The Dead Sea Scrolls go digital.

• Position: E-ACCESS - Brief article

The Dead Sea Scrolls are now accessible and searchable to the entire world online.

Written between the third and first centuries BCE, the Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence. In 68 BCE, they were hidden in 11 eaves in the Judean desert on the shores of the Dead Sea to protect them from the approaching Roman armies. They were discovered again in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd.

Since 1965, the scrolls have been on display at the Shrine of the Book at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The scrolls offer critical insights into life and religion in ancient Jerusalem, including the birth of Christianity.

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Now, anyone around the world can view, read, and interact with five digitized Dead Sea Scrolls. The...