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Dead Sea Scrolls To Visit San Diego This Summer
Tickets for Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, which is coming to San Diego in June, are now on sale.
The display, the largest, most comprehensive exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls ever assembled, began its tour of North America in Cleveland last year. It includes authentic scrolls, illuminated biblical manuscripts, ancient artifacts, landscape and aerial photography, and interactive displays about science, discovery, and exploration.
Thanks to the generosity of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), 24 Dead Sea Scrolls, 10 exhibited for the first time ever, will be on display over the course of the exhibition.
I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. Romans 15:13
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in a desert cave in
the Qumran area of the West Bank. The first were found in 1947 by a
young sheep herder. From 1947-56, hundreds more were found in 11 caves.
There were 800 documents in all, written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
The Museum is the only California destination for the Dead Sea
Scrolls slated, and the only venue that will host a six-month showing.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encounter one of the most significant collections of ancient documents and artifacts ever assembled. Objects of great mystery, intrigue and significance, the scrolls continue to captivate audiences around the world. The Museum anticipates 400,000+ in attendance over the six-month period.
“We are especially honored to host 10 scrolls for the first time ever—the revenue generated by their being exhibited in San Diego means that they will be conserved properly for the first time. In addition, these scrolls can be exhibited around the world from hereafter,” says Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn, a biblical scholar and associate professor at San Diego State University's Religious Studies department. Dr. Kohn who will be directing the educational programming surrounding the exhibition and assisting the San Diego Natural History Museum in curating the exhibition.
“We expect that this cultural event will be a magnet for visitors from all around California and the entire Southwest,” says Dr. Michael Hager, Executive Director of the Natural History Museum. “The opportunity for us to host a world-class exhibition is one that we take on with great pride and excitement. This will be an unforgettable event for San Diego.”
“The magnitude of the scroll discovery is remarkable,” says Levitt Kohn. “These are the oldest discovered copies of the books of the Hebrew Bible. They shed light on life, faith and culture in ancient Israel. The six-month exhibition window, in particular, is a great coup for San Diego and California.”
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 eleven 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. These ancient manuscripts embody universal values, and bring a vanished world to life.
Exhibition highlights include: scrolls of the biblical books of Leviticus, Isaiah, Job and others; scrolls such as the Damascus Document and the War Scroll highlighting the life and thoughts of the Qumran community.
There will also be Psalms scrolls containing passages from liturgy still in use today; a section of the Copper Scroll from Jordan, the only Dead Sea Scroll inscribed on copper; the best preserved of all Deuteronomy manuscripts containing the text of the Ten Commandments; and scrolls written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
The exhibition will also explore the science of the scrolls, investigating scroll preservation, DNA and chemical analysis, infrared technology, Carbon-14 dating, document reconstitution, and the Dead Sea and San Diego County Mediterranean climates—without which the scrolls might never have been preserved.
Together with the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Museum plans to exhibit additional artifacts including scroll jars, textiles, pottery, ancient coins, leather sandals, an inkwell, large photographs, models of the settlement of Qumran, and archeological instruments from the original excavation. “Our goal is to present these ancient scrolls within the context of their period which may be fairly described as the wellspring from which Judaism and Christianity were born,” says Levitt Kohn.
Alongside these artifacts, visitors will see additional ancient manuscripts from the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, the Russian National Library, the British National Library, the École Biblique in Jerusalem and more. These materials will help trace the story of the transmission of the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran all the way up to our present day.
The Museum will offer a robust educational program which will include 22 lectures by world-class scholars and archaeologists, films, classes, audio tours (Spanish and English, included in the price of admission), and education travel tours to Israel. Additionally, a curriculum will be prepared for use in schools, home schools, synagogues and churches.
In collaboration, the San Diego Zoo, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and the San Diego Museum of Man are developing complimentary exhibits and programs. Most admission tickets range from $20–$28. There are discounts for members, seniors, students, military and groups. Admission includes exhibitions offered in other areas of the Museum.
Celebrating its 132ndyear, the San Diego Natural History Museum is the second oldest scientific institution in California. The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition is a joint production of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation and the San Diego Natural History Museum.
THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM is in Balboa Park at the intersection of Village Place and Park Blvd. It is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can call the museum at (619)232-2821.
