Category Archives: Dead Sea Scrolls
Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 6: 1QSa and 1QSb
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
Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 5: The Strange Case of 1Q5 Fragment 13
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
Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 4: Sukenik’s Isaiah Scroll
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
Forgeries, Inks, and Writing Surfaces
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
Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 2: The Thanksgiving Scrolls
I continue to pose a set of questions about the materials said to have been found in Qumran Cave 1. In the first post, I discussed the ambiguous status of the Genesis Apocryphon roll. This post will turn to 1QHa, … Continue reading
Statement on the So-Called Dead Sea Scrolls of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
A couple days ago, Christianity Today reported that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is closing what it calls “the nation’s leading evangelical archaeology program.” At the same time, the Seminary itself issued a statement explaining the shuttering of the program, but … Continue reading
Fake Dead Sea Scrolls and the People Who Sell Them: One Fragment’s Story
Two posts in recent days prompt me to wonder about the cast of characters involved in the marketing of the “post-2002 Dead Sea Scrolls like fragments” that most of the guild now regards as forgeries (though respected Dead Sea Scrolls … Continue reading
Report: All the “Dead Sea Scrolls” at the Museum of the Bible Are Fakes
In an article posted online earlier today, National Geographic reported something that is not that surprising to many of us who have been following this story: All 16 of the so-called “Dead Sea Scrolls” owned by the Museum of the … Continue reading
Variant Readings 