On Friday, two of the unreleased and undisplayed Dead Sea Scrolls have been placed on display in a museum in Denver, Colorado as part of a large exhibit featuring artifacts from Israel.
According to the report of Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the scrolls contain details regarding ritual purification and moral conduct followed by the Jews for thousands of years. These scrolls were originally discovered in 1947 by Bedouin goat herders in a cave close to the shore of the Dead Sea close to the ancient city of Qumran.
The IAA further elaborated upon the contents of the scrolls, saying that 'The scroll on rules of ritual purity...was written in Hebrew at the end of the first century BCE and deals with matters of purity and impurity according to the Bible. Because only the ritually pure could deal with sacred matters, those who were ritually impure had to return to a state of purity. Ritual impurity could pass from an individual or object to another. To once again become ritually pure, certain actions had to be taken, such as ritual immersion or isolation for a certain period if the ritual impurity was caused by illness.'
The second scroll regarding morality, known as the 'Instruction to the one who understands', 'is part of a wisdom composition from the end of the first century BC,' the IAA said. 'It is similar in character to the biblical book of Proverbs, although it contains apocalyptic messages.
'Written by a teacher or a sage, it contains instructions to a disciple on the moral conduct that will enable him to avoid evil acts and achieve success in all areas of life and the high spiritual level attained by the most righteous individuals. The instructions for daily living include advice on fair business practices as well as on marriage,' the IAA adds.
The two scrolls will be placed in a large display case with climate-control settings to ensure they are preserved. Both scrolls are fragile as they were made from parchment and papyrus.
Aside from the two Dead Sea Scrolls, the Israel Antiquities Authority also reported that the 600-piece collection exhibit on display now at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science would also feature 18 other scrolls already placed on display before and a three-tonne stone from the Western Wall.
The exhibit also features relics and antiques used by ancient Jews in daily life, including pottery, fiigurines, sandals, food, jewelry and weapons.
IAA Deputy Director Dr. Uzi Dahari explained "We want to show life in Bible times to the American public not through the Biblical stories, but through real archaeological finds."
