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Different versions of the Bible circulated in ancient Judaism, Dead Sea Scrolls researchers discover

The joint Israeli-Swedish team discovered that fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls had been brought from outside the Judean Desert

June 8, 2020 16:45
Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls that were analysed by the researchers in Israel and Sweden
2 min read

A seven years-long study into the animal DNA in the leather of the Dead Sea Scrolls has confirmed that some fragments of the Scrolls were brought from far outside the Judean Desert, and provided a unique insight into the development of Jewish theological and social life at the cusp of the destruction of the Second Temple.

The research team led by Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with Swedish Uppsala University and the Israel Antiquities Authority, published their “breakthrough” findings last week in academic journal Cell.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest known pieces of the old Testament and date from between 400 BCE to 300CE. They were first discovered by Bedouin tribesman in the West Bank’s Qumran caves in 1947.

Since their discovery, scholars have faced the challenge of piecing together the 25,000 fragments into the remains of some 1,000 manuscripts, which were hidden in the Qumran Caves by the reclusive Essenes, which had broken away from mainstream Judaism, before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.  

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