The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls

"Currently, five of the 950 Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) in the Israel Museum of Jerusalem have been digitized in a cooperative historical project with Google. Users may search and read high-resolution online versions of these texts (dating from 200 BCE to 68 CE). The online texts are the Great Isaiah Scroll, the best preserved and most complete extant biblical text; the War Scroll, which describes the cataclysmic battle between the sons of light and the sons of darkness; the Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll, which interprets the first two chapters of this prophetic biblical text; the Temple Scroll, which provides details of God's instructions for the Temple in Jerusalem; and the Community Rule, which sheds light on the community's way of life, admission of new members, conduct at communal meals, prayer, fasting, cleansing rituals, and theological doctrines. The DSS provide deeper knowledge of Judaism's diversity in the Second Temple period; insight into the development of the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic texts; insight into daily life in ancient Israel; a historical context for the sects of Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes up to the birth of Jesus; and a window into rabbinic legal traditions and related material. Along with searchable, quick-loading, high-resolution images of the scrolls, viewers will find short videos and explanatory background. Users may navigate through the scrolls on the screen and--in the case of the Isaiah Scroll--even view translations in pop-up text and boxes. All five digitized scrolls may be magnified, allowing users to see material missing from the edges and crusted lines. Future uploads are planned, with 2016 as a target date for putting most of the Israel Museum's scrolls online. Summing Up: Recommended." -- ACRL's Choice, February 2012, D. B. Levy, Touro College, Lander College for Women

And look for these titles in our collection
The complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls	Dead Sea Scrolls: the Untold Story	The Hidden Scrolls: Christianity, Judaism, & the War for the Dead Sea Scrolls
A Common Heritage. 33 min online video	Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? The Search for the Secret of Qumran	The Dead Sea Scrolls:  a very short introduction