THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD
Deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls - An Enormous Task
What do the Dead Sea scrolls say?
To answer this fundamental question, experts first had to piece
together the original scrolls as best they could from thousands of
fragments. They relied on differences in script and the specific
characteristics of the parchment rolls and papyrus found. In the end,
it was determined that there are about 950 scrolls.
And then came the job of deciphering them. Scholars discovered
that the Qumran scrolls contained biblical manuscripts (all the
books of the Hebrew Bible are there, except the Book of Esther and
Nehemiah), para-biblical writings and documents relating to the
sect itself. All in all, they provide unique information on Jewish
society, literature and religion at the time. This was also the
historical context in which Christianity emerged.
The deciphering, transcription and official publication of the
scrolls has taken half a century and is now essentially complete.
The last phase of the work, the analysis and interpretation of
the scrolls has only begun.
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