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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004123S
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00:33 Discovered by Bedouin Shepherds nearly 2,000 years
00:37 later. 00:45 And what vital message do they have for us today. 01:04 In the first century A.D. about 70 years after the birth of 01:08 Christ, members of a mysterious religious sect hid a collection 01:13 of over 900 sacred scrolls in caves in the Judean desert 01:18 bordering the Dead Sea. 01:19 The chance discovery of the Ancient Scrolls 2,000 years 01:24 later by Bedouin Shepherds was considered one of the 01:27 greatest archeological discoveries of all time 01:30 and sent shock waves through the world of Bible scholarship. 01:35 Who wrote them? Why were they here? 01:38 And why are they so important to us today? 01:42 Join me as we travel with me to Quran in search of answers. 02:15 Buried treasure, hordes of it. Yes, I know where there is 02:19 enough hidden wealth to boggle the imagination. 02:22 There are boxes of precious incense and vast quantities 02:26 of gold and silver, all told, 200 tons of the stuff 02:31 worth over a billion dollars lying 5 to 6 meters under 02:35 the ground. All buried in the desert by a strange 02:39 religious sect. 02:46 To get the breathtaking details I've come to the middle east 02:50 to visit one of the most inhospitable places 02:53 in all the world. But one that has captured the imagination 02:57 of people everywhere and popularized the signs of 03:01 archeology. 03:03 To get there we've got to leave the sacred city of Jerusalem 03:10 and travel east through the Judean Desert. 03:12 Here the mountainous landscape plummets dramatically 03:17 1200 meters to the blistering hot basin of the Dead Sea. 03:21 On the way we passed the Sea Level sign, however we 03:27 still haven't reached the sea. Although the plaque says 03:30 Sea Level, we still have to keep going down and down. 03:34 We're on our way to the lowest place on earth, 03:38 the Dead Sea is 400 meters or 1,312 feet below Sea Level 03:45 it's the lowest place on planet earth's land surface 03:49 so we've still got a long way to go. 04:01 The Dead Sea is 50 km long and 15 km wide 04:06 and reaches a depth of 400 meters, it covers an area of 04:10 605 square Km. Virtually all of its water comes from the 04:16 Jordan River which flows into it from the north. 04:19 The Dead Sea has no outlet, in Hebrew it's called 04:24 the Sea of Salt, it's the world's saltiest body of water 04:30 ten times more salty than sea water. 04:33 In fact, nearly a third of it consists of dissolved salt 04:36 and other minerals, it's super saline waters make floating 04:41 easy, it's so salty you can't sink. 04:44 You can float in the Dead Sea and read a book without 04:48 fear of sinking. The Dead Sea has attracted visitors 04:53 for thousands of years, it was one of the world's first 04:57 health resorts for Herod the Great and it has been a supplier 05:02 of a wide variety of products. 05:04 From asphalt for Egyptian mummification to potash 05:08 and fertilizers, people also use the salt and minerals 05:13 from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. 05:17 It rarely rains here and summer temperatures often reach 05:22 45 degrees Celcius, it's a harsh and inhospitable environment. 05:28 Near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in a wilderness 05:32 of terrible beauty is the hillside that is honeycombed with 05:37 caves, this is the site of one of the most exciting discoveries 05:42 of all time. 05:43 Many archeologists are convinced that the treasure 05:51 found in this area is more valuable than all the gold 05:55 and wealth found in the ancient tombs of kings and pharaohs 05:58 the discovery here happened by accident. 06:11 One day in 1947 a Bedouin boy called Mohammed the wolf 06:16 was minding some goats near these cliffs along the shores of 06:20 the Dead Sea, now these goats are very agile and are able 06:24 to climb incredible heights in search of the tender green 06:27 tufts of grass that grow in springtime among the pebbles 06:31 and sand of this desert region. 