54 years after they were discovered in the Qumran caves, and 10 years after many researchers were allowed to handle them, the scrolls will be published in 38 volumes; were written in 250 BC and the later ones in 70 AD
54 years after the Judean Desert scrolls were discovered and considered a sensation in 20th century archaeology, almost all the ancient texts were published.
The announcement of the completion of the publication - which includes 900 scrolls and notes in 38 volumes, two of which are in the final stages of preparation - will be held today at the New York Public Library by Professor Emanuel Tov from the Hebrew University, who has been the chief editor of the project since 1990. The scrolls, some of which are documented 250 years before The count and the later ones dated to AD 70 were found between 1947 and 1956 in the Qumran caves, a few kilometers south of Jericho.
One of the scrolls, which includes a song of thanksgiving, was dedicated to the city of New York in recognition of its sacrifice and determination in the face of the terrorist attacks on the city on September 11.
Researchers see the scrolls as a treasure trove of Jewish history and religion of the period recorded in them. They provide a view of Jewish culture 2,000 years ago and reflect the ways of thinking of Jews in an unstable period, from which later grew the Talmud period in Judaism.
Although there is no mention of Jesus, John the Baptist or anything that mentions the religious movement described in the New Testament, researchers say that the scrolls allow them to better understand the Jewish world during Jesus' lifetime. "Scrolls have more value than we thought 50 years ago," Tov said. "They provide us with literature about ancient Israel." Only after a struggle, partly public and partly behind the scenes, and after illegal copies of some of the texts and photographs of scrolls were published, was the hegemony violated. In 91, the Israel Antiquities Authority allowed about 100 researchers around the world to handle the scrolls, and they undertook to speed up their publication.
