Documents that existed at the time of Jesus and the disciples will be on display in Southern California.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 at Qumran and now belonging to Israel, are coming to San Diego, California. Beginning June 29, 2007, the San Diego Natural History Museum will be hosting the longest and largest exhibition of the scrolls. The six-month-long exhibition, which undergoes a change at the mid point, is being produced in conjunction with the Israel Antiquities Authority’sDead Sea Scrolls Foundation.
The display will highlight some 27 different scrolls, 10 of which have never been displayed previously. These include remaining parts of scrolls of Deuteronomy, Isaiah and a Commentary of Job. A number of faculty who teach at San Diego area universities and have been closely associated with the Scrolls will spearhead a lecture series that will run in conjunction with the exhibition.
At the same time, the University of California at Los Angeles is launching a virtual Qumran tour which will be available to visitors to the exhibition. Designed initially as a teaching tool, the virtual tour has been enhanced to recreate the location where the scrolls were found.
Unfortunately, the tour doesn’t allow visitors to search for more artifacts in the caves. However some of the original equipment used in the excavations and recovery of the scrolls will be on display.
Ancient writings found in the Judean desert have been at the center of conflict for more than 50 years. What have we learned from these much-debated texts?