06:33 One of the shaggy goats that Mohammed the Wolf was minding 06:38 chanced to stray from the rest of the flock, 06:41 while searching for this aggravating animal 06:44 he noticed a small cave in the rocky cliffs that he hadn't 06:47 noticed before thinking that his goat may have taken shelter 06:52 in the cave from the blistering summer heat, Mohammed picked up 06:56 a stone and threw it into the cave but the sound that came 07:00 back to him was not the familiar echo of stone striking stone, 07:05 he was startled to hear the strange echoing sound 07:10 of shattering pottery. 07:11 Panic-stricken, he rushed away in fear of evil spirits 07:16 but was it an evil spirit? or was it gold? 07:22 Now, Mohammed, the Wolf belonged to a group of smugglers 07:26 from the Tamara Tribe who were trying to get their livestock 07:30 and other goods out of Jordan and into Palestine. 07:33 They're on their way to Bethlehem to sell their goods 07:37 on the Black Market. 07:39 They detoured far south to the northern shores of the Dead Sea 07:44 to avoid crossing the Jordan Bridge which customs officers 07:48 guarded with guns. And they set up camp at Ein Feshkha 07:52 the desert oasis near the ancient ruins of Qumran. 08:01 These nomadic Arab people inhabit the vast desert regions 08:06 of the Middle East and have a culture of herding camels 08:10 and goats, these animals comprise their livelihood 08:13 and are used for meat, dairy products, and wool. 08:17 The Bedouin travel from place to place looking for water 08:21 and grazing for their animals. Because they have to be mobile 08:27 they carry all their worldly possessions with them 08:30 as they travel. They live in large tents that they pitch 08:33 when they find a suitable location. 08:35 The tents are made by hand of goat and sheep hair and provide 08:40 ideal shelter in the desert, its loosely woven material 08:45 let's air come in and the smoke out so the tent is pleasant 08:49 inside, however on rare occasions when it rains 08:53 the fiber gets swollen and the tent becomes waterproof. 08:57 So these grand desert tents are ideal for the Betouin's 09:02 nomadic lifestyle and function well in all conditions. 09:06 That night as Mohammed the Wolf sat in the family tent 09:12 he told his cousin of his experience, 09:15 the boys were intrigued by possibilities of what the cave 09:19 might contain. What was in there? 09:22 What secrets lay hidden in its dark and interior? 09:26 The next morning found the boys on the mountainside at the cave 09:34 dreaming of a trove of hidden treasure the boys squeezed 09:38 through the narrow opening and dropped into the cave. 09:41 To their amazement they discovered that there was a 09:46 collection of large dust covered pottery jars standing on the 09:51 floor of the cave. Eagerly the boys removed the lids, 09:54 imagine their disappointment when they discovered that 10:01 the jars contained only rolls of old letter covered with 10:05 strange writing all carefully wrapped in cloth and 10:09 blackened by age. 10:10 They had hoped to find a hoard of treasure of gold and silver 10:14 but instead, they found brittle old scrolls that were not much 10:20 use for anything. They were deeply disappointed 10:24 but actually, they had found treasure even though 10:28 they didn't know it. They had found the treasures 10:31 now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. 10:35 On that legendary day not realizing their value was 10:40 significant, the disappointed Bedouin boys stuffed the three 10:45 scrolls into their shirts and took them back to camp 10:48 hoping they might get a bit of money for them in Bethlehem. 10:51 During the next couple of weeks, the boys discovered 10:55 four more scrolls in the cave and a couple of unbroken 10:59 scroll jars. Over the next few months the scrolls hung 11:06 from the tent poles in the Bedouin camp. 11:08 Eventually, the Bedouin took the scrolls and two jars 11:12 to as shopkeeper and cobbler friend in Bethlehem 11:16 by the name of Kando At first, no one was interested 11:21 in the dirty old scrolls. 11:23 An employee of the Department of Antiquities called them 11:27 worthless. Kando decided to buy four of the ancient scrolls 11:32 he felt that if nothing else they may have some uses 11:36 leather for shoe repairs. The remaining three scrolls 11:40 was sold to an antiquities dealer named Salahi. 11:44 Kando then re-sold the four scrolls he had to Archbishops 11:49 Samuel, head of the Syrian Orthodox Monastery of St. Mark's 11:53 in Jerusalem. 