Today an article on Yahoo.com reads:
"The scrolls include the earliest known version of portions of the Hebrew Bible and have shed important light on Judaism and the beginnings of Christianity." (Full text of the article here)
Except for Isaiah and Habakkuk there is very little of Hebrew Bible in the scrolls. Most items are fragments many hardly bigger than a postage stamp.
John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth were unique teachers and there is nothing in the scrolls relating to them. Some "scholars" have made money making allegations, but they are far fetched and have been disproved.
Many scholars say the scrolls were assembled by a sect known as the Essenes. Others - including University of Chicago professor Norman Golb, Raphael Golb's father - say the writings were the work of a range of Jewish groups and communities.
The origin of the scrolls is suspect. There are too many medieval markings in the scrolls to discount. I have some of them cataloged under "Controversial Marks." If interested you can see some of them here.
Also, check here and scroll to the end of the page.
The origin of the scrolls is suspect. There are too many medieval markings in the scrolls to discount. I have some of them cataloged under "Controversial Marks." If interested you can see some of them here.
Also, check here and scroll to the end of the page.
