Part of the archeological findings at Qumran. Courtesy of: http://youarecurrent.com
Welcome to the last day of our virtual tour of Israel. We are going to explore Qumran. Qumran is an Arabic word meaning “double moon”, descriptive of the reflection in the Dead Sea of two moons. As you might have realized, Qumran is located along the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. This is where the Essenes lived in caves in the wilderness during the 2nd Temple period, and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found 2,000 years later.
The Essenes, who called themselves the “Sons of Light,” believed in Messianic times and moved to the desert to prepare for the end of days. Most of the Essenes came from priestly families but disagreed with the way things were conducted at the Temple. The Pharisees, who were Rabbinic Jews, were mostly concerned with daily conduct and purity and believed in judgment and resurrection. The Sadducees, who were a priestly class, ran the duties of the Temple and did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. The sons of this priestly class made up the majority of the Essene group. They had some different beliefs than their parents and felt that they had been enlightened. They left Jerusalem and sought out a more “holy” lifestyle.
From 150 BCE to 70 CE, the Essenes cast off the trivialities of their world, pooled their capital, refrained from sexual relations and lived esoteric lives in the desert. They believed in pre-destination and not free will; something neither the Pharisees nor the Sadducees believed in. They established a physical and spiritual retreat, exiled from the temptations of the city. Here, they found an ideally secluded place for prayer and contemplation. Here they awaited the coming of the Lord – according to their interpretation of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” Many people believe that John the Baptist lived amongst the Essenes in the wilderness of Qumran.
For many years the ruins of Qumran were believed to be a Roman Fort or Villa, but after excavations began in 1951, Roland de Vaux, proved without a doubt that this was actually a community centre serving a group of people who lived in the surrounding caves: Most likely, the Essenes. Amid the excavations was found a room with a long bench and several writing tables and three ink pots believed to be the place where many of the scrolls of the Essenes were copied and later hidden in huge earthenware jars which were stored in the caves nearby. These scrolls would later become known as The Dead Sea Scrolls.
In 1947 three Bedouin boys unknowingly discovered a hoard of ancient manuscripts high up in the caves of Qumran. A rock thrown into the opening of a cave produced an unusual sound and one of the boys fell in. The boy found the floor of the cave littered with bits of broken pottery. Lined against the wall was a row of earthenware jars. Some of the jars were empty, but some contained dusty bundles, wrapped in linen cloth. The boy brought them to show the elders of the Bedouin tribe. Eventually, they were taken to a market in Bethlehem, where three of them were sold to a part-time antiquities dealer; neither the vendor nor purchaser having any idea of their value or significance.
A Jewish professor at the Hebrew University by the name of Eliezer Sukenik was called to appraise one of the parchments in the bundles. He immediately realized that he was looking at a genuine manuscript from the 2nd Temple period. Following difficult and prolonged negotiations he was able to buy three complete scrolls; The Book of Isaiah, The Thanksgiving Scroll and the Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness.
Yigal Yadin,(right) son of archeologist Eleazar Sukenik. courtesy of: alchetron.com
Four more scrolls, The Habakkuk Commentary, The Manual of Discipline, the Genesis Apocryphon and a second Book of Isaiah were bought by the Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church in East Jerusalem, a man named Mar Athanasius Samuel. In 1948, Samuel smuggled the four scrolls in his possession to the United States. And then, in 1954, Professor Yigal Yadin (son of Eliezer Sukenik), saw an ad in the newspaper and recognized that it was the other four scrolls that had been found by the Bedouins! Miraculously, he and was able to purchase these scrolls and bring them back to Israel.
All in all, after years of excavations, over 900 scrolls have been found, including 15,000 fragments. The Apocrypha and every other book of the Bible, except for Esther and Nehemiah were found. Many extra-biblical texts including the Copper Scroll, telling where the Temple treasures are hidden, and the Complete Temple Scroll; the longest scroll (9 meters) to be found (twice as long as the Isaiah Scroll). It describes a Jewish temple which has never been built; along with extensive detailed, regulations about sacrifices and temple practices. It is written in the form of a revelation from God to Moses.
Today, the first seven scrolls discovered are located at the Israel Museum. Fragments of the scrolls are on display in a room designed specifically to showcase the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is truly a sight to see. All the rest are in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, except for the Copper Scroll which was taken to Jordan. The Jordanians nationalized the museum before the Six Day War in 1967. And so since then, the museum has been in Israeli control in East Jerusalem. All of the scholarly work regarding these scrolls had been done by non-Jews from their discovery until 1967. Since then they have been extensively studied and fragments have been loaned to museums all around the world to share with the public.
The scrolls were found in 12 different caves. Each cave numbered in concurrence with the discovery of scrolls, beginning with scroll numbers one through seven found in 1947. In 1952 cave number four produced the biggest jackpot; 500 scrolls were found! The cave itself is different than all the other caves as well. All the caves are located high up in hard limestone cliffs. Those caves were formed by rainwater mixing with the limestone and eventually, naturally, eating out the rock and creating a cave. But this cave is located inside a low mound of Lissan Marl, a very soft lime-rich mud type substance. A unique cave for a unique find!
The archaeological excavations in Qumran are really the secondary story. There were cisterns and reservoirs found, as well as a kitchen and dining room. Several ritual baths, called Mikves, were also found. The Scribes room and the mikvaot (plural for mikveh) seemed to seal the scholarly opinion that indeed, the Essenes must have written their scrolls here. Surely they tried to hide them when they heard that Jerusalem was under siege by the Romans.
A rendering of the Essenes at work. Pic: faithgateway.com
So whatever happened to the Essenes? In 70 CE, Qumran was destroyed during the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans and the Essenes were heard from no more. Qumran was deserted until its discovery in 1947. The historical significance of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was profound. Up until that time the oldest scriptural find was the Aleppo Codex, the entire Hebrew Bible, written in the 10th century CE. The Dead Sea Scrolls are 1,000 years older than that! The most incredible part is that the Dead Sea Scrolls verify the accuracy of the Aleppo Codex and the Hebrew Bible we have in the modern day. Hebrew is the same as 2,000 years ago! The interpretation and translation from Hebrew into other languages is an ongoing process and discussion. But no matter what language we read the Bible and whether or not our interpretations are the same, the experience of the Bible is life-changing. It is the inspired word of God. It is the handbook for life and love. It is a book that speaks to the heart and challenges us to become holy. No wonder it is the best selling book of all time!
As we say goodbye to our virtual tour, it has been my honor and pleasure to introduce you to many biblical sights in the Land of Israel. There is so much more to see and experience. I invite you to come to Israel with Bible in hand. I promise that the Bible will come to life more than you ever thought possible.
Until then…Shalom from Israel!