11:55 The journey of the scrolls then becomes stranger 12:01 than fiction, truly amazing a Hebrew university professor 12:06 Eliezer Sukenik heard about the scrolls and set out to 12:11 investigate the significance of the discoveries. 12:14 It was extremely dangerous 12:16 Arab Jewish tensions were high as the modern state Israel 12:21 was emerging. 12:22 But Sukenik was prepared to risk everything for the scrolls 12:28 he traveled to meet an Armenian Antiquities dealer at the 12:32 British divided military zone on the Jerusalem border. 12:36 In this Clandestine meeting, the dealer held up a fragment 12:41 leather for the Jewish professor to examine. 12:45 As Sukeinik peered through the barbed wire he immediately 12:49 recognized the ancient Hebrew writing. 12:51 Eager to see more Sukenik traveled with the dealer 12:56 to Arab/ Bethlehem to see Salahi who had the first three 13:00 scrolls. He was amazed to see the Hebrew scrolls and agreed 13:05 to purchase the three of them. It was the first time 13:09 the scrolls had been read for two thousand years. 13:12 As tensions in the Middle East burst into war, the archbishop 13:20 smuggled the four remaining scrolls from Jerusalem to 13:23 America and there he advertised them in The Wall Street Journal 13:27 Classified Ad. In a strange twist of fate 13:31 Yigael Yadin, Professor Sukenik' s son an Israelian 13:36 war hero bought all four of the scrolls through a front man 13:40 the first seven original scrolls were united again in Israel. 13:49 Well, Wayne knew that the scrolls were very valuable 13:53 reached the Bedouin and their friends, hundreds of treasure 13:57 hunters rushed to the area near the Dead Sea. 14:00 They searched every conceivable crevice, rock formation 14:04 and hillside cave that might possibly hide more of the 14:08 precious scrolls. In ten new caves they found the remains 14:13 of over 900 scrolls, one cave, cave four once had 500 scrolls 14:21 hidden in it. Most of these scrolls had been broken 14:24 into small pieces. All together about 40,000 pieces came from 14:29 cave four, each one had to be brought from the Arabs 14:33 who found them at an average price of four dollars 14:36 per square centimeter. 14:37 These thousands of fragments were brought to the Rockefeller 14:42 Museum in Jerusalem, they were laid out in the courtyard 14:46 and sorted, then specialists began the long and tedious 14:50 task of piecing the scrolls back together again 14:53 and deciphering the strange writing, an ancient form 14:57 of Hebrew. 15:03 Archeologists returnd to the rugged Dead Sea shoreline 15:07 and re-explored the area their efforts were rewarded 15:11 when they found a cave that contained a most unusual 15:15 scroll. They discovered three strips of finely beaten copper 15:19 that had been inscribed and rolled up into a scroll 15:23 as the archeologists searched the caves, and found more 15:27 fragments, they realized that these scrolls had been part 15:31 of a large library. But who wrote them? 15:35 and why did they hide them in the desert? 15:38 Well, the answer lay 100 meters from cave four where they 15:44 found largest cache of scroll fragments here in some 15:47 old ruins that had been on maps for decades 15:50 These Qumran ruins were mistakenly assumed to be 15:54 the remains of an old Roman fort. Now Archeologists began 16:01 excavations which revealed that the ruin had been a monastery 16:05 of a Jewish sect, the Essenes, around the time of Christ. 16:09 The excavations revealed a lot about the community that lived 16:13 here. There was a large Kitchen and Dining Room which contained 16:17 thousands of plates and bowls, clearly a large number of 16:21 people ate together here. They had large systems 16:26 for containing water, the region is very dry and in order to 16:31 obtain water the people made a canal to draw rain water 16:35 from the hills behind. The systems are big enough 16:39 to supply the needs of hundreds of people, there are storage 16:44 rooms where they kept their produce and supplies, 16:47 they had workshops for potters and laundrymen, 16:51 a large watchtower ensured they had ample warning of 16:55 approaching danger. 16:56 Nearly every phase of life of these remarkable people 17:01 has been pieced together by the scholars who unearthed 17:05 this self-sufficient community. But why did these people 17:10 choose to live in such and uncomfortable isolated place? 