discovery and Debate over the Dead Sea Scrolls
In July 1948, Archbishop Samuel established an institution in Jerusalem called the Bible Seminary, where great work was being done on biblical and archeological studies. During this period, a Dutch scholar, Professor J. van Worpleg, who came to teach there, came to the monastery to see these ancient manuscripts. He pointed to a manuscript and said it was the Hebrew text of the book of the prophet Isaiah, which is very ancient, but another seminary Bible scholar disagreed.
The Unveiling of the Scrolls: From Obscurity to Scholarly Endeavor
By the end of November of that year, the scrolls that had been purchased by the antiquities dealer, along with the vessels in which they were discovered, were purchased for the university by a professor in the Department of Palestinian Archeology at the Hebrew University. Jerusalem. Till that time, even that professor was completely unaware of these scrolls. In the same year, the professor also bought another copy, for which Dr. Yehuda L. Magnus, president of the Hebrew University, immediately provided funds, and a colleague of the professor named Souknik, Professor Babkerrot, undertook this delicate and important task. Opening manuscripts.
The Tumultuous Negotiations: The Quest for Ownership of the Dead Sea Scrolls
In January 1947, Professor Soknik and the Syrians met in Jerusalem, during which the professor was allowed to borrow the monastery's scrolls for a few days. On February 6, 1948, he returned the scrolls, one of which was the Hebrew text of the book of Isaiah, part of which he copied for interest. Another meeting was then arranged in which the presence of Archbishop Samuel and the President of the University was necessary to finalize the deal for the scrolls. Still, due to some unfavorable circumstances, the meeting could not take place.
The American School of Oztel Research's Role in Uncovering the Dead Sea Scrolls
On February 18, 1948, John C. Trevor, acting director of the American School of Oztel Research in Jerusalem, was informed by phone by the monastery's father, "Peter Somi," to dig up the ancient manuscripts and see what they were. The next day, Father Somi wrapped the five scrolls and brought them to him. Trevor recognized that one of the scrolls contained the scriptures of the prophet Isaiah in Hebrew. He asked Archbishop Samuel for permission to bring the scrolls to the American School and photograph them.
The Groundbreaking Revelation: The Significance of the Isaiah Scroll
On February 21, 1947, the scrolls were brought to the American school. Some photographs of the scroll of Isaiah were sent by airmail to F. Albright from Professor W. of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. He wrote in the blessed reply letter that this is the book of Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him), which is from before Christ. This discovery was very important because the oldest manuscripts available up to that time were only from the 10th century AD. Still, this discovery made it possible to access Hebrew texts that are almost two thousand years old.
Turmoil and Triumph:
Safeguarding the Dead Sea Scrolls During Historical Upheaval
Archbishop Samuel was so impressed by the revelation that within a week, he moved the scrolls to a safe place outside, which was a legal offense to remove without permission from the Department of Archaeology.
In May 1948, when the British rule in Palestine ended, the current state of Israel came into existence. When the Israelite Assembly met, Professor Soknik produced a copy of Isaiah chapter 40, which he copied from the Syriac monastic manuscript at each member's seat. At this point, the words of Isaiah chapter 40, "Comfort, you comfort my people," would seem very meaningless to the Jews.
The Challenging Quest Continues
Further Excavations and Discoveries Amid Conflict
Due to the Arab-Israeli conflict, no work could be done on scientific grounds. However, further excavations were carried out in the cave from February 15 to March 5, 1948, where the scrolls were discovered. The Lancaster Herring of the Department of Archeology of the Government of Jordan and Madrasa Bible carried out this work. De Vo performed well. He discovered there hundreds of parts of the Bible book "Abakrfa" and some other books.
