By KRISTE GUSTAFSON
Fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts, artifacts from Qumran, and a demonstration of the new Dead Sea Scrolls Database from F.A.R.M.S. are part of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit opening today at the Museum of Art.
The manuscripts are leather and papyrus Hebrew writings with both biblical and non-biblical records. Some date as early as 200 B.C.
Just before Qumran, a village in Israel near the Dead Sea, was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 68, the community put hundreds of their religious documents into clay storage jars and hid them in nearby caves. The scrolls were first discovered in 1947 by Beduin shepherds.
In human history, writing is terribly important. Most of the writings available are copies of copies, so obtaining originals is very exciting to scholars, said Noel B. Reynolds, professor of political science and president of F.A.R.M.S.
A model of Qumran, a full-sized replica of the 24 1/2 foot Isaiah Scroll, and an incense altar found at Qumran are a part of the exhibit.
Also included is a rare Hebrew deed, normally on display in the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem, according to a press release.
As part of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, there will be four scrolls on loan from the Kingdom of Jordan.
'It's the first time they have left Jordan,' said Daniel Oswald, director of public communications for F.A.R.M.S. They were hand-delivered from Jordan.
Fragments of one of the Jordanian scrolls, the Paleo Exodus, are the oldest known biblical book anywhere in the world. It is written in paleo-Hebrew script, used in the time of Solomon, Isaiah and Jeremiah. The parchment dates to 250 B.C. or earlier.
Also on loan from Jordan is The Words of Moses, a scroll containing words of Moses not found in the Bible, and the Testimonia, an anthology of prophetic passages about the coming of the Messiah, dated 50 to 100 A.D.
Several items are on loan from the Museum of Church History and Art for use in the Masada exhibit, said John Welch, editor of BYU Studies and co-director of the exhibitions.
These items include a jar with lid, and a set of wooden bowls found at Qumran.
The artifacts are rare. It is difficult to find articles that date to the first century, Welch said in a lecture Feb. 13 that previewed the Masada exhibit.
The jar from Qumran is impressive, said Heather M. Seferovich, coordinator of Public Programs for the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. You can tell that it was thrown on a wheel and can see some flaws, Seferovich said.
The F.A.R.M.S. Electronic Dead Sea Scroll Database will be on display for the first time in public as part of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Visitors will be able to see a demonstration of the database, which indexes Dead Sea Scroll transcription material as well as English translations and digitized photographs.
Unseen photos of other scrolls manuscripts are on display, Reynolds said.
The database was developed by BYU and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, which is sponsoring the exhibit.
See story about the F.A.R.M.S. CD-ROM project on page 6.