For those who have access, Haaretz has an interesting article headlined DNA unlocks the secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Well, not quite, but it's fascinating to see how modern science can shed light on scripture. So, for example,
Which pieces belong to the same scroll? Which scrolls likely come from the same (Dead Sea) community? And, how de we account for divergent manuscripts? It turns out that DNA analysis can help in answering such questions or, at least, help confirm previously held assumptions.
The article ends with ...
Well, not quite, but it's fascinating to see how modern science can shed light on scripture. So, for example,
... the collection of scrolls in Israel today consists of nearly 25,000 fragments of parchment and papyrus (the lion’s share of all the known scroll artifacts in the world) which, it is estimated, come from more than 930 different ancient manuscripts. This vast jigsaw puzzle, with an unknown number of pieces that have been lost over time, includes the earliest versions found to date of all the books of the Hebrew Bible (with the exception of the Book of Esther), as well as the biblical apocrypha and many other works previously unknown.
Which pieces belong to the same scroll? Which scrolls likely come from the same (Dead Sea) community? And, how de we account for divergent manuscripts? It turns out that DNA analysis can help in answering such questions or, at least, help confirm previously held assumptions.
The article ends with ...
According to Prof. Oren Harman, a historian of science from Bar-Ilan University, “the use of ancient DNA is like the invention of a new tool, like the microscope or the telescope. It allows us to tell a new story, sometimes a different story from the one the archaeologists, anthropologists and historians told until now.” Like every scientific tool, emphasizes Harman, who was not involved in the study, ancient DNA should also serve to solve good questions, and not stand on its own. “It’s important to remember that analysis of the results of studies that rely on ancient DNA is based on a statistical interpretation of the data, and that different interpretations are possible for the same data.”
Prof. Pilpel, the molecular geneticist, notes that the researchers’ conclusions about the scrolls they examined appear to be solid. One of the reasons for this is the choice of scrolls that are of interest if it is shown that they are not connected to one another. “It is easier to establish that two sections of skin do not belong to the same animal – all you have to do is show that there are a certain number of differences in the DNA, and that can be done even if the genetic material that remains is of low quality.”
The various Bible scholars surveyed by Haaretz all say they are certain that even if the biological information serves only to show that different scroll fragments do not match one another, there are many fascinating questions to ask with the use of this tool. “There is hope of achieving a more accurate classification of the scrolls in the future,” says Michael Segal. According to Ben-Dov, “We [Bible scholars] have been wrestling with different theories for so many years, but biology is providing us with a new way to make our arguments.”
Prof. Mizrahi sums up the field of scrolls research in the following way: “We are adrift on an ocean of uncertainty, and scientific research creates a small island of probability in it. The more we increase knowledge, the more we discover more cogently how much we have left to discover.”
It's a long yet intriguing piece. One possible Jewish takeaway might well be: Thank God for science.Prof. Pilpel, the molecular geneticist, notes that the researchers’ conclusions about the scrolls they examined appear to be solid. One of the reasons for this is the choice of scrolls that are of interest if it is shown that they are not connected to one another. “It is easier to establish that two sections of skin do not belong to the same animal – all you have to do is show that there are a certain number of differences in the DNA, and that can be done even if the genetic material that remains is of low quality.”
The various Bible scholars surveyed by Haaretz all say they are certain that even if the biological information serves only to show that different scroll fragments do not match one another, there are many fascinating questions to ask with the use of this tool. “There is hope of achieving a more accurate classification of the scrolls in the future,” says Michael Segal. According to Ben-Dov, “We [Bible scholars] have been wrestling with different theories for so many years, but biology is providing us with a new way to make our arguments.”
Prof. Mizrahi sums up the field of scrolls research in the following way: “We are adrift on an ocean of uncertainty, and scientific research creates a small island of probability in it. The more we increase knowledge, the more we discover more cogently how much we have left to discover.”
