The Dead Sea Scrolls were accidentally discovered in 1947 by Muhammad el Dib, a young Arab Bedouin shepherd boy who was searching for a stray goat near an ancient community called Qumran, located about fifteen miles southwest of Jerusalem on the northwestern slopes of the Dead Sea.  As Muhammad playfully threw a stone he heard the breaking of a clay vessel.  Upon investigation he found the entrance to a cave that contained a veritable treasure known to the world today as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Qumran community comprises the ruins of a settlement that was occupied during various times and a number of caves which contained the Dead Sea Scrolls.  To this present time about 300 caves have been explored and are now considered part of the region called Qumran.  Over 900 different documents and over 15,000 text fragments have been excavated from this area to date.  Domestic items found in the caves are probably related to the people who lived in the community.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are significant because they authenticate the accuracy of present day copies and translations of the Bible from the original manuscripts that were written thousands of years ago. This is extremely significant for it indicates the degree of accuracy and stability that the biblical text has been maintained since its original writing.  All of the original biblical manuscripts have long been lost.  The only writings we have today are copies.  For example, the earliest known copy of the traditional Hebrew text of the Old Testament, known as the Massoretic text, dates back to 895 A.D. and is presently located in a synagogue known as the Karaites in Cairo, Egypt.  It is called the Massoretic text because it was originally transcribed by the Massoretes, a group of Jewish scribes that were known to have recorded the Hebrew Scriptures between 500-900 A.D. The original manuscripts did not have divisions of chapters, verses or sentences as we see them in the present day Bible.  In this regard the Massoretes assisted in dividing the manuscript into a more readable form.  For example they inserted vowels according to the tradition of the oral reading of the time. They also inserted accent and cantillation marks so the lector would know when to pause.1

What has been determined from the scrolls is that the copies we have of the Bible today are incredibly accurate when compared to the manuscripts found in the Qumran caves.  As one goes through any accepted translation today, such as the King James Version, the New International Version, the New Revised Standard Version, etc., the reader will note the scarcity of notes indicating the small number of changes that have been made.  Any changes that have occurred are indicated by marginal notes and are identified as either DSS (for Dead Sea Scrolls) or Q (for Qumran). Compare on earth.  The Book of Mormon has seen over 4,000 changes since its initial 1830 this to the Book of Mormon, proclaimed by Joseph Smith to be the most correct of any book publication, representing a 4% change from the original within a brief period of only 182 years.2 If we take the book of Isaiah contained in the Bible and compare this to the oldest copy known of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Hebrews University Isaiah, we find the Bible has four times less changes and yet is at a minimum 2,000 years older.

There are a total of four major caves within 1,000 yards of the Qumran settlement.  They are identified as Cave numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4.  Items taken from these caves are given a serial number which includes the number of the cave from where the item came.  These were the caves where most of the scrolls, manuscripts and fragments have been found.  Within Cave 1 where Muhammad el Dib heard the breaking of an earthenware jar, there were several earthenware jars standing, some with their lids still on.  Cave 1 provided a total of seven scrolls that form the most important scrolls of all the caves.  However, Cave 4 contained over 90% of all the scrolls found (most containing fragments that had to be pieced together).

Most of the manuscripts found in Cave 1 were taken by Bedouin tribes that frequented the area during the time but eventually were turned over to Jewish authorities, usually for a hefty price.  Cave 1 produced….

A.) The complete Book of Isaiah, written in Hebrew and almost identical with the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible.

B.) The Manual of Discipline; a scroll that gave rules and regulations of how the people of the Qumran community would be governed.

C.) Commentary of Habakkuk; a text of the first two chapters of the book of Habakkuk as contained in the Old Testament Bible and commentary regarding it.

D.) Genesis Apocryphon; which describes in Aramaic certain elements of Genesis.

E.) War Scroll of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness; believed to be written by the Essenes, the group who lived at Qumran, giving directions for conduct in an actual or eschatological war.

F.) Thanksgiving Hymns; a collection of thirty hymns resembling the Old Testament Psalms.

G:) Hebrew University Isaiah (scroll); incomplete scroll of Isaiah.

