Scholar to focus on debate about Dead Sea Scrolls
One of the country's leading scholars on the Dead Sea Scrolls will help unravel the mystery of the scrolls and their connection to the history of Judaism in a lecture Monday. \nLawrence Schiffman, a New York University professor and Dead Sea Scrolls expert, will present the Edward A. Block Lecture in Jewish Studies at 8 p.m. Monday in Lindley Hall Room 102. The topic is "Scholars, Scrolls, and Scandals: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism."\nSchiffman began his involvement with the scrolls nearly 30 years ago and is considered one of the leading experts on the subject. \n"I first became interested in the scrolls when I wrote a senior honors thesis at Brandeis," Schiffman said. "What fascinated me was the chance to fill a black hole in the history of Judaism and the background of Christianity."\nAuthor of more than 150 articles and many books on the subject, Schiffman will focus mainly on the discovery, debate, and history of the scrolls -- not their religious context. \nTodd Joyner, a senior majoring in religious studies, said he believes the scrolls are an important discovery.\n"This is the Bible we're talking about here," he said. "The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has served as a lens through which we can better understand this ancient text and its implications on us all."\nSince the scrolls' discovery in 1947, they have attracted much publicity and scrutiny. They were found on the western shore of the Dead Sea in Transjordan by a Bedouin named Mohammed ed-Dhib. \n"It reads like a thriller…the way they were found," said Michael Satlow, associate professor of religious studies. \nThe scrolls are thought to be about 2,000 years old, produced at or around the time of the Roman Empire and the life of Jesus Christ. \nOnce the magnitude of the discovery was realized, there was a rush to find more scrolls in the areas of the Dead Sea and Qumran. The scrolls have since been collected and sold over the years for several reasons, including religious study, as antiquities or relics and even as a map for ancient buried treasure. \nScholars argue over who originally wrote the scrolls. Although there is academic support for the hypothesis that they were produced by a now nonexistent group of Sectarian Jews called Essenes, no one can be absolutely certain. But this mystery does not reduce their historical value, Schiffman said.\nHe said he does not consider them the key to all or many mysteries. A common view is that the scrolls raise more questions than they answer. \n"There is so much still out there to learn about and discover, and you always need to be ready for new discoveries and willing to change your mind," Schiffman said.\nOne thing many scholars agree on is their importance to both Judaism and Christianity. \n"The scrolls show us the complex Jewish web from which Christianity emerged and so show us our common origins and how much we share," Schiffman said. "So for us, in the modern world, there can be no place for prejudice. Rather, we have to recognize that our common, shared heritage calls on us to respect each other."\n