Dead Sea Scrolls: Dramatic Evidence for the Reliability of Messianic Prophecy

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Dead Sea Scrolls: Dramatic Evidence for the Reliability of Messianic
Prophecy
The Dead Sea Scrolls comprise the oldest group of Old Testament
manuscripts ever found, dating back to 100--200 B.C. This is
dramatic,
because we now have absolute evidence that Messianic prophecies
contained in today's Old Testament (both Jewish and Christian) are
the
same Messianic prophecies that existed prior to the time Jesus walked
on this earth. It goes without saying, manuscript reliability and
textual criticism have taken cosmic steps forward! Check it out -
There is no question that Jesus Christ was the Messiah that the Jews
were waiting for!

Dead Sea Scrolls: What are They?
The Dead Sea Scrolls have been called the greatest manuscript
discovery of modern times. They were discovered between 1947 and 1956
in eleven caves along the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. This is an
arid region 13 miles east of Jerusalem and 1,300 feet below sea
level.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are comprised of the remains of approximately
825
to 870 separate scrolls, represented by tens of thousands of
fragments. The texts are most commonly made of animal skins, but also
papyrus and one of copper. They are written with a carbon-based ink,
from right to left, using no punctuation except for an occasional
paragraph indentation.

Dead Sea Scrolls: Why are they Important?
The Dead Sea Scrolls can be divided into two categories-biblical and
non-biblical. Fragments of every book of the Old Testament (Hebrew
canon) have been discovered, except for the book of Esther. Now
identified among the scrolls are 19 fragments of Isaiah, 25 fragments
of Deuteronomy and 30 fragments of the Psalms. The virtually intact
Isaiah Scroll, which contains some of the most dramatic Messianic
prophecy, is 1,000 years older than any previously known copy of
Isaiah.

In addition to the biblical manuscripts, there are commentaries on
the
Hebrew canon, paraphrases that expand on the Torah, community
standards and regulations, rules of war, non-canonical psalms,
hymnals
and sermons. Most of the texts are written in Hebrew and Aramaic,
with
a few in Greek.

The Dead Sea Scrolls appear to be the library of a Jewish sect,
considered most likely the Essenes. Near the caves are the ancient
ruins of Qumran, a village excavated in the early 1950's that shows
connections to both the Essenes and the scrolls. The Essenes were
strictly observant Jewish scribes, who appear Messianic and
apocalyptic in thinking. The library appears to have been hidden away
in caves around the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt (66-70 A.D.)
as the Roman army advanced against the Jews.

Based on various dating methods, including carbon 14, paleographic
and
scribal, the Dead Sea Scrolls were written during the period from
about 200 B.C. to 68 A.D. Many crucial biblical manuscripts (such as
Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 61) date to at least 100 B.C. As such,
the Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionized textual criticism of the Old
Testament. Phenomenally, we find the biblical texts in substantial
agreement with the Masoretic text, as well as variant translations of
the Old Testament used today.

Dead Sea Scrolls - The Book of Isaiah
Over 200 fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed at the Shrine
of the Book Museum in Jerusalem. Remarkably, the only fully intact
scroll displayed at the Shrine of the Book is the "Great Isaiah
Scroll" (1Qls-a), which contains the entire book of Isaiah that we
read today -- all 66 chapters! A number of scholars, from a number of
religions and professional disciplines, have analyzed this major
find.

The Great Isaiah Scroll was discovered in Cave 1 in 1947. It was
identified as the Biblical Book of Isaiah in 1948, and purchased by
the Syrian Orthodox Church at that time. Israel reacquired the Great
Isaiah Scroll in 1954 to study it and preserve it as a national
treasure. It has been displayed as the centerpiece exhibit at the
Shrine of the Book museum since 1965. A second partial Isaiah scroll
(1Qls-b) was also discovered in Cave 1 in 1947. Since that time,
approximately 17 other fragments of Isaiah scripture have been
discovered in other caves at Qumran.

As far as dating, it appears that pieces of the Great Isaiah Scroll
(1Qls-a) have been carbon-14 dated at least four times, including a
study at the University of Arizona in 1995 and a study at ETH-zurich
in 1990-91. The four studies produced calibrated date ranges between
335-324 BC and 202-107 BC. There have also been numerous paleographic
and scribal dating studies conducted that place 1Qls-a at a date
range
of approximately 150-100 BC. (See Price, Secrets of the Dead Sea
Scrolls, 1996; Eisenman & Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, 1994;
Golb, Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?, 1995; Wise, Abegg & Cook, The
Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, 1999.)