All the manuscripts and fragments described above are now at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Manuscripts and fragments relating to the Dead Sea Scrolls can be divided into five categories: Bible manuscripts, the Apocrypha (books used in Hebrew liturgy but not found in the Bible), sectarian literature, commentaries on Biblical books, miscellaneous writings and Old Testament pseudoepigrapha (manuscripts considered extra-Biblical).  An example of pseudoepigrapha is the Book of Jubilees.  Although not contained in the Old Testament or standard Christian Bible (which is a combination of the Old and New Testaments), the Ethiopic (Ethiopian) Christian Church does consider the Book of Jubilees a part of their Old Testament.  Fifteen manuscripts of Jubilees were found in Cave 4 at Qumran and apparently represent an important Book.  Often, the number of copies found at Qumran suggests the importance and significance of a particular book.  For example, 30 copies of the book of Psalms have been found at Qumran and represent the most copies of any book found.  The Book of Deuteronomy from the Pentateuch (the Pentateuch form the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses) is represented by 25 copies, Isaiah with 19, Genesis and Exodus both with 15.  No other book breaks into the double digits except those mentioned and First Enoch. Again, First Enoch is pseudoepigraphic such as the Book of Jubilees yet by virtue of the copies found, it appears to be an important book.  Insofar as the Essenes were concerned, the books of First Enoch and Jubilees were considered divine revelations.  The book of First Enoch tells about the use of the non-Jewish calendar of 364 days-the calendar used by the Qumranians.  This is quite significant for this would represent a radical departure from the standard dating system used by the orthodox Jews of 360 days per year, which the Old Testament relies on. The Book of Jubilees is significant because it gives the exact number of times in which Israel goes astray.  The importance of these books seems especially significant in light of the fact that the reader of other books is often referred to them for reference.3

A quarter of the manuscripts consist of different books of the Bibles.  Every book of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) has been found except the book of Esther.  All the manuscripts seem to be separated from the original by no more than by a century.  This is extremely significant for it brings all the copies to a close time period from the originals for stability, corroboration, and accuracy.  Seven manuscripts of the book of Daniel have been found, indicating its popularity during the time.  The complete scroll of Isaiah is about a thousand years older than the oldest Hebrew text in existence and five hundred years older than the earliest Greek version, known as the Septuagint. Another scroll found in Cave 1, the Hebrew University Isaiah, although incomplete, is in close agreement with the Massoretic text and therefore gives us reassuring testimony to the accuracy of the standardized text that exists today.  Dating of the scrolls places its origins between the second century B.C. and first century A.D.  All archaeological, paleographic, and historical allusions support this contention.  The most recent carbon-14 dating places the age of the scrolls between 153 B.C. to about 74 A.D., with the average age of the scrolls about 20 B.C. Therefore, the archaeological, paleographic, and historic correlation is again confirmed by radiocarbon dating on a scientific basis. 

The discovery of Khirbet Mird, another cave system found further south from the Qumran system is important because it provides biblical fragments that are of Christian origin.  Text fragments found in the cave include codices written on both sides from the Gospels of Mark and John, the book of Acts (of the Apostles) and the book of Wisdom (a pseudographic work).  Bible fragments found at Khirbet Mird range from the Old Testament book of Joshua to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Acts, and Colossians.  All the original books of the New Testament no longer exist as is the case with the Old Testament originals.  The original manuscripts that were copied into the Greek became known as the Septuagint (pronounced Sep-to-ah-gent).  This came about in a most miraculous way.  When Alexander the Great was ready to destroy Jerusalem, apparently a high priest of the Temple showed Alexander the prophecy written about him by Daniel (most likely Daniel 8:21).  He subsequently spared Jerusalem and several years later, under the rule of Ptolemy II, a group of 70 Jews translated the Old Testament into Greek.  The word “Septuagint” means 70 in Greek and is the reason for its name.  The earliest copy of the Septuagint is the Codex Vaticanus which dates its writing back to 350 A.D.  Again we see incredible text preservation when the Khirbet Mird finds are compared to the Codex Vaticanus and the present day renderings of the New Testament.  Also found at Khirbet Mird is a fragment from a classical work of Euripides’. This fragment of parchment makes it 1,000 years older than the most ancient manuscript found on parchment known to date.4   

