Copying of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Jewish scribes copied biblical books, commentaries, community rules, prayers, and other works represented among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Full Account
The scrolls discovered near Qumran include thousands of fragments from hundreds of manuscripts. Biblical manuscripts represent every Old Testament book except Esther, alongside sectarian writings and other Jewish literature.
The collection demonstrates an intense commitment to Scripture. It also preserves normal textual variations: spelling differences, copying mistakes, revised readings, and forms related to the later Masoretic Text, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and Hebrew sources behind the Septuagint.
Historical Significance
The Dead Sea Scrolls moved direct knowledge of the Hebrew biblical text roughly a thousand years earlier than the great medieval Masoretic codices and confirmed its substantial continuity.
People, Places and Sources
- Key people: Jewish scribes; the Qumran community
- Key places: Qumran; caves near the Dead Sea; Judean Desert
- Languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek