What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and why are they important?

Answer

The initial discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls took place in 1947 in Qumran, a village located approximately twenty miles east of Jerusalem on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. A young Bedouin shepherd, while chasing a stray goat, inadvertently threw a rock into one of the caves along the sea cliffs and heard a cracking sound. The rock had struck a ceramic pot containing leather and papyrus scrolls that were later identified as nearly twenty centuries old. Over the course of ten years and numerous searches, eleven caves around the Dead Sea were uncovered, revealing tens of thousands of scroll fragments dating from the third century B.C. to A.D. 68, representing an estimated eight hundred separate works.

The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of a vast assortment of Jewish documents penned in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, covering a wide range of subjects and literary styles. They include manuscripts or fragments of every book in the Hebrew Bible except the Book of Esther, all originating nearly one thousand years earlier than any previously known biblical manuscripts. Additionally, the scrolls feature the earliest existing biblical commentary, specifically on the Book of Habakkuk, along with various other writings, including religious works associated with Jewish sects of that era.

The myths surrounding the contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls far exceed the reality. There were no lost books of the Bible or other literature that did not already have existing copies. The majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls were essentially duplicates of Old Testament books from 250-150 B.C. Copies or sections of nearly every Old Testament book were discovered in Qumran. While some extra-biblical and apocryphal books were also found, the predominant focus of the scrolls was on copies of the Hebrew Old Testament. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was remarkable due to the excellent condition of the scrolls and their prolonged concealment (over 2000 years). The Dead Sea Scrolls were truly a remarkable find.

Textual comparisons can also provide us with confidence in the accuracy of the Old Testament manuscripts, as there were few discrepancies between the manuscripts previously unearthed and those uncovered in Qumran. This serves as evidence of how God has safeguarded His Word over time, ensuring its survival and shielding it from major inaccuracies.