The Copper Scroll

On March 14, 1952 two badly corroded copper scrolls were found in Cave #3 in the Qumran system.  Originally these two scrolls belonged as a single plaque 8 feet long, composed of three sheets of thin copper about 12 inches by 30 inches and riveted at the edges. It became evident to the archeologists that something very important had to be written on this scroll, for why would it be made of copper?  It is believed to have been composed in 68 A.D. by a member of a group called the Essenes prior to the siege of the Temple in 70 A.D. which eventually led to the Diaspora (the dispersion of practically all Jews from Israel into the entire world).  Although this scroll is made of unusually pure copper, it was not translated until 1956 in order that a solution could be found to unravel the extremely brittle scroll.  Had the Copper Scroll been made with anything less than pure copper, and it may not have survived the almost 2,000 years it had been stored in Cave #3.  Eventually it was taken to the University of Manchester, England and meticulously cut with a saw, strip by strip.  The scrolls contained three thousand letters of which only 150 ciphers were lost due to breakage.  Upon translation, it became evident the scroll was a virtual treasure map leading to sixty four sites where treasures could be found.  Most of the treasures appear to be within a triangle of land that extends roughly from Jerusalem, over to Jericho and down to Qumran.  A third of the treasures are apparently located in Jerusalem. The scroll was proven a valid artifact when an actual discovery was made at the Qumran monastery site.  By following the directions given in the Copper Scroll, 558 Tyrian tetradrachmae (Roman coins), weighing over twenty pounds were found. The majority of the treasures noted in the scroll constitute gold and silver artifacts as in coins, pitchers and religious vessels that are specifically tied to the treasures of the Temple.  The scroll gives the location (geographical and typographical characteristics) of each treasure, the depth the treasure is buried at and details regarding the treasure. 

Copper Scroll Locates the Holy Anointing Oil

If there has ever been a discovery that rivals any find within this Millennium, it is the finding of the Holy Anointing Oil discovered in one of the caves of the Qumran system.  In 1989 Christian archaeologists under the direction of Dr. Joseph Patrich of the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology, following directions given in the Copper Scroll, found a clay flask in a hole three feet deep. Testing of the contents revealed a special oil that was described as the specific oil used to anoint the kings of Israel.  One drop of the oil in water turned the water milky white, exactly as ancient documents stated it would.  Carbon-14 dating determined the oil to have been placed in the container during the 1st century.  It is a special oil called afars’ mon that immediately went into a solution of water and turned it milky white.  It originated from a now extinct balsam tree which used to grow near Ein Giedi, Israel, on the shores of the Dead Sea.  This oil was used during Old Testament times in the 2nd Temple to anoint the kings of Israel including Saul, David and Solomon.  It is believed it was discovered in the proximity of Messiah’s return, where He will be crowned and anointed with this specific oil by the priests of the 3rd Temple when it is rebuilt.

When Jerusalem was invaded and destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., the only remaining groves of these special balsam trees were burned.  For nearly 2,000 years, the rabbis thought that they would never be able to properly anoint the coming Messiah as is required by the Mosaic law. The Hilchot Beit HaBechirah (4:1) records that the Temple priests hid a vessel containing this anointing ointment before the Temple was destroyed by the Romans.  But it failed to pinpoint the location of this special oil.  It cannot be any accident that the Holy Anointing Oil has now been revealed from its hidden location nearly 2,000 years later by the Copper Scroll.  Nor is it an accident that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found one year before Israel was declared a nation in 1948. Without a doubt, the Lord has preserved this treasure until it would be needed at the proper time within our generation.  For this reason it has been given to the chief rabbis of Israel until it can be placed in the rebuilt 3rd Temple where it will be used to anoint the long-awaited Messiah.  As God instructed Moses from the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai, “And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.” as stated in Exodus 30:31.5 

The Essenes

The ruins known at the Qumran community were excavated in the 1950’s and found to be occupied by a sect called the Essenes.  Archeological excavations at the community have revealed a number of cisterns for the collection of water, dwellings, a kitchen, a dining room, a room containing over 1,000 plates and a long narrow room with tables that contained two inkwells. This room has been identified as a scriptorium.  The scriptorium is evidence that identifies the Essenes as the group responsible for the writing of a number of manuscripts that have been found in the Dead Sea caves.  The community of Qumran was occupied during four distinct time periods.  The first occupation was in the second Iron Age, 700-800 B.C., by a group of initial settlers not believed to be the Essenes.  The second occupation occurred between 175 B.C. – 68 A.D. and is believed to be the initial settlement of the Essenes.  The third occupation was by a Roman garrison that held the community during the Jewish Revolt against the Roman occupation between 68-86 A.D.  During the destruction of Jerusalem, Josephus (the historian) tells us that in the late spring of A.D. 68, the Emperor Vespasian brought his 10th Legion down the Jordan Valley to Jericho.  In 70 A.D. Titus led the Legion to Jerusalem to raze the city and Temple to the ground, as prophesied by Jesus Christ in the Gospels.  Josephus also tells us that the Roman approach was received in panic by the people, when a mass of the Jerusalem population fled into the nearby mountains, again prophesied by Jesus.  The last occupation of Qumran was of Jewish insurgents in the second war against Rome led by Bar Kochba, from 132-135 A.D.  It is interesting to note that Josephus reported that the village of Qumran was severely damaged by a major earthquake that struck the area around 31 B.C., about the time of Jesus’ death. One of the scrolls attributed to the writing of the Essenes, The Manual of Discipline, explains that their chief goal was “to prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His paths” as the following excerpt reveals.6