17:14 The nearby cliffs are rugged and bare, the plateau is flat 17:20 and dry and barren, the sun beats down mercilessly 17:26 in summer and makes the rocks so hot it's impossible to 17:29 stand still in one spot for more than a few seconds, 17:33 there are no trees to give shade, it's bleak, dusty, hot, 17:38 and unpleasant. 17:40 Yet these people built quite and elaborate settlement here, 17:46 why? Why would anyone want to live here? 17:49 Well, the answer lies right here, this room was the 17:54 nerve center of the Essene Community, they came to this 17:58 inhospitable region to live in seclusion and spent their 18:02 lives copying out the Bible. 18:05 This room is the scriptorial or Writing Room, originally 18:10 it was a two-story building that housed a library and a 18:13 writing area, here the Essene's worked carefully copying out 18:18 the scriptures, commentaries, and other works 18:21 their whole lives revolved around this work. 18:25 They had copies of the Hebrew scriptures or the Old Testament 18:29 part of the Bible and they spent their time carefully copying 18:33 it out. Archeologists made a amazing discovery here 18:39 in this very room where the copying of the scripture was done 18:43 they found desks inkwells and quills the Essene's used 18:47 more inkwells were found here than any other site from this 18:52 period the inkwells still had dried ink in them. 18:56 And here's what's truly amazing when they analyzed the ink 19:02 in these inkwells and compared it to some of the ink on the 19:05 Dead Sea Scrolls, they were found to be identical. 19:09 They also found pottery jars that are identical to those 19:14 found in the caves which contained the Dead Sea Scrolls. 19:18 But in June of 1868 death came to Qumran and all writing here 19:29 ended forever, that was the time of the first Jewish revolt 19:34 against Rome. On their way to attack Jerusalem, the Roman 19:39 legions destroyed the Essene Settlement at Qumran. 19:55 Those residents that did escape just had enough time 19:59 hide the Sacred Scrolls they couldn't carry in these 20:02 Cliffside caves before they _ the Romans. 20:05 They hoped that when the Romans had gone, the scrolls could be 20:09 rescued, however, they didn't live to return. 20:13 Some of the scrolls were lost in landslides or through 20:17 dampness, but many survived and lay undisturbed in the 20:23 desert caves for almost 2,000 years to become the greatest 20:28 manuscript discovery in history. 20:30 As the experts pieced together and deciphered the scrolls 20:35 they discovered some very interesting things, 20:38 for example, the copper scroll was an inventory of 61 hordes 20:43 of treasure, gold, silver, incense and the like. 20:48 This treasure according to the scroll had been hidden 20:52 in a number of secret places near the Dead Sea in Jerusalem. 20:55 It hasn't been found yet so if you'd like to join the 21:00 treasure hunt, you can. There's nearly 200 tons of 21:04 treasure worth over a billion dollars buried 5 to 6 meters 21:09 under the ground somewhere near here. It's believed to be 21:13 treasure from the temple at Jerusalem that was hidden 21:16 away for safekeeping. 21:18 But what interested scholars most was the true treasure 21:22 you see the majority of the scrolls were Biblical 21:26 Manuscripts, copies of books of the Bible, the Hebrew Bible, 21:30 also known as the Old Testament, in fact all of the books 21:35 Old Testament were discovered at Qumran with the exception of 21:39 Esther. Now the question naturally arises why are the 21:45 Dead Sea Scrolls considered such great treasure? 21:48 Why are they so important? and what vital message do they 21:53 have for us today? 21:56 Well the question is often asked how can we know that our Bible 22:01 today is accurate just as the prophets originally wrote it? 22:05 How can we know that it speaks the same message that it did 22:09 thousands of years ago when the prophets wrote it? 22:12 How can we know that it wasn't changed or that mistakes 22:16 didn't creep in down through the centuries? 22:18 Well, this is where the Dead Sea Scrolls fit in, 22:23 and this is what makes them so important to us today. 22:29 Before the discovery of these scrolls in 1947 the oldest 22:34 manuscripts of the Old Testament the Hebrew scriptures 22:37 that anybody had come from the 9th century A.D., 900 years 22:43 after the time of Christ. Nothing even approaching 22:48 an original was available to us, the best we could expect 22:52 was only a copy of a copy, no one knows how many copies 22:56 and there was always the re-occurring question, 22:59 what may have happened to the accuracy of the text 23:03 through all the centuries of the copying? 