Easter Monday - Last chance to see Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Ottawa and N. America

A once-in-a-lifetime chance to see them in North America:

http://www.civilization.ca/media/docs/fssea08e.html

http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/manuscri/manus01e.html

The Museum of Civilizations is even having special extended hours this weekend just for this exhibit.

http://www.civilization.ca/media/show_pr_e.asp?ID=435

Just got back from seeing them for the second time. It is a well put together exhibit, fascinating material.

I saw the exhibit last Saturday, definitely worth seeing. Did anyone buy any of the books?

Ruby7

I finally got a chance to see this amazing exhibit today! (Also, got to get up close and touch the Stanley Cup!)

For me, besides the fragments from the Isaiah Scroll, the War Scroll and the Community Rules scroll, the highlights were

- the carved ivory pomegrenate (8th century BCE), the only thing surviving the First Temple,

- The Tel Dan Stele, first extrabiblical evidence of King David's reign - "House of David" mention.

- Priestly benediction on a Silver Amulet (Numbers 6:24 - 26): earliest surviving Biblical version - proto-Hebrew alphabet -- oops, forgot to note what century!

- the Shekels - stone balls - for weighing - 7th century BCE

- the pair of Dice!! in bone/faience. 12th - 6th century BCE

Hi Rusty, I got to touch the Stanley Cup and have my photo taken last year, I couldn't believe how excited I was about that. I just happened to be walking through Sears and there was the Stanley Cup and the offer of a free photograph. Was the Cup at the museum?

There were a lot of amazing artifacts at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, I was particularly struck by the level of expertise of the stone engravers/carvers who made the, I can't remember what they were called but they were temporary tombs for dead bodies. The pomegranate was an amazing little piece to be found.

Ruby7

Ruby ... I think you're talking about the ossuaries.

According to the exhibit texts, there was a first funeral after which the body was placed in the family tomb, and a year later, there was a second funeral during which the family placed the bones in an ossuary (Latin ossis = bone) and returned the bones, in the ossuary, to the tomb.

One of the ossuaries is that of Joseph Caiaphas, the high priest who turned Jesus over to Pontius Pilate. Seeing it today was pretty timely given it's Good Friday.

P.S. The Stanley Cup was in the lower level of the museum, in the hall, as part of the Rocket Richard exhibit.