Abstract
This paper gives an in-depth discussion of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they have broadened scholars' understanding of Judaism, Christianity and the Bible. The paper begins with background information about how the scrolls were found and the historical circumstances at the time of their writing. Then, the author explains how scholars have divided the scrolls into three categories, giving a brief description of each. Various passages from the Dead Sea Scrolls are analyzed, and a discussion regarding the significance to biblical study is presented for several manuscripts. Theories on the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls are explored with an emphasis on the Essene movement in ancient Judea. A lengthy discussion of how the Dead Sea Scrolls have contributed to our modern understanding of the Bible is presented in the last part of the paper,with excerpts from the texts of several manuscripts. The paper contains an appendix which lists the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Outline:
Introduction
Contents
Contribution to Biblical Understanding
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The scrolls date back to the end of the third century B.C. to the beginning of the Common Era. Experts studying the scrolls believe that guardians of the scrolls hid them from the Romans during the period of the first Jewish revolt between the years A.D. 66 and A.D. 70, maybe due to their biblical nature and the belief that they are the most ancient copies of the Bible. In fact, excluding the book of Esther, the complete Bible is represented in the documents of Qumran."

Tags:Qumran, ancient manuscripts, ancient Israel, Essenes

Abstract
This paper explains that the Dead Sea Scrolls, since their discovery in 1947 and their subsequent translations by numerous scholars, continue to demonstrate many contradictions among the books in the Old and New Testaments, which points to the conclusion that the Essenes and other religious groups at Qumran either wrote certain books of the Holy Bible or copied the text from much older sources that are now lost. The author points out that the Dead Sea Scrolls have strengthened the Jewish faith because they made it abundantly clear that Jewish history as it is related in the Old Testament and in the Torah is quite accurate. The paper contends that for Christians the overall importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls lie in the fact that what theologians and religious historians currently accept as the truth concerning the history of Palestine and the role of Jesus within it may be inaccurate with the result being a complete re-writing of history as it is reflected in the scrolls.

From the Paper
"One of the first scholars to actually see and photograph the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948 was John Trever, who has provided a highly-researched and documented history of the initial find at Qumran. According to Trever's account, three Bedouin shepherds were in the area of Qumran, located on the northwest side of the Dead Sea, in the spring of 1947. During this time, the area was under the control of the British Mandate in Palestine, and the shepherds were apparently tending their flocks when one of them casually began to throw stones at what appeared to be the opening of a cave just west of the plateau at Qumran."

Tags:qumran, essenes, jesus, community-rule, isaiah

Abstract
A look at the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls and who actually found them, as discussed in Hanks's book. The paper provides a history of Palestine at the time and the sociological and historical implications of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It looks at how their revelation became a political issue.

From the Paper
"Hershell Hanks begins his book "The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls," (Shanks, 1998) with a startling revelation. Despite numerous treatises, articles and books on the subject, it is still unclear who found The Dead Sea Scrolls. An Arab shepherd boy or maybe two shepherd boys searching for their lost sheep close to the banks of the Dead Sea discovered the "Scrolls" in 1947 in a cave in Qumran "though the date varies depending on the source. In an effort to look for the lost sheep, the Bedouin shepherd began throwing stones into nearby caves. An unexpected cracking sound of earthenware inside the cave encouraged him to explore further. Muhammad Ahmad el-Hamed of the Ta'amireh tribe is assumed to be the shepherd who found the scrolls. This fact has however been constantly debated and interviewing and identifying the right individual who found the scroll was never possible at the time."

Tags:qumran, cave

Abstract
What started out as an exploration of some ancient scrolls discovered in the Dead Sea region has become a career for some people, a controversy regarding control of the material and a matter leading to interpretation and reinterpretation of central issues in Christianity. The paper examines the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls, describes the controversies and sets forth current findings.

From the Paper
"One of the best overviews of the Qumran project is provided by Hershel Shanks (1998). Shanks was part of the basic editorial team, involved with the archeological excavations, and the initial work on the scrolls. He was part of the group which decided, in the 1990s, to open up the Qumran scrolls to general access. He discussed the political machinations of the group, as well as the relationship of the scrolls to numerous. For example, one issue is the nature of the Copper Scroll and whether that is essentially a fantasy or a real treasure map."