The Journey to Preservation and Discovery
From Jerusalem to the United States and Beyond
In 1949, Archbishop Samuel took these precious manuscripts to the United States, where he handed them over to the headquarters of the American School of Occidental Research in Jerusalem and Baghdad (located in the United States) for publication. This work by Dr. Trevor and Dr. WH Brown Lee took over the next few years. The book was eventually purchased by the Israeli government from the Syrians on February 13, 1955, through Prof. Soknik's son, General Lagailal Yadan, for US$250,000. At that time, the Israeli Prime Minister announced that all these copies would be kept in a private room in the museum called Mubadat al-Katab. Between 1951 and 1954 AD, many valuable manuscripts were discovered during the excavation of "Khirbat-e-Qumran" (Ruins of Qumran).
In 1952, 4,000 pieces of 400 scrolls were discovered in Cave No. 4. At that time, the Jordanian government set a price of one square inch at one pound. This made the shepherds who sought these things very rich. These literary gems were discovered in eleven similar caves. All of the books discovered at Qumran today contain manuscripts, except for the Book of Easter, which dates from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE.
Age determination of scrolls
Determining the age of the Qumran Sea Scrolls is not an intellectual invention but has been scientifically based on the following three aspects.
- Chronology of the alphabet: The style in which the letters of Hebrew or other languages are written in these scrolls; experts believe that it is a style from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. Dr. Albright supports this idea.
- Pottery:- Experts also infer from the history of Pottery that the vessels used by this sect and the vessels in which the scrolls were preserved also belong to the period of 2nd century BC to 1st century AD.
- Linen:- Experts have also worked on the pieces of linen in which these scrolls were wrapped on scientific grounds. According to this analysis, these scrolls belong to the period from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD.
Initial roll identification
Following are some of the early scrolls of early discovery:
A: The Scrolls of the Suryani Monastery
The scrolls were bought by Samuel, the Syrian Archbishop of Jerusalem, for the monastery and later sold. There were four in number.
- Scroll of Isaiah: The complete scroll of the scriptures of Prophet Isaiah is written on twenty-seven sheets of leather, and the sheets are sewn together. The scroll is twenty-four feet long and about ten inches wide. It contains the rules and regulations of the Asini sect living in this area.
- Commentary on Habakkuk: This scroll is a commentary on the first two chapters of the Book of Habakkuk in Hebrew. This leather scroll is about five feet long and six inches wide.
- The Apocalypse of Genesis: This scroll, nine feet long and twelve inches wide, contains a few chapters of the Book of Genesis in Aramaic. It includes some additional information about Lamech, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham.
B: Scrolls of the Hebrew University
The following are the scrolls purchased by Prof. Sukinak for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
- Second Scroll of Isaiah: This is another scroll of the book of Isaiah. Its first thirty-seven chapters need to be in better condition, but chapters 38 to 66 are in good condition.
- CHILDREN OF LIGHT, WAR AGAINST CHILDREN OF DARKNESS: This book is a guide for the children of light to fight the holy war. It is nine and a half feet long and six inches wide.
- Psalms of thanksgiving: This scroll contains psalms that the Essene sect used in their worship. Today, these seven early scrolls are housed in the Jerusalem Museum.
The collection of literary works associated with Durban al-Ahedin is diverse, ranging from the Hebrew list of Muslims and translations of the Greek Septuagint to Aramaic Targums, Old Testament Apocrypha, Apocryphal writings, and an extensive collection of Qumran scrolls. As we study Old Testament history, an exciting narrative clearly illustrates God's intervention in the destinies of both nations and individuals. It becomes indisputably evident that God, who is behind the flow of ages and periods, uses sovereign power to exalt rulers and, in turn, remove them from positions of power. Allah alone is running the system of this world, and Allah alone has no partners.
FAQs
Q: What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
A: The Dead Sea Scrolls provide a window into the religious and cultural diversity of the ancient world. They offer valuable historical and theological insights, helping us better understand the development of religious thought and practices during antiquity.
------------END--------------
Note: I have tried to translate this article from the Urdu version; I aim to publish this article only for the convenience of readers. Some historical place names may contain errors, as words may change in different places and different languages. So, if you find any error, please guide the error and let us know through comments so that the error can be corrected.
Be happy, stay settled and always share happiness.