The Dead Sea is a unique place on our planet. It is surrounded by a desert on all sides, no fish live in its water and you cannot drown. Its coastline is interesting for archaeological sites. The most mysterious of these are the legendary Qumran Caves, where ancient scrolls written 2,000 years ago were discovered. Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls are 1,000 years older than the oldest Bible still in existence. Is it so?
Now these mysterious scrolls are the national treasure of Israel. They are dated by the 1st century BC. e. The scrolls were accidentally discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin boy who was looking for a missing goat. Throwing stones into one of the caves in the hope of scaring the animal, he heard a crack. Curiosity conquered fear, and in the gloom he saw ancient earthen vessels, one of which crumbled after the stone hit him.
The vessels, carefully wrapped in strips of linen, contained scrolls of leather and papyrus, covered with letters. After lengthy twists and turns, the unique manuscripts ended up in the hands of specialists. Subsequently, about 200 caves in the area were explored, in 11 of them similar scrolls were found. The ruins of an ancient settlement were also located nearby. Since 1947, endless research and excavations have been carried out here. The discovered Dead Sea scrolls have put the scientific community in front of so many riddles, which, apparently, will be beyond the power of several generations of scientists.
What are the legendary Dead Sea Scrolls? These manuscripts tell of historical events during the Second Temple period (520 BC - 70 AD). The period from the 2nd century BC is especially interesting there. e. until 70 A. D. e. - the time of development and establishment of monotheistic religion.
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain quite a variety of texts. This includes the texts of all the canonical books of the Old Testament (some of them differ from the known ones), several non-canonical Jewish lists. The 7 earliest fragments tell about the birth of Judaism and Christianity.
The researchers' particular attention was drawn to the documents of the communities inhabiting the area. In addition, the famous Copper Scroll was found, which contains lists of hidden treasures (a mystery that haunts the minds to this day). The largest exhibit is written in an old Hebrew script that shares common roots with the pictographic alphabet. The rest of the manuscripts were written in the later Assyrian Hebrew and Aramaic script.
Where did this amazing library come from in the Qumran caves? Who and why left the scrolls under the protection of the gloomy cavernous vaults? The researchers tried to find the answer to this question in the ruins located between the limestone rocks and the coastal strip. We are talking about a complex of structures 80 x 100 m, which are of considerable height. The remains of burials were found nearby. In one of the inner rooms of the building, plaster tables with low benches and inkpots were found; some of them have some ink residues.
Scientists have suggested that this place became the home of the Essen (Essenes) sect, which is mentioned in ancient historians. The Essenes, who went into the desert, led a hermitic life for two centuries. In the texts, they called themselves Jews, which corresponds to the third branch of Judaism (Essen), mentioned by the historian Flavius. The sectarians considered themselves to be true believers, and everyone else was mired in falsehood and vices. They were preparing for the final battle of the forces of Light and Dark under the leadership of the Master of Righteousness.
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The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has caused a lot of controversy among experts. A group of skeptics immediately emerged, doubting both the antiquity and the authenticity of the manuscripts. It is difficult to blame them for increased mistrust: in 1883, the Jerusalem antiques dealer Moses Shapiro also announced the discovery of the ancient text of Deuteronomy. (These 15 strips of leather caused a sensation in Europe and were exhibited in the British Museum. But later, leading European scholars came to the conclusion that the texts were a crude forgery.)
Some scholars argue that the texts cannot be ancient. They argue that, with the exception of the Nash papyrus containing the Shema prayers, and the 10 Commandments in Hebrew, the biblical texts were known only from lists of the 9th century AD. e. And in this case, the threat of forgeries is too great, because it is not possible to compare texts with earlier manuscripts.
But the radiocarbon method of examining the tissue in which the scrolls were wrapped generally confirmed the antiquity of the find and indicates a period between 167 BC. e. and 237 AD e. Today, the opinion of scientists regarding the dating of the manuscripts from the Qumran caves is also supported by historical, linguistic and paleographic data. It has been established that some texts were written shortly before the destruction of Qumran by Roman legionaries in 68 AD. e.
As you can see, the controversy over the origin of the texts will not subside very soon. However, there are 4 main groups of opinions:
• The scrolls were created by members of the Qumran community;
• The collection had nothing to do with Essen and was part of the garrison's library;
• The Dead Sea Scrolls are the records of the predecessors or even followers of Christ;
• These texts are the remains of the Solomon Temple library.
The scrolls contain largely earlier versions of known texts. Some of them are the Greek version of the Bible. And in the documents of the community, they tell about the customs, faith and rules of the religious sect, whose refuge was the monastery.
Of particular importance were the found minor discrepancies with the accepted text of the Bible: they confirm the reliability of later Jewish manuscripts. For the first time, the scientific world had a unique opportunity to assess the relationship between the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Bible) and the ancient Masoretic text.
Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, all the discrepancies that exist in both versions were considered the result of a scribal error or deliberate distortion of the base text. But after a careful analysis of the texts, they found out that in ancient times there were several versions of the sacred writing, which were adhered to by various schools of scribes. The most ancient of the known biblical texts, as you can see, trace their origin from these schools.
The Dead Sea Scrolls helped clarify a number of obscure places in the New Testament and proved that the Hebrew language during the earthly life of Christ was not a dead language. Curiously, the scrolls do not mention the events that followed the capture of Jerusalem. The explanation suggests itself: the scrolls are the remains of the library of the Jerusalem Temple, saved from the Romans by a certain priest.
