The Dead Sea Scrolls: Part 2

In part 1 of the Dead Sea Scrolls, I shared a bit of history about the area they came from and the scribes who wrote them. Today I'd like to tell you about the scrolls themselves. And, what you are about to read, is that ... shhhh...I have seen these scrolls in person! No way, you say. I say yes. I saw these scrolls at the Union Station Exhibit in Kansas City. Yep, they were everything they cracked up to be. The exhibit was amazing, with the only glitch being the secular presentation, with things like "millions of years ago" and blah blah blah. The story goes like this. In 1947, some Bedouin shepherds (Arabian desert dudes), lost some sheep among several cliffs near the old village of Qumran. One particular shepherd named Mohammed Ahmed el-Hamed (nicknamed edh-Dhib, "the wolf"), threw a rock into a cave, attempting to find his lamb, but instead he heard some pottery shatter. By the way, that picture is of the Damascus document, which will be explained later. Back to the story. The Wolf went into the cave, which had a very small opening, and found several jars with scrolls in them. This marked the beginning of the quest for the scrolls. By 1956, around 850 scrolls had been found in 11 caves. The ancient site of Qumran was discovered as well. Many artifacts from the lives of the Essenes were disovered in Qumran's digging site. Sandals, water vessels, candleholders, haircombs with lice filters, money, among other things. But this is about the scrolls, remember? These documents proved the accuracy of the Bible as we see it today. No other document has withstood such fine sifting and picking apart. The Bible is the only book that has overridden any opposition in the history of mankind. You tell me any other book that has remained unchanged after 2000 years of reprinting. You can't. That is because it was inspired by God. He is the truth, as the header for this blog states. Another interesting fact is that were these scrolls uncovered say, even just 20 years earlier, man would have destroyed them, as we had no instruments to preserve these scrolls. Scientists successfully preserved the majority, thanks to God's special timing. I also feel that He revealed these scrolls at the time He did so that man would be reminded that God still exists, that His word is true. As well as biblical documents, several others were uncovered, such as this Damascus scroll in the picture above. This particular one was about 2 things, the first "an admonition imploring the congregation to remain faithful to the covenant of those who retreated from Judea to the 'Land of Damascus' "; and the second part about "statutes dealing with vows and oaths, the tribunal, witnesses and judges, purification, Sabbath laws and ritual cleanliness". This is the story of the scrolls. This is just one more thing Christians can show to the world as proof that God is greater than time. Thanks for reading. I have one more part about the actual experience I had, as well as a few more facts about the scrolls , which will be published sometime in early March.