This is something for which I have waited for a couple of years now, and the Israel Antiquities Authority just launched their new site yesterday morning.
The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library is a free online database of high resolution, multi-spectrum images of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
If you have never had the chance to see any of the Dead Sea Scrolls museum exhibits (or even if you have), this is an exceptional opportunity to see ALL of the +800 ancient manuscripts from the Judaean Desert discoveries.
__________________
Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
So do you read Hebrew or Aramaic? Let us know if you find anything interesting.
Yes to both, and I am frequently finding new and interesting things. I am actually presently working on an unpublished fragment from Jeremiah 3, and have uncovered a textual version that was previously unattested in all our surviving mss.
__________________
Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
Yes to both, and I am frequently finding new and interesting things. I am actually presently working on an unpublished fragment from Jeremiah 3, and have uncovered a textual version that was previously unattested in all our surviving mss.
Textcritic, I thought the published scrolls were just the scrolls Israel has in it's possession? From what I understand the Vatican has even more scrolls that they have apparantly locked up for good.
The version of the scrolls we can now freely read are just those that stayed within Israel. This should create some good conspiracies.
I don't understand how christians are fine with never knowing what the Vatican is hiding in their vaults. Frankly, I'd be outraged that it's not public domain.
How obvious can they make it that there is stuff that they don't want you to know.
I'm assuming it's the gospel of stan in which Jesus is having safe, gay sex while smoking crack and preaching about evolution.
Does wikipedia provide an accurate depiction of the historical significance of these, or is there something else you could briefly provide?
Wikipedia provides a pretty good concise summary. I could also recommend the Orion Centre for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, housed at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
In short, the discovery of the DSS has revolutionised the study of Jewish history and religion in the late Hellenistic-to-early-Roman periods (ca. 300 B.C.E.–50 C.E.), the development and shape of early Judaism, and the emergence of Christianity. Perhaps most significantly, they reveal a much more pluralistic Jewish religious culture, and help to emphasise the Jewish roots of Christianity.
My own research has to do with the production and conception of "scripture" in early Judaism, formations of Jewish ideology and identity from the scriptural texts, and varying authority structures within the streams of Jewish religion. Much of what we learn about these things helps to illumine the life, teachings and reception of Jesus in a Jewish messianic context, the Christian handling and interpretation of Scripture, and their own self-identity.
__________________
Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
Textcritic, I thought the published scrolls were just the scrolls Israel has in it's possession? From what I understand the Vatican has even more scrolls that they have apparantly locked up for good.
This is a myth. There are small fragments still housed in private collections around the world. I am involved with the publication of the Scrolls fragments from the eclectic Schøyen Manuscript Collection owned by Martin Schøyen in Oslo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nage Waza
The version of the scrolls we can now freely read are just those that stayed within Israel. This should create some good conspiracies.
And in the end, and as with virtually ALL conspiracy theories, there is none to be had here. Yes, it is true that the Scrolls in the public domain are "just those that stayed within Israel". However, that is not such a bad thing, since THIS BASICALLY ACCOUNTS FOR 99% OF THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF MSS DISCOVERED IN THE JUDAEAN DESERT.
__________________
Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
I don't understand how christians are fine with never knowing what the Vatican is hiding in their vaults. Frankly, I'd be outraged that it's not public domain.
*oh good lord...*
Look. The reason no one—Christian or otherwise—is "outraged" is because the Vatican is not hiding anything. Yes, it is true that the Vatican library and archives are the largest repositories of their kind on earth, and yes, they are full of all sorts of historical, documentary, and artifactual treasures. The items in "the vault" are priceless, and it is for this reason that the Vatican is not in the practice of just letting anyone traipse in off the streets to ogle their collections. Quite to the contrary of the common perception, scholars with the right credentials, permissions, and with valid reasons for study regularly and frequently are given access to the Vatican archives. I have colleagues and professional acquaintances who have been in the archives on several occasions for the purpose of research. But the sort of security protocols and procedures that they employ are not all that much more unusual than you would find for any permanent museum exhibit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
How obvious can they make it that there is stuff that they don't want you to know.
Do tell. How "obvious" is it? In my personal experience and based on my own fairly careful, professional observations the Vatican is not "obviously" hiding anything.
Just what are you getting at here?
Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
I'm assuming it's the gospel of stan in which Jesus is having safe, gay sex while smoking crack and preaching about evolution.
This is nothing altogether new. The Gospel of Judas was recently published in which Judas Iscariot is depicted as a sympathetic figure, and yet the Vatican was non-plussed by its release to the public. The even more recent publication of the so-called "Wife of Jesus" fragment was not in any way obfuscated by the Vatican. It has now since been deemed to be a forgery—a finding supported by the Papacy, but clearly also the emerging scholarly consensus on the matter.
Give it a rest, people. There is no great Catholic conspiracy.
__________________
Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
The Dead Sea Scrolls Free and Online
