	The Dead Sea Scrolls
	An invitation to attend an exhibition Many people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but not many people have any idea their significance. They have been described as even more significant than the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen. The first scroll was found in a cave at Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea by an Arab herd boy in 1947, and over the next 9 years several hundred more scrolls were found in other caves. These scrolls are of special interest to Christians because they date from around the time of Jesus, and from the two preceding centuries. Before the scrolls were discovered we only had scraps of writing in Hebrew and Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) dating from the time of Jesus. With the discovery of the scrolls we suddenly had a wealth of such literature. Many scholars believe that the scrolls relate to a Jewish sect, called the Essenes, that lived by the Dead Sea. They reveal a community that was literate and highly organised, living in a time of great danger for the Jewish people. Around AD 70 many Jews rebelled against Roman rule. The rebellion was crushed and Jews either died or fled from Palestine. In fact there were hardly any Jews in that part of the world for centuries to come. It is possible that the scrolls were hidden in the caves as the Roman threat grew stronger. We don’t learn anything definite about Christianity from the scrolls, but we do learn a lot about the atmosphere in which the Christian Church was born and grew. Here are some points we can make that might be of interest: The Essenes seem to have practised a communal sharing of goods; the early Christians did the same (Acts 4:32-37). The Essenes had overseers with a role similar to that of a Christian bishop (1 Timothy 3:1-7). Those who followed the guidelines of the scrolls were seen as followers of the Way – a term that was also used by the early Christians (Acts 9:2). When John the Baptist, in prison, needed evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus sent the message to him Luke 7:22: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. That echoes what was expected of the Messiah in the scrolls.	Matthew 5:3-12 (The Beatitudes) consists of a series of statements that each begin with the phrase Blessed are (the poor in spirit – and so on). It is very intriguing that a set of statements in the scrolls also begins with the words Blessed is or Blessed are. Possibly Jesus knew that piece of teaching, and he refashioned it and put his own memorable stamp on it. Dating from the first century AD and earlier, the Dead Sea scrolls give us a fascinating insight into a part of Jewish life around the time when Jesus was alive. They allow us to see how the Jewish community of the Essenes lived. They enable us to understand a bit more of the context in which the New Testament was written. Here is one other intriguing fact. The scrolls contain many parts of the Old Testament scriptures. Until 1947 the most ancient copies of those scriptures that we possessed dated from around the Middle Ages. The scrolls include scriptures – for example the book of Isaiah – that were actually copied at the time of Jesus, or earlier, and they are virtually identical to the copies of the scriptures from the Middle Ages. They show that the scriptures had been faithfully copied over the centuries. I hope I have made it clear that the scrolls are of great interest. You might like to know that there will be a Day School on the Dead Sea Scrolls at the parish hall of St. Paul’s, Compstall on Saturday, 19th April, 2008, starting at 10.00am and finishing at 4.15pm. It is being arranged by the Professor of Biblical Studies at Manchester University, George Brooke, who is married to Jane Brooke, the vicar of Compstall. There will be teaching sessions and an exhibition, which will include facsimiles of the Great Isaiah Scroll and the Copper Scroll. The fee for the day, which will include the lectures, coffee, lunch and tea, will be £25.00 (£20.00 concession). The proceeds from the day will go towards the refurbishment the parish hall of St. Paul’s, Compstall. If you want a free parking space reserved for you, you need to apply soon. Green booking forms are on the table in the narthex. Please let me know if you cannot find one. Martin Collins
	Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325

The Dead Sea Scrolls

An invitation to attend an exhibition

Many people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but not many people have any idea their significance. They have been described as even more significant than the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen. The first scroll was found in a cave at Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea by an Arab herd boy in 1947, and over the next 9 years several hundred more scrolls were found in other caves.

These scrolls are of special interest to Christians because they date from around the time of Jesus, and from the two preceding centuries. Before the scrolls were discovered we only had scraps of writing in Hebrew and Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) dating from the time of Jesus. With the discovery of the scrolls we suddenly had a wealth of such literature.

Many scholars believe that the scrolls relate to a Jewish sect, called the Essenes, that lived by the Dead Sea. They reveal a community that was literate and highly organised, living in a time of great danger for the Jewish people. Around AD 70 many Jews rebelled against Roman rule. The rebellion was crushed and Jews either died or fled from Palestine. In fact there were hardly any Jews in that part of the world for centuries to come. It is possible that the scrolls were hidden in the caves as the Roman threat grew stronger.

We don’t learn anything definite about Christianity from the scrolls, but we do learn a lot about the atmosphere in which the Christian Church was born and grew. Here are some points we can make that might be of interest:

The Essenes seem to have practised a communal sharing of goods; the early Christians did the same (Acts 4:32-37).
The Essenes had overseers with a role similar to that of a Christian bishop (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
Those who followed the guidelines of the scrolls were seen as followers of the Way – a term that was also used by the early Christians (Acts 9:2).
When John the Baptist, in prison, needed evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus sent the message to him Luke 7:22: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. That echoes what was expected of the Messiah in the scrolls.

Matthew 5:3-12 (The Beatitudes) consists of a series of statements that each begin with the phrase Blessed are (the poor in spirit – and so on). It is very intriguing that a set of statements in the scrolls also begins with the words Blessed is or Blessed are. Possibly Jesus knew that piece of teaching, and he refashioned it and put his own memorable stamp on it.

Dating from the first century AD and earlier, the Dead Sea scrolls give us a fascinating insight into a part of Jewish life around the time when Jesus was alive. They allow us to see how the Jewish community of the Essenes lived. They enable us to understand a bit more of the context in which the New Testament was written.

Here is one other intriguing fact. The scrolls contain many parts of the Old Testament scriptures. Until 1947 the most ancient copies of those scriptures that we possessed dated from around the Middle Ages. The scrolls include scriptures – for example the book of Isaiah – that were actually copied at the time of Jesus, or earlier, and they are virtually identical to the copies of the scriptures from the Middle Ages. They show that the scriptures had been faithfully copied over the centuries.

I hope I have made it clear that the scrolls are of great interest. You might like to know that there will be a Day School on the Dead Sea Scrolls at the parish hall of St. Paul’s, Compstall on Saturday, 19th April, 2008, starting at 10.00am and finishing at 4.15pm. It is being arranged by the Professor of Biblical Studies at Manchester University, George Brooke, who is married to Jane Brooke, the vicar of Compstall. There will be teaching sessions and an exhibition, which will include facsimiles of the Great Isaiah Scroll and the Copper Scroll.

The fee for the day, which will include the lectures, coffee, lunch and tea, will be £25.00 (£20.00 concession). The proceeds from the day will go towards the refurbishment the parish hall of St. Paul’s, Compstall. If you want a free parking space reserved for you, you need to apply soon.

Green booking forms are on the table in the narthex. Please let me know if you cannot find one.

Martin Collins

The Dead Sea Scrolls

An invitation to attend an exhibition

Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325