Ancient History Ramblings

Dead Sea Scrolls

A recent article on the Time website "Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed" details the claim by scholar Rachel Elior that the Essenes, who have loge been believed to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, never existed. Elior contends that the Jewish historian Josephus invented the Essenes as a way to prove to the Romans that there were exceptional Jews worthy of respect. Needless to say, this theory has drawn criticism from other scholars.

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Byzantine Monastery Found

Farmers near Jerusalem recently uncovered the site of a late fifth or early sixth century AD Byzantine monastery. The site which covers about four acres is located along the slope of a spur that descends toward Nahal Dolev. Archaeologists have been working on the site since November and has uncovered about 1/3 of the site.

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