Dead Sea Scrolls Deciphered

This week the BBC news released an article on the last remaining fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  There were six fragments written in code, which were finally deciphered by Dr Eshbal Ratson and Prof Jonathan Ben-Dov of Haifa University.  

The Dead Sea Scrolls were originally found between 1947 and 1956 in caves in Qumran on the western shore of the Dead Sea.  A young Bedouin shepherd stumbled across the caves when looking for lost sheep.  He found jars which contained fragments of 900 scrolls; some of them were complete scrolls.   It is believed an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes were responsible for the scrolls.  

The newly deciphered code reveals the names of Jewish festivals observed that recognized the seasonal transitions, which include Shavuot (Pentecost).  The festivals related to Pentecost include New Wheat, New Wine, and New Oil.   Researches believe this new decipher helps them understand how the scrolls were arranged originally. 

The Dead Sea Scrolls have affirmed the reliability of scripture and is relevant to your faith in the written Word of God. If you would like to learn more about the Scrolls, the Leon Leavy Digital Library has a variety of information to help you understand the scrolls.  They have the following subjects: Historical Background, Timelines, Discovery and Publication, Discovery Sites, Content of the Scrolls, Languages and Scripts, and Conversation.

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