What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Quick Summary
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of Jewish texts discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves near Qumran, by the Dead Sea. Dating from around 250 BCE to 70 CE, they include more than 200 biblical manuscripts—our oldest surviving copies of the Hebrew Bible—alongside sectarian writings, hymns, prayers, and legal texts. These scrolls offer critical insight into Second Temple Judaism and the textual history of the Bible.
Introduction
Few archaeological discoveries have shaken biblical scholarship like the Dead Sea Scrolls. Found by accident in a desert cave by a young Bedouin shepherd, the scrolls opened a window into Jewish life and Scripture at the time of Jesus.
What makes these scrolls so important is not only their age, but what they contain: ancient versions of biblical books, once lost psalms, commentaries on prophets, and rulebooks from a deeply devoted Jewish sect. They push our textual witness of the Old Testament back by nearly 1,000 years.
Discovery and Location
Discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near Qumran, west of the Dead Sea.
Found by Bedouin shepherds and later excavated by archaeologists.
Caves yielded over 900 manuscripts in various states of preservation.
Most were written on parchment, with some on papyrus and one on copper (the Copper Scroll).
VanderKam, James C. The Dead Sea Scrolls Today. 2nd ed., Eerdmans, 2010, pp. 3–12.
Contents of the Scrolls
1. Biblical Manuscripts
Represent every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther.
Notable finds:
Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa): nearly complete, dated to c. 125 BCE.
Psalm Scrolls: include both known and previously unknown psalms.
2. Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Texts
Jubilees, Enoch, Tobit, and others—many of which were not included in the later Hebrew canon.
3. Sectarian Texts
Rules and beliefs of the Qumran community (possibly the Essenes).
Notable examples:
Community Rule (1QS)
War Scroll
Thanksgiving Hymns (Hodayot)
Language and Script
Primarily written in Hebrew, with some in Aramaic and a few in Greek.
Use of paleo-Hebrew script in some texts suggests ideological emphasis on ancient traditions.
Citation: Tov, Emanuel. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. 3rd ed., Fortress Press, 2011, pp. 107–120.
Significance for Biblical Studies
Textual Accuracy: Confirms the remarkable stability of the Hebrew Bible over time.
Variants: Highlights alternate wordings and arrangements that inform modern translations.
Historical Context: Illuminates beliefs, expectations, and sectarian divisions in Second Temple Judaism.
Citation: Flint, Peter W. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible. Abingdon, 2013, pp. 25–40.
Where Are They Now?
Housed mainly in the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem.
Other fragments are held in Jordan, Europe, and the United States.
Why It Matters
The Dead Sea Scrolls are more than archaeological artifacts—they are voices across centuries. They tell us how deeply Jewish communities loved, guarded, and interpreted Scripture. They connect us to the world Jesus was born into and allow modern readers to better understand both the Bible’s origin and its endurance.
