What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Four Scroll Fragments (Click for larger image)

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of over 800 manuscripts that date back to the time of Christ. Found by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947 in caves along the Dead Sea, adjacent to the archaeological site known as Khirbet Qumran, these manuscripts form a library that is comprised of three distinct types of literature: Biblical, Sectarian and Extra-Biblical.

Biblical Manuscripts
The Biblical manuscripts found at Qumran are the oldest known copies of the Old Testament.

Sectarian Literature
The Sectarian literature at Qumran is a fascinating collection of manuscripts that describes the foundation of teachings and rules of a specific group of Jews who, most scholars believe, lived at Qumran.

Extra-Biblical Literature
The Extra-Biblical literature found at Qumran reflects the general literature of the period.

The most compelling story that the scrolls lead to, however, is that of the men who left them hidden in caves along the shores of the Dead Sea over 2,000 years ago. More is known today about the community who left this precious legacy behind.