穆罕默德最終把一些捲軸帶到伯利恆的一位名叫漢渡(Khando)的補鞋匠和古董商人哪兒。漢渡認為這些捲軸是用敘利克語書寫的,因此將它們帶到名為瑪 . 撒母耳(Mar“Athanasius”Samuel)的敘利亞東正教大主教手中。瑪 . 撒母耳意識到這些捲軸是希伯來文寫的,並懷疑它們可能很古老,且很有價值。他最終讓“美國東方研究學院”(American School of Oriental Research ,簡稱ASOR)的約翰·特雷弗(John Trevor)檢查這些捲軸。特雷弗和世界上最重要的中東考古學家威廉·奧勃萊(William Albright)博士取得了聯繫。這些人一起證實了古卷的悠久並將其追溯到主前一世紀至二世紀之間。
洞穴1是1949年發現並發掘的第一個洞穴。發現了以賽亞書卷,保存完整的以賽亞書全書。從其他舊約書卷中找到了碎片,包括創世記、利未記、申命記、士師記、撒母耳記、以西結書和詩篇。非正典書籍包括“以諾書”(Book of Enoch)、“摩西語錄”(Sayings of Moses)、“禧年書”(Book of Jubilee)、“挪亞書”(Book of Noah)、“利未約”(Testament of Levi)和“所羅門的智慧”(Wisdom of Solomon)。還發現了關於詩篇,彌迦書和西番雅書的註釋片段。
第11窟在1956年被發掘。它顯示一些保存完很好的詩篇的副本,包括偽經詩篇151。此外,還發現了保存完好的利未記部分捲軸,還發現了“新耶路撒冷啟示錄”(Apocalypse of the New Jerusalem),一份“塔庫姆譯本”(Targum,即希伯來文聖經的亞蘭語譯本),或作約伯記的義譯,的片段。
的確,這些是有史以來發現的最古老的希伯來古代手抄本,其內容很快就展現能影響猶太教和基督教的洞悉。
參考書目
Archer, Gleason. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985.
Geisler, Norman and William Nix. General Introduction to the Bible. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.
Payne, J. Barton. Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 1984.
Price, Randall Price, Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House, 1996.
Scanlin, Harold. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Modern Translations of the Old Testament. Wheaton, IL.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993.
Vanderkam, James and Peter Flint. The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls. San Francisco, CA.: Harper Collins Publishers, 2002.
Dr. Patrick Zukeran, former Probe staffer, is the founder and Executive Director of Evidence and Answers, a research and teaching ministry specializing in Christian apologetics, the defense of the Christian faith. He is the host of the radio show Evidence and Answers (www.evidenceandanswers.org). Pat is the author of several books including The Apologetics of Jesus co-authored with Norman Geisler; God, Eternity, and Spirituality (ed.); and Unless I See . . . Is There Enough Evidence to Believe? Pat is a popular conference speaker and he also serves as an adjunct faculty for several colleges and institutes worldwide. He earned a B.A. from Point Loma Nazarene University, a Master of Theology (Th.M.) from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry (D.Min.) in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. Pat lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and can be reached at pat@evidenceandanswers.org.
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[i] James Vanderkam and Peter Flint, The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls (San Francisco, CA.: Harper Collins Publishers, 2002), 20-32. [ii] Randall Price, The Stones Cry Out (Eugene, OR.: Harvest House Publishers, 1997), 278. [iii] Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago, IL.: Moody Press, 1985), 513-517. [iv] Vanderkam and Flint, 115. [v] Price, 280. [vi] Millar Burrows, The Dead Sea Scrolls (New York: Viking Press, 1955), 304, quoted in Norman Geisler and William Nix, General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 367. [vii] Archer, 25. [viii] J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 1984), 665-670. [ix] Geisler and Nix, 503-504. [x] Ibid., 137. [xi] Ibid., 138-139. [xii] Vanderkam and Flint, 265-266. [xiii] Randall Price, Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Eugene, OR.: Harvest House, 1996), 162. [xiv] Ibid., 154-155. [xv] Ibid., 156-157. [xvi] Archer, 513-517. [xvii] Price, 162.