Dead Sea Scrolls - Isaiah 53
The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided phenomenal evidence for the
credibility of biblical scripture. Specifically, the nearly intact
Great Isaiah Scroll is almost identical to the most recent manuscript
version of the Masoretic text from the 900's AD. (Scholars have
discovered a handful of spelling and tense-oriented scribal errors,
but nothing of significance.) In light of Isaiah's rich Messianic
prophecy, we thought it would be rewarding to reproduce a portion of
the English translation of the actual Hebrew text found in the Great
Isaiah Scroll. Specifically, the following corresponds to Isaiah 53
in
today's Old Testament. Remember, this text was dated 100 to 335 years
before the birth of Jesus Christ!

Translation of the actual Great Isaiah Scroll (Isaiah 53), beginning
with line 5 of Column 44:

5. Who has believed our report and the arm of YHWH to whom has it
been
revealed And he shall come up like a suckling before him
6. and as a root from dry ground there is no form to him and no
beauty
[+to him+] and in his being seen and there is no appearance
7. that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a
man of sorrows and knowing grief
8. and as though hiding faces from him he was despised and we did not
esteem him. Surely our griefs he
9. is bearing and our sorrows he carried them and we esteemed him
beaten and struck by God
10. and afflicted. and he is wounded for our transgressions, and
crushed for our iniquities, the correction
11. of our peace was upon him and by his wounds he has healed us. All
of us like sheep have wandered each man to his own way
12. we have turned and YHWH has caused to light on him the iniquity
of
all of us He was oppressed and he was afflicted and he did not
13. open his mouth, as a lamb to the slaughter he is brought and as a
ewe before her shearers is made dumb he did not open
14. his mouth. From prison and from judgment he was taken and his
generation who shall discuss it because he was cut off from the land
of
15. the living. Because from the transgressions of his people a wound
was to him
16. And they gave wicked ones to be his grave and [a scribbled word
probably accusative sign "eth"] rich ones in his death
17. although he worked no violence neither deceit in his mouth And
YHWH was pleased to crush him and He has caused him grief.
18. If you will appoint his soul a sin offering he will see his seed
and he will lengthen his days and the pleasure of YHWH
19. in his hand will advance. Of the toil of his soul he shall see
{+light+} and he shall be satisfied and by his knowledge shall he
make
righteous
20. even my righteous servant for many and their iniquities he will
bear. Therefore I will apportion to him among the great ones
21. and with the mighty ones he shall divide the spoil because he
laid
bare to death his soul and with the transgressors
22. he was numbered, and he, the sins of many, he bore, and for their
transgressions he entreated.

Dead Sea Scrolls - The Comparison to Today's Biblical Text
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a powerful tool for answering textual
critics
of biblical scripture. Even though the first scrolls were discovered
in 1947, it was only recently that much of the research and many of
the translations were released to the public. Here's Isaiah 53 from
the King James Version of the Bible, which was translated from the
Masoretic text of the Hebrew scripture. Compare it to the portion of
the Great Isaiah Scroll reproduced on the prior page - it's dramatic!

Isaiah 53 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible:

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD
revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root
out
of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall
see
him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted
with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was
despised,
and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we
did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his
own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his
mouth:
he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare
his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for
the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his
death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his
mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his
seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall
prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
by
his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall
bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul
unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare
the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Dead Sea Scrolls - A Remarkable Time in History
The Dead Sea Scrolls sat untouched in a perfect, arid environment for
approximately 2,000 years. In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd stumbles upon
arguably the most important archaeological find in history, and then,
one year later, the Jewish people return to their homeland as a
formal
nation for the first time since 70 AD. As prophetic events in the
Middle East appear to be accelerating, it's remarkable to read prior
Messianic prophecy with absolute assurance like no other time in
history. We now have utmost confidence that the Old Testament (Jewish
Tanakh) that we read today is the same as existed in 100 to 200 BC.
This means that the over 300 Old Testament prophecies of the coming
Messiah preexisted the birth of Jesus Christ. It's up to each of us
to
determine what to do with this reality!

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