In the article “let’s unravel the mysteries of dead sea scrolls”, we will discuss the discovery, and meaning of the dead sea scrolls and their importance, etc. What’s written on them is the most fascinating question regarding the dead sea scrolls. To understand this, we turn back to the hands of time. To know about the role of archaeology in anthropology, go through its branches.
Introduction of Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead sea scrolls are significant religious literature. These are collections of scrolls comprising more than 800 documents. These are one of the most significant archaeological treasures of the 20th century. These are discovered from various sites. A great no. and varieties of these scrolls are found in Qumran caves.
Discovery
These are also known as Qumran caves scrolls. These are the hidden ancient manuscripts that mostly belong to the Hebrew religious group, first found in 1947 accidentally by Bedouin Shepherds in the cave at Khirbat Qumran on the northern shore of the dead sea on the west bank of Isreal (West Bank is a landlocked area bordered by Jorden and Isreal). They are 7 in no. (out of 7, 4 are with Christian and the remaining are bought by the Hebrew University), this implies that scrolls belong to both Christians and Jews. Later in the dead sea, more than 900 scrolls are found in 11 different caves. They have been also discovered in Aramaic and Greek. The latest one was found in the Cave of horror in Isreal (near the western shore of the Dead sea). The collection of texts found at Qumran is also known as “the library of Qumran”.
Significance of Dead sea scroll
They tell us about the history of Judaism and Christianity. They throw light on the political world of Second Temple Judaism (Jewish Holy Temple at Jerusalem, Isreal)and the text of the Hebrew Bible. They tell us about Jewish beliefs and practices. Before the discovery of these scrolls, we know very little about Judaism. These texts reveal that the Jewish people believe in Messiah as the son of God and life after death. They have some similar ritual practices to those of Christianity which attracts the interest of Christians. Scholars believed that the word scroll is more than the description of the apocalypse, it tells us about the weaponry attack to triumph over good over evil. And this information is not found in any other scriptures.
Conclusion
Its origin and its writer are still under dispute. Scholars clash over the origin and nature of the dead Sea scrolls.
Most scholars believed that scrolls were produced by the Essenes, a sect of Jews (which existed around the time of Jesus). Essenes believed in rituals and purity which is mentioned in these scrolls many times. But this has been challenged by other scholars.
Another theory regarding its origin is the attack of Romans on Jerusalem. Due to this attack, refugees fled and hide these scrolls in various caves. And if it is true then it might be possible that these are found in other places also.
