The Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery and Impact on Christianity - John Carter sermon

Описание: https://christiansermonsandmusicvideo... The Dead Sea Scrolls by John Carter of the Carter Report. How the Dead Sea Scrolls shed light on the truth of the Bible.

Khirbet Qumran is situated in one of the most unlovely spots in the world, the arid, uninhabited wilderness north and west of the Dead Sea. That was the unanimous opin­ion of the members of the Seminary Guided Tour who spent three hours on a fiercely hot day last July scrambling over the ruins of this ancient Essene community. Led by Joseph Saad, curator of the Palestine Museum, our sweating group of Bible teachers, pastors, and editors followed the nimble-footed archeologist as he pointed out the remains of an Essenic culture that thrived despite lack of rain and vegetation.

Notwithstanding the desolation of the area, which is but a few yards from the Dead Sea (1,280 feet below sea level), the scrolls found in caves there have touched lives around the world since their discovery in 1947. Wherever the Bible is known, the Dead Sea scrolls are eagerly discussed. In fact, it is almost as if a magic spell were cast about this religious lit­erature of a Jewish communal monastic sect, whose monastery was near the caves, and who lived there from about 100 B.C. to A.D. 68.

In one way this interest is rather surprising, since the significance of the scrolls can be read­ily understood only by those whose training has equipped them to understand it. But evidently the layman is not to be deterred. He senses that there is something of consequence in this discovery, and if at all possible, he is deter­mined to know what it is.

The whole matter of the scrolls began when they were found by an Arab shepherd in 1947. One version of the finding has it that early in the spring of that year some Bedouins of the Ta'amire tribe took a roundabout journey from Trarxsjordan into Palestine. It is said that they wished to avoid the legal points of entry at the frontier since the merchandise they were transporting was contraband. The route that they chose took them through desolate country to the springs at 'Ain Fashka on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. Here they replenished their supply of fresh water and lingered for a while before going on to the markets at Bethlehem.

While they were waiting, one or more of their number climbed the cliffs not far from the shore line, and either accidentally or as a result of a search discovered a cave. The true details of the story may never be disclosed. It is known, however, that the Ta'amire Bedouins were not without previous experience in exploring caves and that they were astute vendors of whatever they happened to find.

Failing to sell the scrolls to a dealer in an­tiquities in Bethlehem, they were advised to contact a Syrian merchant in Jerusalem. To the latter it seemed probable that the manu­scripts would be of interest to the Metropoli­tan, Samuel. He, of course, saw their worth and bought them. The rest of the story is a long but interesting one, the end of which is nowhere in sight today as scholars pore over the tiny frag­ments from Cave IV and await further explora­tion of the Qumran area.

The scrolls had been placed in the caves by the Essenes when the Roman war began in A.D. 66, and the Essenes learned that the Roman army was marching toward their settlement. The manuscripts themselves were wrapped in linen and placed in clay jars about two feet tall. Then they were put into the caves. The entrances to the caves were camouflaged.

From then until 1947 the manuscripts lay untouched. Because of the dryness of the air at Qumran there has been a minimum of deteriora­tion, although rats and insects did some dam­age. There are no birds in this area. Once when a scroll was taken to nearby Amman, which is somewhat more humid, deterioration was evi­dent in a few months' time.