Lecture to offer peek at Masada exhibit

    90

    By BECKY EVANS

    A sandal that dates back to the time of Christ, oil lamps that are similar to what the 10 virgins would have used and coins similar to those described in New Testament parables are all part of an upcoming Masada lecture.

    “Masada, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the World of the New Testament” is the title of the lecture that will be given by John W. Welch, co-director of the Masada exhibition project.

    The lecture, which takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Harris Fine Arts Center’s Pardoe Theater, is presented by BYU’s Museum of Art in conjunction with the upcoming Masada exhibition.

    Masada is a mountain fort in the Judean Desert of Israel overlooking the shores of the Dead Sea. The dramatic story of 960 Jewish zealots who chose to take their own lives rather than subject themselves to the Romans will be depicted in the exhibition.

    The sole surviving remnants of the Masada “last stand” are simple artifacts recovered from the fortress.

    “We hope that each ancient artifact or modern explication will give the reader concrete images and new insights that will enrich the understanding of the individual passages as well as the overall context of many details mentioned in the New Testament,” Welch said.

    Every artifact in the exhibition helps to depict and define the time period of Masada and first century Palestine. Artifacts like sandals found at Masada are no doubt similar to sandals worn by John the Baptist, Jesus and his disciples.

    Seeing these fragmented, modest objects transport the viewer back into the world of the New Testament is what makes the exhibition exciting and rewarding for Welch.

    Once viewers of the exhibition see oil lamps found at Masada, they will possibly be able to better understand the parable of the 10 virgins, Welch said. Welch will speak in more detail about the world of the New Testament and how the exhibition will help the viewers understand this time period at the upcoming lecture.

    Welch is the exhibition’s co-director and has produced the English edition of the Masada catalog. The catalog includes beautiful photos and informational text explaining the importance of individual pieces of the collection.

    During his first trip to Jerusalem, Welch saw the Masada exhibition at the Hebrew University. He was immediately eager to have BYU house the exhibition. Welch was traveling in the Holy Land with WordPerfect-founder Alan Ashton, who committed at that time to assist financially in bringing the exhibition to BYU.

    This is the first time that the exhibition has left the Holy Land and it will likely continue on to different art, history and university museums throughout the country.

    Included in the exhibition are fragmented pieces of scrolls that were found at Masada. These scrolls, 14 in all, were brought to Masada by people fleeing Qumran.

    Qumran is well-known because it was there that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

    A pot that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in will also be shown during the exhibition. This pot is owned by the LDS Church, Welch said.

    Welch is a Law School professor and serves as editor in chief of BYU Studies. He founded the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies in 1979 and has published many books and articles on scriptural topics.

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email