Ancient biblical scroll discovered in Israel

Tyler F. Williams
ChristianWeek

FOR THE first time since the 1960s, the caves in the Judaean wilderness have yielded an ancient biblical scroll. The discovery of a fragmentary Dead Sea Scroll containing portions of the book of Leviticus was announced in July by Professor Hanan Eshel of Bar Ilan University in Israel.

In a story that resembles an Indiana Jones movie, a Bedouin who wanted him to evaluate the scroll's worth first contacted Eshel in August 2004. A clandestine meeting in an abandoned Jordanian police station ensued, where Eshel was able to examine the fragments of the scroll firsthand. While the Bedouin said he had been offered $20,000 for the scroll on the black market, that sale never materialized.

In March 2005, after returning from teaching in the United States, Eshel was able to purchase the rapidly deteriorating scroll for a much-reduced price of $3,000 USD provided by Bar Ilan University. After cleaning and photographing the fragments, Eshel turned them over to the Israeli Antiquities Authority.

The scroll consists of four fragments of goat or sheep skin. One fragment, which is not much bigger than a silver dollar, is indecipherable. The other three, ranging in size from 3.5 cm square to 7.5 x 6 cm, contain clearly discernable remnants of Leviticus 23:38-39, 40-44 and 24:16-18.

While this may not seem like much, when reconstructed, it's apparent that these fragments belonged to a very large scroll that would have contained the entire book of Leviticus, perhaps even all five books of the Pentateuch. The verses on the almost 2,000 year-old scroll are virtually identical with the version of the Hebrew Bible used for modern translations -- the only variation is in the spelling of one word, much like the difference between Canadian and American spellings.

Eshel was able to examine the cave in Nahal Arugot (a seasonal watercourse just south of En-gedi) where the fragments were found. From evidence discovered at the cave and an analysis of the style of writing used on the fragments, he confidently dates the scroll to the period of the second Jewish revolt against Rome (AD 132-135).

It was after Passover in the last year of this unsuccessful rebellion -- also known as the "Bar Kokhba revolt," as it was led by one Simon Bar Kosba -- that Eshel believes the scroll was brought into the refuge cave by Jews fleeing the Romans. This discovery raises the total number of biblical manuscripts discovered from this period to 15 (14 others were found in similar caves in the 1950s).

Biblical buzz

This news has created quite a buzz among biblical scholars and archaeologists. Not only is this the first discovery of a biblical scroll since the 1960s, it is also the first copy of the book of Leviticus from the Bar Kokhba period.

As well, the discovery has generated some controversy. In the wake of recent forgery scandals, some are questioning the authenticity of the scroll fragments. While Carbon-14 tests will be performed on the fragments in the near future, Eshel is confident they are authentic: "If someone wanted to make a forgery, he wouldn't make a forgery like this and then sell it for the price he did."

Hard questions are also being raised about whether or not it was appropriate for Eshel to purchase the fragments in the first place, since his actions may encourage further looting of antiquities, which is already a major problem in Israel.

When asked about this issue, Eshel mused about whether or not he should have contacted the Antiquities Authority immediately and left matters with them. He told ChristianWeek he does not know what the Antiquities Authority would have done, as it has limited resources, and he reaffirmed that, "I think what I did, I did for the best."

In response to allegations his actions may encourage looting, he said, "this is as remote as possible -- I will do everything I can to stop the looting of caves in the Judaean desert." The only way to stop the looting, according to Eshel, is for as many scholars as possible to work in the Judaean desert and find the artifacts before the others have a chance.

Eshel's discovery adds a new chapter to the legacy of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Between 1947 and 1965 almost 1,000 ancient scrolls were discovered in the region around the Dead Sea, including more than 900 manuscripts in the caves around Khirbet Qumran, as well as a dozen scrolls from Masada and, with the new find, a total of 15 scrolls from the Bar Kokhba period.

Among these scrolls are the oldest existing copies of the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) and other Jewish religious writings from around the time of Christ.

Tyler F. Williams is chair of the Religion and Theology Department and assistant professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Taylor University College, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.