ACTUAL JERUSALEM

The highlights of the conference.

DNA analysis

Mrs. Gila Kahila Bar-Gal of the Task Force on Science and the Scrolls spoke on the use of modern technology to analyse the ink, tanning agents, clay, skeletal remains, and the DNA (organic genetic code) of the parchments. Mitochondrial DNA has been isolated and examined from much of the parchment of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from one's mother. So it is good for showing the matrilineal links between individuals. DNA analysis has been used to show that the parchment of the Dead Sea Scrolls has come from the skins of Cypriot Ibex goats. It is however still a matter of interpretation as to what this means. If the skins are all the same or all different tells us nothing if we don't know how the community got the skins for the parchment.

Prof. Hartmut Stegemann Physical reconstruction of a scroll showed the use of many features. Scrolls that deteriorated were difficult to reconstruct. But there were many features that assisted in that reconstruction. The scrolls were rolled up tight unto themselves so there was often a marking made in the rotations of the scroll by the sewing of the parchment sheets together, worm holes, and patterns of degrading where the inner sheet would be come exposed as the outer sheet "wore" away and no longer protected it. Prof. Stegemann was able to show how this procedure was used, with the remaining text, to position the fragments on the now known silhouette of the scroll, including totally missing pages.

Prof. Justin Taylor, The community of goods the First Christians and among the Essenes. His paper shows that it is now possible to understand the otherwise puzzling story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 1-10. If the rule being followed is the same as that in the "yehad" (united community) of the Essences.

Dr. Tal Ilan The History of Queen Shlomzion's reign as Reflected in the Qumran Documents. Discussion. Now that Carbon 14 dating has shown that the scrools start in the second century BCE it is needed to show the unnamed characters who fit the descriptions in the scrolls. Dr Ilan has shown that the reference to the "whore" in Pesher Nachum is Queen Shlomzion, the widow of Alexander Janis. This fits perfectly with this time because she is the only female character of State that would interest the Essenses.

Discussion

When the Scrolls became known after 1948, Hebrew experts were called in to analyze these Hebrew based writings. These scholars were mainly Biblical scholars not those familiar with Second Temple studies. Second Temple studies were almost all conducted in Greek the language of the available sources.

Now we can be reasonably sure that the Essenes started in the 2-3rd Century BCE after the coming to power of the Hasmonian priests. There was a time of "groping", followed by the "Teacher of Righteous" (TR) who was crucified around the year 100 BCE by the Jewish Priest Prince Alexander Janis (King Yoni - Jonathan). Afterwards the "Maskilim" (enlightened ones) interpret TR works in documents known as "Pesherim" (Solution or Explanation of prophetic tracts). Their followers come in conflict with the Hasmonians. Part of their group retreat to Qumran taking parts of their library. And there they proceed to copy and propagate their ideas until 30 CE. After which they discontinue. Their Teacher of Righteousness did not rise from the dead to lead them And with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem 70 CE their focus is lost along with many of their people and income with the general destruction .

Analysis.

The problem, that these stories in the scrolls that parallel the Gospels, has presented to the Christian researchers of the scrolls is that this represents a direct conflict with the Church's teaching about the stories of Jesus and the early history of the Christian communities. Either the same story, as the Gospels tell of Jesus, happened one hundred years BCE or the story of Jesus is a repetition of a story that occurred one hundred years previously. John Allegro, the early scrolls researcher with no religious affiliation, sensed this early in his studies. He published two books the first of which dealt with this issue. In the second book he veered away from mainstream scholarship and proposed a mushroom drug based thesis of early Christian worship. While his thesis may warrant further investigation it took him away from Scrolls research. His early death finished that line of thought. The remaining eleven researchers of the International Committee were Christians. This may not have been the reason for the slow down in the publishing of the Scrolls for surely the task was great. Both Prof Stegemann's and Mr. Stephen Pfann's papers at this symposium show that Christians can do a lot of unbiased scholarship on the scrolls.