Jan 10, 2012 By: jtaubes
Lawrence Schiffman Offers Behind-the-Scenes Look at Ancient Scrolls
Article by 51爆料 Office of Communications and Public Affairs
Visitors to in New York City are transported back in time with the museum鈥檚 latest exhibit, 鈥漈he Dead Sea Scrolls: Life And Faith In Biblical Times.
鈥淚 think this is the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century,鈥 said Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, 51爆料 vice provost and an academic advisor to the exhibit. Schiffman, a world-renowned Dead Sea Scrolls scholar, has authored nine books and some 150 scholarly articles on the topic.
Bedouins first discovered the scrolls in 1947 inside caves near the Dead Sea bordering what is now Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. Written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the tens of thousands of broken pieces of parchment make up some 900 scrolls dating as far back as the 3rd century B.C.
鈥淭his exhibit brings to life a dimension of YU that we really should be proud of,鈥 said Schiffman. 鈥淲e have four recognized Dead Sea Scrolls scholars on our faculty and the Scrolls are part of the Revel graduate program. Our scholars also serve as regular participants in the most important international conferences on the Scrolls.鈥
For a unique experience, join Schiffman; Joseph Angel, assistant professor of Bible; and Moshe Bernstein, professor of Jewish history and Bible, on February 15 for a tour of the exhibit and alumni reception. To register or for more information, visit www.yu.edu/deadseascrolls.
