Deadseascrolling

What the scrolls reveal

The Dead Sea Scrolls have much to tell us about Jewish Christianity and its origins.  The material reveals just how rich and varied Jewish spiritual life was at that time and it provides direct historical information concerning Jesus, the early Church and its break from early Judaism.  When the scrolls were first discovered and their translation commenced, it was obvious that they bore similar language and ideology to the New Testament.  

The content of the scrolls can be classified as follows:

• Rules or manuals describing the constitution and regulations of the “Union”, as the community who owned the scrolls called itself.

• Interpretations of biblical texts or commentaries relating to the sect and its times.

• Liturgical texts i.e. texts relating to public worship rituals, which focus on angelic worship in the heavenly Temple and the Thanksgiving Hymns.

• Collections of laws, frequently dealing with cultic purity.

• Verses of scripture.

Most of the scrolls were inscribed on papyrus or animal skin however there was one found which had been written on two rolled up pieces of metal: copper mixed with one percent tin.  This came to be known as the Copper Scroll and it contained a detailed listing of over sixty sites where considerable amounts of treasure had been hidden.