The original Jars of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the summer of
1947 by a Bedouin boy who went climbing up a cliff near Qumran.
Looking for a lost goat, he picked up a stone and tossed it into a
cave... alas, no goat came scampering out, but he did hear the sound
of crashing pottery. This was the beginning of the most exciting and
important archaeological discovery of the 20th century: that of the
scrolls related to the Essenes, a Jewish/Christian sect that lived
there 2000 years ago.
The Essenes, withdrawn into the
wilderness to escape persecution by the Pharisees, lived a communal
life that bore a remarkable resemblance to the early Christians.
There is no doubt, despite all the mystery and controversy that
surrounds the Dead Sea Scrolls, that the Essenes had an enormous influence on
both John the Baptist and on Jesus of Nazareth.
The original
jars of Qumran were obviously used to store scrolls and other
precious parchments, were about 50-65 centimeters (25-32.5 inches)
in length, and are on display today in the Shrine of the Book,
Israel Museum, in Jerusalem.
