Hershel Shanks, Dead Sea Scrolls
Authority, to Speak on "The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead
Sea Scrolls" in Palo Alto, Octber 21
- Psalm Scroll
Shanks Broke Secret Control of Scrolls, Bringing
Them to Scholars and the Public
Palo Alto, Calif., September 28, 2006 -- Hershel
Shanks, who first published the long-time secret Dead Sea Scrolls,
will speak on "The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls"
on Saturday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lucie Stern Community
Center Hall,, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, California.
The Sea Scrolls are arguably the most important
archaeological discovery of modern times. Written between 250
B.C. and 68 A.D., they are the oldest copies of Biblical books
in existence. The scrolls' 800 biblical manuscripts contain excerpts
from every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther, and the complete
book of Isaiah. They shed light into the turbulent religious
era at the time of Jesus, and contain biblical commentaries,
previously unknown psalms and manuscripts that foreshadow Christian
doctrine.
In a rare West Coast appearance, Shanks will recount the history
of the Scrolls' discovery and the decades-long quest to bring
them to the public. He will shed light on their role in the development
of the Bible. He will also describe the insights that the scrolls
bring to what he calls "the remarkably variegated Judaism"
of their era, presenting the view the scrolls provide into the
development of modern Judaism, as well as a picture of the earliest
days of Christianity
First discovered by a Bedouin shepherd at least
60 years ago in Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea,
the scrolls have consistently been the subject of behind-the-scenes
machinations as scholars and Bedouin alike raced to discover
more scrolls. For decades, the scrolls remained surrounded by
ongoing political and academic intrigue by international scholars
determined to keep the scrolls secret and unavailable to the
public.
Shanks broke the hold of secrecy in 1991, when
he published the first volume of a computer generated reconstruction
of some of the unpublished texts, followed by A Facsimile Edition
of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a two-volume folio edition of photographs
of the complete unpublished scrolls. The scrolls then became
available to the public and scholars alike in a breakthrough
the New York Times hailed as having "broken the scroll cartel."
Hershel Shanks is founder and editor of Bible Review
and Biblical Archaeology Review, the most widely read and authoritative
periodical on the subject. An international authority on Jerusalem
and the Dead Sea Scrolls, he has written about biblical archaeology
for over 30 years.
"The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls,
with Hershel Shanks" is part of the Thomas Merton Center's
tenth anniversary lecture series. This program is sponsored by
the Thomas Merton Center of Palo Alto with additional support
from the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford University
and Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos.
The Thomas Merton Center of Palo Alto aims to enhance
spiritual development through education, spiritual practice and
social outreach. The Merton Center sponsors regular Roman Catholic
Sunday and other liturgies, adult education programs and community
development activities.
For program information for the general public,
contact 650.328.2781
Note to editors: Hershel Shanks is available for
telephone interviews prior to his appearance in Palo Alto. To
arrange an interview or for further information, contact Mary
Coady at 650.261.9155.
Carl Ray
Traveling Mercies
Rosemary
Radford Ruether
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