23:07 But as scholars examine and decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls 23:10 they confirmed that they were written before or at the time 23:15 of Christ. So the Dead Sea Scrolls are 1,000 years older 23:20 than any complete Biblical Manuscript in existence, 23:24 it's the age of these scrolls that makes them so valuable. 23:29 In one stroke, we are brought 1,000 years nearer to the 23:35 original writings of the Bible prophets and when these ancient 23:40 scrolls were compared with the words of our Bible today, 23:44 they were found to be virtually identical. 23:47 Professor Burrows of Yale University who worked on the 23:51 scrolls said: 23:57 Do you see what this means? It means that we could know 24:02 that our Bible today is virtually the same as when 24:06 it came from the hands of the prophets. 24:08 You can trust the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls 24:15 allow us to be certain that our Bible has been miraculously 24:20 preserved down through the ages and more importantly 24:25 in this age of modern scientific discovery it challenges us 24:30 to seriously consider the Bible and its claims. 24:33 The Bible claims to be special and unique, it claims to be 24:37 God's Word, it claims to contain vital information 24:41 for us today. 24:42 The story of the Dead Sea Scrolls and their amazing 24:46 discovery has captivated and inspired people all over 24:50 the world. These ancient scrolls demonstrate that 24:54 the Bible has been miraculously preserved down through 24:57 the centuries. The Dead Sea Scrolls challenge us to 25:02 seriously consider the Bible and its claims. 25:05 The Bible claims to be special and unique, it claims to be 25:09 God's word, it claims to contain vital information for us today, 25:14 it claims to hold the key to true inner peace and happiness. 25:18 If you'd like to consider the claims of the Bible 25:22 if you're looking for peace and happiness 25:24 then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all 25:28 our viewers today. It's our new booklet 25:32 Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls, this booklet will explain 25:38 why the scrolls are worth millions of dollars, 25:41 why they are so relevant to us today and it will also 25:45 provide practical tips on how to read the Bible. 25:48 This booklet is our gift to you and it is absolutely "Free," 25:53 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 25:57 So make the most of this wonderful opportunity 26:02 to receive the gift we have for you today. 26:04 Here's the information you need: 26:07 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia, or 020.422.2042 26:17 in New Zealand, or visit our website at TiJ.tv 26:22 or simply scan the QR code on the screen to request today's 26:27 Free offer and we'll send it to you totally Free of charge 26:30 and with no obligation so don't delay, call, text, or 26:34 visit our website or simply scan our QR code on your screen 26:38 and we'll send you today's Free offer totally free of charge 26:42 and with no obligation. Write to us at GPO Box 274 Sydney NSW 26:49 2001 Australia, or PO Box 76673 in Manukau, Auckland 2241 26:57 New Zealand. Don't Delay, call or text us now. 27:06 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Ancient Qumran, 27:10 and our reflections on the Dead Sea Scrolls 27:12 and their message for us today, then be sure to join us again 27:16 next week when we will share another of life's journey's 27:19 together. Until then, why not make a decision to seriously 27:24 consider the Bible and it's claims, 27:27 why not make a decision to check it out, to give it a try 27:31 right now as we pray. 27:34 Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your word 27:39 the Bible. We are so grateful that you miraculously 27:43 preserved it down through the centuries. 27:45 We thank you for the message of the Bible 27:47 a message centered around Jesus and the peace and happiness 27:52 that He provides. We want to experience that peace 27:55 and happiness in our lives, please grant this to us, 27:59 we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. |
Revised 2022-03-17