Qumran Caves

Qumran Caves

There are many caves in Qumran near the Dead Sea. In 1947, a Bedouin goat herder hurled a rock into the cave at the center of this photo to chase out a goat that had wandered in and heard something shatter. Thus were discovered the clay jars containing the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran Caves.

Until 1947, some Jewish historians had been arguing that chapter 53 of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, which describes how and why Jesus suffers and dies, must have been written by Jesus' disciples and spliced into the book of Isaiah. The highlight of the Qumran Caves discovery was an 8 yard long, perfectly preserved manuscript of the entire book of Isaiah. In it was chapter 53, exactly as today's version. This scroll, along with the other Dead Sea scrolls found at the Qumran Caves predates Jesus, hence ended speculation about the authenticity of the prophecy in Isaiah 53.

That's fine for Isaiah and other Old Testament books discovered at the Qumran Caves, but what about the New Testament Gospels? Weren't they written hundreds of years after Jesus? You'll find the answer on the next slide.

Travel Tip
You can see the Isaiah Scroll, prominently featured among the other Dead Sea Scrolls, at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem near the Supreme Court. Finding the Qumran Caves is much more tricky, as there is no bus service to it and not even a sign indicating it off the freeway. If renting a car, be sure to take a good map and get precise directions before setting out.