“And when these thing shall come to pass the Community of Israel in these determined moments they shall separate themselves from the midst of the habitation of perverse men to take to the wilderness to prepare there the way of Him as was written: Prepare Ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”7

Incredibly, this statement is also found in the New Testament and attributed to John the Baptist who specifically comes forth before Jesus to announce to the world His first coming.  From this an incredible correlation stands out, for the Essenes were the only orthodox Jewish sect that believed in two Messiahs!8  But that is not all.  We also find that the Thanksgiving Hymns also written by the Essenes most closely emulate the beliefs and tenants of Christianity. It is interesting to note that one of the hymns gives a description of a woman “who brings forth a male child, a wondrous counselor”. We find that Jesus is also called “counselor” in Isaiah 9:6 of the Old Testament. Additionally, we find that the destruction of the world by fire is not only mentioned in Old Testament passages, but also the Damascus Document and Manual of Discipline written by the Essenes.  Moreover we see the claim that this world will be destroyed by fire is also echoed in the book of Revelation found in the New Testament.  The most striking similarity between the Damascus Document, the Manual of Discipline and the book of Revelation is about the woman giving birth to the “manchild” as noted in Revelation 12:1-6.  This refers to the birth pangs that the woman (identified as Israel) is going through before she can deliver the “Manchild” who many believe refers to Jesus the Messiah Who comes to rule and reign as King of this earth during the Millennium.  The interpretation of the “Manchild” as given in Revelation relates the “Man” aspect of the “Manchild” as Jesus coming in the form of a mature man at His second advent as opposed to Jesus having already come forth as a babe or “child” while on earth in His first advent.

Another scroll found titled The Temple Scroll also covers the particulars and details regarding the celebrating of two new Jewish festivals.  One is the Festival of New Oil.  This festival can be likened to the Christian practice of anointing by oil.  Although this practice was performed by orthodox Judaism, the Qumran community specifically refrained from anointing with oil.  It is interesting that this festival should be called “New” Oil for it is to be celebrated fifty days after the advent of a second new festival that takes place, which is called the Festival of New Wine, also introduced in the Temple Scroll.  The Festival of New Wine is to be celebrated fifty days after Passover, which would align this day to the day of Pentecost for the Christian community.  An interesting correlation is made when we consider that on the day of Pentecost, many in Jerusalem thought the disciples of Christ were drunk with sweet wine when the Holy Spirit descended upon them as given in Acts 2:13-14.  The Temple scroll specifically states that the counting of days for the Festival of New Wine is to begin on the “morrow of the Sabbath”, which would relate to our Sunday, that day Jesus was resurrected from the dead (the Jewish Sabbath is practiced on our Saturday). Again we need to remind ourselves that most archeological experts and biblical scholars believe the Temple Scroll was written 150 B.C., almost 183 years before Christianity ever became known!

There is little doubt that the Essene literature speaks of the community being in the last days.  For example, the range and number of books stored by the Essenes suggests an intensive and almost feverish activity of collecting, copying, composing and recording, as if they were preparing for the onset of the Messianic Era (or Millennial reign of Christ).  This Messianic Era is noted in a number of manuscripts that constitute the Dead Sea Scrolls.  For example, we see in the Manual of Discipline reference being made to “preparing the way for the Lord”.  In the Assumption of Moses, another Dead Sea Scroll written by the Essenes, this work followed the advise given by Moses to Joshua regarding the preservation of the all the Scrolls and other important artifacts (i.e. Temple treasures, etc.) as told in the following reference…..

