# Dead sea rolls **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 20, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002 "2002-05-20T21:49:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zweistein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/54ee81/32.png) [@Zweistein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zweistein)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/1 "2002-05-20T21:49:14Z")
Have the dead sea rolls, found in the 40’s last century, been dated, read/decyphered and analysed ? What were the topics/thema’s of the rolls ? ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/2 "2002-05-20T21:52:31Z")
The Dead Sea Rolls turned out to be stale and inedible, even after they’d been generously slathered with the Dead Sea Butter. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/3 "2002-05-20T21:53:47Z")
Perhaps if you searched on dead sea _scrolls_ you would find mountains of answers to your questions. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/4 "2002-05-20T22:00:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > \*\*The Dead Sea Rolls turned out to be stale and inedible, even after they’d been generously slathered with the Dead Sea Butter. \*\* Actually, they were still very gnoshtic. ---
**Author:** ![Zweistein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/54ee81/32.png) [@Zweistein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zweistein)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/5 "2002-05-20T22:08:43Z")
Have the dead sea scrolls, found in the 40’s last century, been dated, read/decyphered and analysed ? What were the topics/thema’s of the scrolls ? ---
**Author:** ![Jojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@Jojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jojo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/6 "2002-05-20T23:51:29Z")
[This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=90845&highlight=qumran+scrolls), and the link therein gives some info. ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/7 "2002-05-21T00:01:26Z")
Cecil on [“How come we haven’t heard much about the Dead Sea Scrolls?”](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/941230.html) ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/8 "2002-05-21T10:47:15Z")
[Read them for yourself](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140278079/qid=1021977864/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-4138870-3502226) and find out. ---
**Author:** ![Dieter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dieter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dieter)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/9 "2002-05-21T10:58:00Z")
Dead sea rolls with a touch of Wasabi. Mmmmmm. Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/10 "2002-05-21T11:06:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yabob \* > \*\* > Actually, they were still very gnoshtic. \*\* They undoubtedly gave scholars a lot to chew on. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/11 "2002-05-21T11:09:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dieter \* > \*\*Dead sea rolls with a touch of Wasabi. Mmmmmm. Heaven. \*\* You can’t have them; you’re on a diet. ---
**Author:** ![Dieter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dieter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dieter)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/12 "2002-05-21T11:10:09Z")
I can too. Dead sea rolls are fat free. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/13 "2002-05-21T11:47:17Z")
Yes, but they are full of salt!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/14 "2002-05-21T12:03:19Z")
Were they leaven or unleaven? ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/15 "2002-05-21T13:44:58Z")
Dead Sea Rolls. That might explain the long-purged conundrum “Did Jesus Eat Pie?” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/16 "2002-05-21T14:27:34Z")
Did Jesus eat Phi? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/17 "2002-05-21T17:22:47Z")
It’s not nice to fool the Virgin Mother. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/18 "2002-05-22T11:46:30Z")
“Man does not live on bread alone.” No one knows about bread in groups. OK, seriously, you’ve already got some links to the Dead Sea scrolls. Quick overview: all of the books of the Old Testament (except for Esther, IIRC) were found, either all or in part, amongst the scrolls… and match very very closely to the versions that we treat as canonical, with only a word or phrase difference here or there. There were also a number of scrolls about life in a religious sect/community. Some of the scrolls contain material that is very similar to New Testament type of prophecy, but there is no specific match. The scrolls contain a wealth of information, both in terms of how they were written (Isaiah is on copper, for instance), on scribal differences between the Qumran version and our version of texts, and on life in a religious sect from around 100 BC - 70 AD. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/19 "2002-05-22T21:40:40Z")
> [@](#): > > all of the books of the Old Testament (except for Esther, IIRC) were found Does that include the Apocrypha? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002/20 "2002-05-22T22:51:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Does that include the Apocrypha? I’m not sure whether _all_ of the Apocrypha (both Catholic and Orthodox variations) are included, but some certainly are as well as many works considered apocryphal by Jews and all the Christians. I know that Tobit and Ecclesiasticus (ben Sirach) are there along with the Apocrypha of Moses. I’m not sure of others. [Inventory of Manuscripts from Caves 1 - 11](http://www.flash.net/~hoselton/deadsea/caves.htm) provides a list, (ordered by the cave where each was found), that you can wade through. I have not yet found a consolidated list ordered from book to cave. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-sea-rolls/110002.md?page=2)