Portions of Rare Dead Sea Scrolls to Go On Display Here

Friday, Jun. 12, 2009 Posted: 5:27:24PM HKT

Director of the Israel Museum, James Snyder, looks at the Book of Isaiah from the Dead Sea scrolls at the 'Shrine of the Book' in Jerusalem, Tuesday May 13, 2008. One of the most important of the Dead Sea scrolls is going briefly on display in Jerusalem this week more than four decades after it was last seen by the public. (Photo: AP)

Come August, Singapore Christians will be able to get a glimpse of fragments of the reclusive Dead Sea Scrolls.

The special exhibition, which will be held at the Arts House from August 27 to September 20, is the first of its kind that will be held in Asia.

Among the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th Century, the majority of the estimated 900 documents, comprising the Dead Sea Scrolls resides permanently at the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem.

And very rarely are any fragments shown outside of Israel, the website of The Dead Sea Scrolls & The Ancient World informs visitors on its front page.

Indeed, it is certain to add, that Singapore will be the first nation in Asia to exhibit the Scrolls, alongside some 100 artifacts spanning 5,000 years of human civilisation, is a great honour.

Discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, the Scrolls include some of the only known surviving copies of biblical documents made before AD 100, the century in which Christ, the apostles and the early church had lived.

As a result, the Dead Sea Scrolls are of great religious and historical significance, not least in the field of textual criticism, considering that the oldest Hebrew manuscripts available prior to the discovery of the Qumran Scrolls were Masoretic texts dating to the 9th Century AD.

For scholars, the biblical manuscripts provide new variants and the ability to be more confident of those readings where the Dead Sea manuscripts agree with the Masoretic Text of with the early Greek manuscripts.

In addition, the sectarian texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls shed new light on one form of Judaism practiced during the Second Temple period.

Beyond the Dead Sea Scrolls, the exhibition will look at the origins of the written language and how it evolved – from ancient clay tables, parchment and papyrus to the printing press. A leaf from the first book ever printed and the first editions of other ancient books will be on display. Ancient pottery and coins giving a glimpse into the way the ancients lived will also be showcased. Specialised exhibits will also give participants a realistic dose of history. Recreational and educational activities with prizes will be conducted.

The exhibition, which gathers treasures from at least six countries, is put together by Cashcor International Pte Ltd, which has been involved in educational training on skills development for managerial staff, exhibitions, auction of ancient writings, books and antiquities and concerts, and two experts on antiquity.

One of them, Dr Joel Lampe, is curator of The Bible Museum, AZ, USA, an international television host, lecturer and author of Dead Sea Scroll, the book. He lectures on the origins of language in relation to historical events recorded in the Bible and participates in archaeological excavations in Israel and Italy up to the present day.

The Bible Museum is a 3,000 volume library consisting of ancient writings from 4,200 years ago, 3rd Century Greek biblical writings, Dead Sea Scroll fragments, ancient Latin writing and printings, rare German Bibles and books, rare Dutch Bibles and biblical books and an extensive English Bible collection dating from 1537 to 1782. The home museum has had over 150,000 patrons since it opened in 2000.

Outside of Asia, the exhibit has been to 13 cities in the U.S. with over 550,000 visitors, and 200,000 returning for a second look.

The articles featured at the event will be accompanied by Dr Lee Raffaele Biondi, a private dealer, appraiser of rare books and ancient manuscripts, independent expert in ancient writings and writing systems and publisher of biographical and bibliographical and valuation articles on Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe and others.

On the Web: www.livinglegacy2009.com

Nathanael Ng
Christian Post Reporter