During excavations, it was discovered that the building was taken by storm. A coin was found in the ashes, indicating the presence of the warriors of the Tenth Legion in it. Apparently, the inhabitants of Qumran were warned of a possible attack and they hid the library in the surrounding caves. Judging by the fact that the texts lay in them until the 20th century, there was no one to pick them up after the storming of the monastery …
The hypothesis linking the appearance of the manuscripts with the destruction of Jerusalem is confirmed by the contents of the Copper Scroll. It consists of three plates of copper, riveted together. The rectangular strip with embossed text is almost 2.5 m long and 40 cm wide. The scroll is written in spoken Hebrew and contains more than 3,000 characters. However, in order to strike one mark, you have to make 10,000 strikes with a coin!
Why was such an unusual material used for writing? It was probably extremely important that its content be preserved. Indeed, the Copper Scroll is an inventory listing the contents and burial sites of the treasures.
The manuscript states that the amount of gold and silver buried in Israel, Jordan and Syria is between 140 and 200 tons! Perhaps it is talking about the treasures of the Jerusalem temple, buried before the invaders broke into the city. However, many of the experts argue: there was no such amount of precious metals at that time, not only in Judea, but in the entire civilized world. In particular, it was emphasized that none of the treasures was found. But there could have been copies of the document. Perhaps such a list was in the hands of treasure seekers much earlier …
The very presence of the scroll in the collection confirms that some of the manuscripts actually came here from Jerusalem at the last stage of the Jewish War. Numerous controversy was caused by the scroll, which is called "War of the Sons of Light with the Sons of Darkness." The mystical nature of its content conflicts with the realistic details of the text. There is a feeling as if a national liberation war is being described. Is the Scroll about the Jewish War? This text is a strategic plan for the campaign against the Romans and their allies. This gives the impression that if the Jews were able to act in accordance with it, the outcome of the war would have been different.
Using ancient texts, some of the researchers tried to connect the formation of the Christian church with the revival of the Qumran monastery between 4 BC. e. and 68 A. D. e. Moreover, among the documents of the community, the researchers discovered the horoscopes of the Forerunner and Jesus. The parallel drawn by experts between the Qumran settlement and the lives of these biblical characters is actually interesting.
John the Baptist withdrew into the Judean desert near the mouth of the Jordan River. Please note: this place is less than 16 km away from Qumran! Presumably, John was associated with the Essenes, or even belonged to their environment. It is known that the Essenes often took up children, and nothing is known about the youth of the Forerunner, except that he was "in the deserts." And this is exactly what the Qumranites called their settlements! “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” said the Baptist about himself, repeating their slogan word for word.
But in time, John had to break with the isolation of the Qumranite society; he transformed the daily sacred ablutions into a “baptism of repentance,” performed only once. At the place where John was preaching, Jesus Christ came to ask for baptism. The Baptist immediately recognized Him, although he had never seen Him before. The Essenes distinguished each other by their white linen clothes …
It is curious that the Gospel also passes in silence for almost 20 years of the life of Christ himself. After the mention of a 12-year-old boy, a mature man appears before us. He amazes with his erudition, quotes sacred texts and easily wins in disputes with the Pharisees and scribes. Where could the son of a simple carpenter comprehend all this?
The family Essenes constituted the lower ranks of the community. They were usually engaged in carpentry or weaving. Presumably, the father of Christ Joseph (the carpenter!) Was an Essene of the lowest degree. Evangelist Matthew calls Joseph "the righteous" - this is how the Qumrans were called in those days. Perhaps, after the death of his father, Jesus went to teach to the Initiated. Perhaps there he spent the years that "dropped out" from the Holy Scriptures.
N. Roerich suggested that Christ did not stay long in the community. He quickly assimilated the wisdom of the Essenes (who, according to one version, were the descendants of the Egyptian priests-healers) and was sent to Tibet. In the ancient monasteries of India, Persia and the Himalayas, according to Roerich, there are documents that confirm the presence of Jesus here. In particular, there is information about a man named Issa, who came from Israel and was resurrected after being crucified on the cross …
Christ returned to his homeland at the age of 30 - at a time when a person's chakras open and he can practice healing. When it comes to healings, Jesus behaved like an attentive physician, but by no means an almighty man. Many he did not cure the first time, before some ailments he completely retreated, advising them to pray and fast.
As you can see, he perfectly knew the medical secrets of the Essenes, so that he could take care of himself at the right time. Roman sources report that Jesus died on the cross 6-7 hours later, although as a rule those crucified died on the third day. They took him down from the cross and carried him to the cave. The body disappeared after a day. There was only a young man in white robes in the cave, who reported on the miraculous resurrection.
The Egyptian manuscripts have preserved many of these stories. The initiates voluntarily passed away, bequeathed to the disciples to resurrect them. Perhaps one of the "resuscitators" of Christ was a mysterious young man in white.
Christ spoke to the disciples, clearly referring to the prophecies that speak of the future Messiah. But he mentioned that "the dead are raised" - this is not in the prophecy. The text of the Qumran scrolls, which mentions the "resurrection of the dead" as one of the works of the Messiah, resolves the bewilderment.
So, was not Christ himself the Teacher mentioned in the ancient manuscripts? However, the analysis revealed large discrepancies in the description of both personalities. And the manuscripts were created at least 100 years before the birth of the Messiah of Nazareth.
So, now the scientific world is convinced that the capricious animal of the Bedouin boy was the reason for the discovery of the oldest known Bible. The scrolls are actually 1,000 years older than the surviving Hebrew manuscripts used as the basis of all modern Old Testaments.
It is curious that the Masoretic text (AD 900) contained an allusion to the treasures of Solomon's Temple, hidden in 70 AD. e. (remember the Copper Scroll!). In all Bibles, Deuteronomy speaks of "fear" or "reverence" of God, but the Dead Sea Scrolls speak instead of "love" … But, as the researchers put it: "The 11th commandment is not in the scrolls." The changes prompted by the Dead Sea Scrolls do not challenge core beliefs.
M. Pankova