Tuesday, March 3, 2009

The Dead Sea scrolls

By Dana Evron

People all over the world find this lake to be fascinating. It is the lowest point in the world and it is minus 395 meters below sea level. The Dead Sea has no outlet and therefore evaporation leads to the high content of the salt.

The Dead Sea is very special because it has many features that no other sea has like that fact that it is 1000 feet deep and rich in salt and minerals.

The Dead Sea scrolls are a significant piece of history and they are written in several languages like Hebrew, Aramaic, and even Greek. The Dead Sea scrolls are about 900 documents. The Dead Sea scrolls were first discovered in the year 1947 in a cave on the northeast side of the Dead Sea.

There are several museums that display parts of the Dead Sea scrolls like the Jewish museum in New York City, and the royal Ontario museum of Toronto. The Dead Sea scrolls can be divided into two categories: biblical and non biblical. The scrolls are also the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts that were ever found.

The scrolls were written on animal's skin and that is the main reason why they were preserved for so many years. They also contain never heard stories about biblical figures like Enoch, Abraham, and Noah.

The discovering of the Dead Sea scrolls has truly revolutionized our understanding on how the bible was translated. Many believe that the Dead Sea scrolls are a link between Christianity and Judaism.

Some books that were written about the Dead Sea Scrolls offer a translation of them. Ever since the scrolls were discovered somewhere between the year 1947 and 1956 many books have been published about the scrolls.

The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls did cause a controversy in scholarly circles over the date and the identity of the community they represented. Today the Dead Sea scrolls continue to be one of the most important documents in Jewish history and they will be written and talked about for many years to come. - 15255

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