PHILADELPHIA — A small selection of the Dead Sea Scrolls is
touring America, supported by the largest set of Holy Land
artifacts ever to travel outside of Israel. Following a
successful run in New York, the touring exhibit, called “Dead
Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times,” will be at the
Franklin Institute in Philadelphia until October. Its next stop
has not yet been determined. At the heart of the exhibit: 20
pieces from texts discovered in caves overlooking the Dead Sea.
In 1946 (or possibly 1947), a Bedouin shepherd threw a rock into
a cave and heard something smash. He was disappointed to find
crumbling scrolls, along with some of the pottery in which they
had been stored, rather than treasure, but the scrolls
themselves would prove to be one of the most important
archaeological finds of the 20th century. By 1956, 11 more caves
were discovered and explored, resulting in the recovery of more
than 100,000 fragments from 900-plus different documents.
Catholics were involved in the process from earl