Category Archives: Manuscript Collections

Mr. Spock and Qumran

Posted on September 19, 2020 by

Thanks to Stephen Goranson for drawing my attention to an episode of the television show “In Search of…” that aired on 9 February 1978. The topic of this episode, narrated by Leonard Nimoy, was the Dead Sea Scrolls. The content … Continue reading →

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Two Unheralded Excavators of Cave 1 at Qumran: Ibrahim Asuli and Mohamed Mustafa

Posted on September 6, 2020 by

In spare moments, I continue to work on the manuscripts generally associated with Cave 1 at Qumran. I’ve become very interested in the photographs of the excavations of Cave 1. Both Gerald Lankester Harding and Ovid R. Sellers took pictures … Continue reading →

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Trever’s Photos of the Cave 1 Scrolls Freely Available Online

Posted on July 16, 2020 by

I’ve written before on this blog about the dispersion of libraries, and I have another instance to report. The Claremont School of Theology has begun the process of merging with Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. As a part of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Dead Sea Scrolls | 6 Comments

Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 6: 1QSa and 1QSb

Posted on July 9, 2020 by

As I continue to work through the Cave 1 scrolls to try to sort out the purchases from the excavated materials, I spent some time today with the lists of photographs in Tov and Pfann, Companion Volume to the Dead … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Dead Sea Scrolls, Khalil Eskander Shahin (Kando) | 8 Comments

Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 5: The Strange Case of 1Q5 Fragment 13

Posted on July 5, 2020 by

1Q5 is a collection of dozens of fragments reassembled into 20 or so more substantial fragments representing one of two copies of the book of Deuteronomy associated with Cave 1 (1QDeutb). The fragments of 1Q5 were edited in DJD 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls, Khalil Eskander Shahin (Kando) | 2 Comments

Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 4: Sukenik’s Isaiah Scroll

Posted on June 28, 2020 by

Before diving in to this post, a quick note: The conference that was the proximate cause for me trying to organize my thoughts on the topic of the Dead Sea Scrolls said to come from Cave 1 took place a … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Dead Sea Scrolls | 4 Comments

Forgeries, Inks, and Writing Surfaces

Posted on May 29, 2020 by

When I was writing God’s Library, I was constantly confronted with how little I knew about several domains of knowledge that are important for the study of ancient manuscripts. One of these areas is the more technical chemical make-up of … Continue reading →

Posted in Dead Sea Scrolls, Fakes and Forgeries, Green Collection | 11 Comments

The Atlantic Article and Green Collection Cartonnage

Posted on May 15, 2020 by

I continue to unpack various parts of Ariel Sabar’s informative article in The Atlantic. One of the things that originally piqued the curiosity of many of us about the Green Collection was their seemingly endless supply of “cartonnage,” a term … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Dirk Obbink, Green Collection, Green Collection 1 Samuel, Green Collection Sappho, Mummy cartonnage, P.Sapph. Obbink, Scott Carroll | 3 Comments

Some Additional Thoughts on Sabar’s Atlantic Article

Posted on May 13, 2020 by

There really is quite a bit to digest in Ariel Sabar’s long piece on Professor Dirk Obbink in The Atlantic. Here are a couple additional interesting selections: “Though it wasn’t publicly known, Obbink served as more than just an academic … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Dirk Obbink, Green Collection, Green Collection Aristotle, Green Collection Mysteries Papyrus, Michigan Papyri | 7 Comments

New Article on Dirk Obbink in The Atlantic

Posted on May 13, 2020 by

Ariel Sabar has published a fascinating account of the saga of Professor Dirk Obbink and the Green Collection in The Atlantic. I encourage everyone to check out the whole story here. For me, the most interesting new details have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Dirk Obbink, Green Collection, Green Collection Romans, Green Collection Sappho, Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Scott Carroll | 15 Comments