Cave 4 at Qumran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
In summary remarks at the end, Jim Charlesworth stressed how much we don\u2019t have from antiquity. \u00a0He says that the typical notion is that we now have about 70% of the documents from the Qumran caves. \u00a0On the contrary, he thinks that we possess about 3%. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re working in the dungheaps of history,\u201d he said. \u00a0Or, in another memorable phrase, he explained\u00a0that scholars are \u201cexploring islands of whispers in a sea of silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He dismissed as nonsense the claim that the book of Esther didn\u2019t exist at Qumran. \u00a0\u201cWe have literally bushels of unidentified fragments\u201d from the caves there. \u00a0We don\u2019t yet know that Esther wasn\u2019t there, and we may never know.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said that he\u2019s convinced that a major scroll was found in Cave 4 that has disappeared somewhere. \u00a0He\u2019s been looking at it for decades.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most people claim, too, that no documents have ever been found in the actual ruined structures at Qumran. \u00a0But, again, Professor Charlesworth said that Bedouins in the area have claimed (to him) to have found fragments there that they still possess. \u00a0Somewhere. \u00a0And maybe they\u2019re tell the truth. \u00a0Maybe not.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dan Bahat said in the final panel discussion that, in his view, the best and most interesting archaeological discoveries in Israel are still to be made.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 In summary remarks at the end, Jim Charlesworth stressed how much we don\u2019t have from antiquity. \u00a0He says that the typical notion is that we now have about 70% of the documents from the Qumran caves. \u00a0On the contrary, he thinks that we possess about 3%. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re working in the dungheaps of history,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>