Dead Sea Scrolls Come to Life at Natural History Museum

The San Diego Natural History Museum is currently showcasing the largest, most comprehensive exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls ever assembled. The exhibition—created and assembled by the Museum—includes authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient illuminated manuscripts, artifacts, landscape and aerial photography, along with interactive displays about science, discovery, and exploration. Thanks to the generosity of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, 27 Dead Sea scrolls – 10 exhibited for the first time ever – will be on display over the course of the exhibition.

The six-month exhibition, which runs through Dec. 21,  includes materials never before exhibited together –  Dead Sea Scrolls from Israel and Jordan reunited for the first time in 60 years, rarely seen ancient Hebrew codices from the National Library of Russia, medieval manuscripts from the British National Library, and stunning modern hand-scribed texts and art.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, dating from 250 BCE–68 CE, are indisputably one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time. Discovered beginning in 1947 in 11 caves along the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel, the scrolls are a bridge to the period when the foundations of western civilization were being laid.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are widely acknowledged to be among the greatest archaeological treasures linking us to the ancient Middle East, and to the formative years of Judaism and Christianity. Over 200 biblical manuscripts are more than 1,000 years older than any previously known copies of the Hebrew Bible. In addition, there are scrolls that appear to represent a distinct form of Judaism that did not survive the Roman destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE These “sectarian scrolls” reveal a fascinating stage of transition between the ancient religion of the Bible and Rabbinic Judaism, as well as the faith that would become the world's largest, Christianity. Both of these traditions, in turn, influence Islam.

Highlights of the exhibit will include scrolls of the books Leviticus, Isaiah, and Job, as well as Psalms scrolls containing passages from liturgy still in use today. It also includes the best preserved of all Deuteronomy manuscripts containing the text of the Ten Commandments.

Visitors can trace the impact of these texts as they were copied through history. The exhibition includes 1st Hebrew codices from the National Library of Russia, illuminated manuscripts from the British National Library from the Middle Ages, and manuscripts from St. John’s College and the San Diego Public Library that bring visitors up to the present. The exhibition will explore how ideas survive, spread and are inspired. These materials will trace the story of the transmission of the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran to our present day.

The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit promises to be one of the most profound and enriching exhibits to come to San Diego in quite some time. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this world class exploration of ancient life faith and culture that has profoundly affected our modern world.