The Dead Sea Scrolls: Controversies

The complicated job of piecing the scroll fragments together, and scholarly pride in not sharing their work, led to a delay of forty years in publishing the substantial findings of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In the late 1980’s speculation began to grow that the Catholic scholars who were controlling the assignment were attempting to hide evidence that would discredit Christianity.

Liturgical psalms and hymns were part of the Essene library – their songbooks. This scroll, found in 1956 in Cave 11, is a non-biblical hymn of praise for Jerusalem.

The dramatic story of the finding of the Scrolls, and the secrecy and mystery surrounding the study of them, gave fuel to the popular press. Wild ideas were put forward as to whether the Scrolls were medieval forgeries or whether Jesus, Paul and John the Baptist were identifiable in the writings. Others speculated that forgotten gospels, or omitted biblical texts, had been found and some believers worried that perhaps their faith in the Bible might be undermined.

Cashing in on the public interest, several authors published books in the early 1990’s containing contrived stories questioning the New Testament account and claiming the Dead Sea Scrolls as evidence for their theories.

Without addressing all the suppositions of these now discredited writers and theologians, it can be stated that their ideas are in complete disagreement with those of today’s scholars.

Pottery jars of a type found nowhere else.

These unique jars were found in the excavations at Qumran and also in the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden.

In one example, Thiering composed a story that Jesus survived the crucifixion, married twice and died in Rome. She labelled Him the ‘Wicked Priest’ and the ‘Liar.’ She said that John the Baptist was the ‘Teacher of Righteousness.’ However, the scroll mentioning the ‘Teacher of Righteousness’ is dated at least 100 years earlier than the time of Jesus. The scroll describes the ‘Wicked Priest’ as a ruler of Israel, corrupted by wealth and power. No Jewish, Christian or non-affiliated scholar has ever claimed that Jesus was the ruler of Israel or was corrupted by wealth!

To give another example, the Essenes were separatists. Jesus was not. And neither was John the Baptist. They did not lock themselves away from the world but mixed with ordinary people, including those that their society abhorred, like prostitutes and tax-collectors. Jesus, John the Baptist and the apostles could not have been associated with the separatist Essene sect.

Christians need not fear attacks upon their faith. It rests on a solid foundation.