‘…Then shall the Lord raise up a new priest. And to him all the words of the Lord shall be revealed; and he shall execute a righteous judgment upon the earth for a multitude of days. And his star shall arise in heaven as of a king, lighting up the light of knowledge as the sun during the day. And he shall be magnified in the world.  He shall shine forth as the sun on the earth, and shall remove all darkness from under heaven, and there shall be peace in all the earth…The heavens shall be opened, and from the temple of glory shall come upon him sanctification…In his priesthood shall sin come to an end, and the lawless shall cease to do evil…And he shall give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, and the spirit of holiness shall be on them.’10

There can be no question that this passage refers to Jesus Christ.  Jesus came as a new priest because He became the high priest for all mankind, which was summed up in the word, the revealing of God in the flesh as John the apostle so states.  He is our star, known as the Morningstar, for the star in the East told of His arrival in Bethlehem, as prophesied by Micah 5:12.  It also bespeaks of His kingship, for He is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.  He has already come as a “light unto the Gentiles” to offer peace to all those who accept Him. He is our Temple as He constantly intercedes for us while having justified those who have accepted Him.  He continuously sanctifies those who call Him their Savior and cleanses those who repent from sin.  He is the bread of life in which His body is represented and His shed blood cleanses whiter than snow, to give us all eternal life, if we choose to accept it.  Therefore this could not possibly infer any individual other than Jesus; whether it be Judas Maccabee, Mattathias the Priest, James the Just (brother of Jesus), or any individual that may have arisen between the beginning and the end of the Essenes existence.  Because to no other can these qualifications be given in the above passage except Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The belief that the Essenes were in the “Last Days” is powerfully revealed in the Dead Sea Scroll known as the Habakkuk Commentary.  Habakkuk was a prophet and has a book titled by his name in the Old Testament.  The commentator (assumed to be an Essene) states:

Again reference is made to this Teacher of Righteousness whom God had made known to all the secrets of the words to His servants the Prophets. This appears to be confirmed by Jesus who states in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”  Realize as well that Jesus is a prophet also.  There is no one greater.

We also find that the commentator alludes to the dispensational view that there will be a long prolongation of days before the return of the Law (during the time of Tribulation noted as a 7 year period as specified in Revelation) whose end will be signified by the Apocalypse, otherwise known as the Battle of Armageddon and the return of the Messiah to earth.  Indeed a prolongation of time has truly taken place, by almost 2,000 years, with the dispensation of Grace being sandwiched in between the dispensation of the Law.  Yet from a Jewish calendrical (calendar) perspective as given in the Old Testament, there would only be 7 years remaining after the 10th of Nisan and then the Gentiles (all non-Jews) by Paul the Apostle.  In the orthodox Jewish perspective, the Church Age is not consider, 32 A.D. as given in Daniel 9:24-27.  For the Dispensation of Grace, also known as the Church Age was introduced and heralded by Jesus Christ and the mystery of it revealed first to the Jews and then the Gentiles (all none Jews) by Paul the Apostle.  In the orthodox Jewish perspective, the Church Age is not considered a valid dispensation unless you are a Messianic Jew (a believer in Jesus as Son of God).

Yet the Essene writer of the Habakkuk Commentary, all strict Jews, believed in two Messiahs; one as the Teacher of Righteousness and the other as the coming Messiah King.  For this reason it is not surprising that we find Jesus referred to in the Gospels as “rabbi” which means teacher in Hebrew and upon His second advent, the Messiah.  Although the Old Testament does not overtly refer to a prolongation of time that would relate to the two thousand years since Christ, Hosea 6:2 does allude to this in reference to the Great Sabbath Week wherein after two days the Lord will revive Israel and on the third day, He shall raise Israel and all who believe in Him to enter into the Millennium.  In light of the great Sabbath Week as given in 2 Peter 3: 8-9…”that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.”, the fifth and sixth days of the Great Sabbath Week would refer to the Church Age while the seventh and last day of the week would relate to the Millennium, that great day of rest not only for Israel, but all those who have believed in Jesus the Messiah.

The Dead Sea Scrolls have done much to contribute to our understanding of the Biblical perspective.  It has established the authenticity and stability of the Bible as no other document has.  It has alluded to an individual known as the Teacher of Righteousness who most aptly fits the description of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  This should not come as a surprise since the Essenes believed in two Messiahs as proclaimed by the Christian faith.  No doubt, the Dead Sea Scrolls and all the associated finds and artifacts will play an important role in future Biblical studies and assessments to further the accuracy and veracity of the Bible and the word of the Lord.  (NEXT CHAPTER)