Tags:Qumran, Essence, William, Moffett, Old, Testament, Judaism

Abstract
This paper will discuss the history and the content of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and their implications for our understanding of Judaism in the first century of our era. It will be argued that only through a close analysis of the conflicting controversies over the Scrolls and their interpretations can we come to any real comprehension of their importance. As will be seen, while the contents of the Scrolls do not radically transform our understanding of the Jewish faith and history, they have allowed us a rare direct glimpse into the lives of the Jewish people - both religious and non-religious - in the first century.

Abstract
This paper discusses the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, which became the oldest and simultaneously most extensive collection of texts from their time. It goes on to provide information from the scrolls and all related discoveries that illustrate Jewish culture and the broader civilization at the time. It also includes material from the Magness (2003) text, which helps to initiate a consideration of the geographical implication of the discovery.

From the Paper
''This is a pursuit aided by the Magness (2003) text, which helps to initiate us with a consideration of the geographical implication of the discovery. Magness denotes that "Qumran is one of the most famous and remarkable acheological sites in the world. It is famous because of its physical proximity to the caves in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. It is remarkable because without that association it would probably never have attracted much attention." (Magness, 1) To the point, this helps to underscore the security and preservation which are totally unique to the Scrolls. That they remained undiscovered for nearly 2000 years, all of which saw the land of Israel shift from one imperial hand to another, suggests both a great deal about the isolation and relative obscurity of the region prior to the discovery and a great deal about the significance of their being uncovered. Indeed, then and today, there is no parallel in terms of informational or material because few stores of this depth and nature had succeeded in remaining hidden either from destructive imperial forces or roving bandits and, in the long run, from the prying labor of archeologists. Thus, upon its discovery, the academic disciplines with common interest therein began all to make extrapolations of the meaning and value of these finds. And we might consider the likelihood that the isolation and obscurity of these artifacts was an intentional act of preservation, with those responsible for the texts and fossil objects there uncovered clearly acting upon a sense of the importance in recording their actions and the significance of their particular moment in history.''

Tags:caves, artefacts, archeological

Abstract
The paper examines arguments about the origins of the Dead Seas Scrolls. It asks whether or not the the scribes were Essene in origin and if the site of Qumran was where the scrolls were written.

From the Paper
"The Dead Sea Scrolls, after more than fifty years of intense investigative research, remain a much-debated enigma among theologians and manuscript scholars. The most argued points of contention include who produced the works and where the manuscripts originated. Scholars have also raised speculation as to the extent in which the documents connect with both Jewish and early Christian doctrines. Due to the overwhelming amount of material involved, this paper will focus examination on the prevalent arguments regarding the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls."

Tags:jerusalem, judaism, manuscripts, monastic, period, qumran, second, essense, sectarian, temple, theology

From the Paper
"The Dead Sea Scrolls
Introduction
What started out as an exploration of some ancient scrolls discovered in the Dead Sea region has become a career for some people, a controversy regarding control of the material, and a matter leading to interpretation and reinterpretation of central issues in Christianity. The intent in the following pages is to examine the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls, describe the controversies, and set forth current findings.



Background/History
It appears as though the documents which we call the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden away in cave in what is now Jordan during the period between approximately 2 B.C.E. and 70 C.E. These..."

From the Paper
" This paper is an examination of the view of women and their place in society as portrayed in the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls (also known as the Qumran). While the Qumran includes at least fragments of all but one of the books that make up the Old Testament, it gives some suggestions of Hebrew traditions that predate those of the Old Testament. Hebrew society, facing a state of constant exile and ongoing persecution, developed into a distinctive form of patriarchy, one that allowed women some greater freedoms and responsibilities than more conventional patriarchal systems, because the society needed to include significant contributions from all its adult members in order to survive. These unique adaptions have made some scholars argue that the Jewish system was actually a form of matriarchy, with real power and organization emanating from the.."

From the Paper
"In 1947 a young Arab boy made a fabulous archeological discovery as he roamed the caves overlooking the Dead Sea. Within one of the caves, which is now distinguished as Cave I, the Bedouin boy came across seven ancient documents now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The documents belonged to the Qumran Community. The language of the scrolls is solidly based on Biblical Hebrew, combined with Palestinian Aramaic and late Hebrew. These linguistic features led specialists to date the scrolls back to the pre.Christian era and the Tannaitic period, up to the second century A.D. (Mansoor 11).
The largest and most impressive of the documents is St. Mark Isaiah Scroll, which contains the complete text of Isaiah, and (...)"