In Part 1, the first article in this series, we introduced the Dead Sea and its environs, the cliff-caves at Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found), the ruins of the residential complex (Khirbet Qumran), and the keepers of the scrolls (i.e., presumably the Essene Jews). We also touched on salted microbes, receding shorelines, […]

In Parts 1 & 2 of this series we touched upon everything from the rhythm method to bat poop. We even managed to discuss the Dead Sea Scrolls. Now, we continue our bipolar trip through the salty waters of Holy History in this, the last article in the series: The Dead Sea Scrolls can be

Five More Reasons to Get Excited about the Dead Sea Scrolls Modern discoveries shed light on their importance. The oldest and most authoritative New Testament manuscripts found to date, the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus codices (what’s a codex, plural: codices? A scriptural manuscript in book form, as opposed to scrolls), were discovered in the nineteenth century,

They’re old. So what? Yeah, well, I understand. Grandpa’s old, but the only one who’s excited about him is grandma, and even there, the magic wore off twenty years ago. But the key is not the age of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Rather, it’s the bloody, tumultuous period in which they were hidden away. It

Not all history is as dry as desert dust. Some is sprinkled with murder, mystery and intrigue. Now, I’m not saying the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls reads like a James Bond novel, but if written correctly, it’s not far off the mark. And if you’re looking for a romp through history with a

A little Dead Sea Scrolls History At the end of 1992 a book was published titled, “The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered” by Eisenman and Wise (Element books). This book offers fifty excerpts from long suppressed segments of these historic documents, placed in caves almost 2000 years ago and not discovered until 1947 and 1952. In