Out of the desert, in a forgotten windswept place, seemingly lost to time, lies Qumran. In 1947 in this harsh habitat of caves and petrified sand, rugged land of the Dead Sea desert, a Bedouin sheepherder, the same breed that roamed these hills in the time of Jacob to David to Jesus and the present, lost its sheep. The sheep ran into a dark lonely cave, obscured from light. The Bedouin threw a rock inside trying to beckon its sheep out of the cave, only to hear the sound of crashing pottery. Little did he know in that ordinary moment that he had stumbled onto history, a history connection a world of faith and life from ancient times to the present. On an ordinary hot day where bones ache and a mouth thirsts, scrolls relating the holy scriptures of Israel - Judaism and Christianity's foundations were found, preserved almost perfectly, untouched for thousands (2000-2500 years!). I am referring to The Dead Sea Scrolls, which are the old recorded copies of the Hebrew Scriptures in the world (previously the oldest copies dated to 900 A.D., copied by Rabbis and Monks in the early Middle-late 'Dark' Ages.)
The Bedouin was disappointed at first as he hoped to find gold or silver in the jars, what is the worth of parchment? In truth this find is more precious than silver or gold - from an archaeological aspect paper from the ancient world is almost obliterated, worn thin by the corrosive nature of time and the elements - copied and copied, but ancient texts rarely found intact from 2000 years ago. On a spiritual level, these texts are the foundation of Judaism, Christianity and have ties to Islam. In the countless caves explored at Qumran in the past 60 years, every biblical book from the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures has been found except the Book of Esther - and the true miracle - even after 1000 years in gaps of copying (Medieval-Modern translations) the scripture is word for word (meaning is the same, obviously translation can be interpreted slightly differently, but meaning is exact) - what a testament to faith and care of scribes!
For years the historian and Christian in me has longed to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and engage in the history and mystery of the findings at Qumran, but it was out of reach until now. By mere chance, The Dead Sea Scrolls are in Salt Lake City for a six month stay at The Leonardo Museum. This exhibit is sponsored by the Israeli Antiquities Museum and numerous Utah and national universities and science/history museums/institutes. What a blessing to experience the wonder of looking at parchment carefully and meticulously copied and hidden for over 2000 years!
The exhibit opens with an introductory panel about Utah's role in preserving and interpreting the Dead Sea Scrolls particularly - BYU's linguistic cooperation with various Israeli institutions in Jerusalem. The work of translating the text and preserving the documents is tedious and rewarding. Some missteps were made in early preservation (scotch tape), but that has been rectified as science and archaeology move forward. Google has partnered with Israel to scan the scrolls online with translations. This opening segment opened my eyes to the science, research, history and devotion it takes to tend these scrolls and ancient artifacts. It also gives a window into the community at Qumran that originally copied the texts, wrote biblical commentary on the texts and their community doctrine. They had a dedication, some might say obsession to preserving the scripture - it was their foresight, even if accidental - in leaving the jars of parchment in caves that allows us this window into the past and deepening of historical and scriptural faith for the future.
An interactive opening segment walks through the present to the beginnings of Mesopotamian culture (beginnings of Hebrew-Israel/Judaism). The knowledgeable guide gave us an overview on the exhibit and history (she is trained in archaeology and an expert). The rest of the tour was completely self-paced, self-guided with an audio tour (optional). My mom and I spent over three hours in the exhibit.
The exhibit is more than the Dead Sea Scrolls on display, it is an interactive and educational overview of the foundations of Life and Faith and Ancient Times. It features artifacts pre-David, to an artifact mentioning the 'kingdom of David.' Information about the Mermetaphah Egyptian Scroll that refers to Israel (we have laid waste to Israel, but their seed remains). It shows how the Hebrews in Canaan lived in houses and structures far different from those in neighboring communities, as well as the influence of folk-idolatry in Hebrew homes, which is a main point of problems in the Bible - as you see with the prophets, to Solomon and beyond...coupled with the monotheism of one true God. The various storage jars from 3000-2000 years ago was amazing - looking at something that old still intact, it is hard to wrap your mind around. It is humbling to stand in a crack of history and see into the past. The highlight for me was seeing large jars (probably for oil) that belonged to Hezekiah - the holy king of Israel in the time of Isaiah (he is also the father of Manasseh - a treacherous king, showing human nature of good, evil, grey conflict of battle is persistent in all times, which good winning out in the end). It explained in great detail the various periods of the history of conquest from the surrounding nations from pre-David to present day, the division of the northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah with the Assyrians taking over northern Israel, Judah did not fall to the Assyrians but to the Babylonians...also of interest is the artifacts from the rebuilding of the temple (After Babylonian destruction) by Nehemiah...so artifacts that elucidate biblical texts and history and science of the times.
The Dead Sea Scrolls lie in the heart of the exhibit in a highly controlled level of light and fixed temperature. A brief overview of the scrolls is given followed by the text in English, as well as the original parchment and a bigger version of the parchment and text. The paper is very small, smaller than you realize, but the ink looks like it was written in our lifetime...it is dark and although tiny lettering in Aramaic and Hebrew (some Greek has been found on certain documents as well) - it is relatable - you can imagine a scribe writing out the words of their faith, inspired texts from God, the pen hitting the paper, the care of rolling the documents into jars.
I will not go into details about the community at Qumran, there are many theories (all presented at the exhibit) about who wrote the scrolls, were they all written at Qumran or were some written elsewhere and transferred to Qumran? What is the mysterious Copper Scroll? Many believe the community was Essenes, although some believe this was predated by a pottery factory or it was an entirely different group. What we do know from their text is that they believed that 'Jerusalem' (TPTB) were corrupted by greed and misuse of authority (a common human problem apparently in ancient times and today), they believed they needed to eschew the corruption of Jerusalem and get out into the wilderness where they could commune more perfectly with God. They were obsessive about purification practices and had some eschatological beliefs...there is a lot we do know about Qumran, but many mysteries remain. The core of this discovery is the texts and the spiritual continuity of faith in God in ancient times, to the present. The scriptural texts of Judaism and Christianity that mold our faith and guide our connection with our God are part of Qumran. These are the sacred texts of our religion and a testament to the universality of God's mercy even in times of corruption, greed and wilderness years.
What is exciting about this exhibit is that many of the texts on display have never been seen by the public before and will not be seen again for years due to light levels.
The texts we saw included Deut., Samuel, Septugaint (Greek version) of Leviticus, Isaiah, letters and also some commentary on text. It is a life-changing experience for faithful and seekers alike, it reminds us of our humanness throughout time and God's constancy of mercy, love and judgment...it has so many layers of perspective that you take a step back and let it soak in.
A segment on the stand at Masada included lots possibly used for food rationing during the Jewish last stand in the rebellion of 70 AD (approx.) after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans and the edict from the Emperor that all Jews leave Jerusalem. This is a tragic event (Masada), but it also reminds us that faith and the world can be in conflict and the power of faith to find resiliency even in impossible situations. In selfless love, stewardship and conservation of our land, people before profits and hope in desperate times we can be a light that can enlighten the world and shine forth God's mercy...
The exhibit ends with a segment of the an ancient wall from the second temple (Herodian era destroyed by Romans) - hundreds have written messages/prayers on thin parchment stuck in the wall which will be returned to Jerusalem to a Rabbi - who will bless the prayers. In times of trouble where we tear down and destroy let's rise up in love, compassion and fearless courage to fight for the lesser, not with a sword, but peace.
I highly recommend this exhibit to anyone who has the chance to come to SLC - it is life-changing. It is fitting that out of the wilderness, this Utah land of salt and desert hills and vast valleys that the Dead Sea Scrolls will be on display - this is America's dead sea and you can almost picture Qumran as I straddled the banks of the Great Salt Lake on Antelope Island (future post)
Further reading:
Dead Sea Scrolls- Life and Faith in Ancient Times (official tour book available from The Leonardo)
The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Davies/Brooke)
(I will post additional books after I read them - we bought a ton at the exhibit)
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