Coral Travel & Tours, Ltd.

After considerable effort, modern technology has successfully deciphered a burnt parchment scroll unearthed in 1970 during an excavation of the ancient Ein Gedi synagogue. The synagogue which was first built in the 3rd Century AD, was completely consumed by fire in the 6th Century.

The scroll was scanned using state-of-the-art 3D scanner technology. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) sent the results to a University of Kentucky professor who developed imaging software that allowed the text to be digitally unrolled and deciphered. Scientists were excited to find one of the most ancient Torah scrolls known to man when the first 8 verses of Leviticus were revealed!

Apparently, this is the first time in any archaeological excavation that a Torah scroll has been discovered in a synagogue, much less inside a Holy Ark!

It’s incredible that after decades of mystery, the secrets hidden within this burnt Torah scroll – carbon-dated to the 6th Century AD and discovered inside the Holy Ark of the ancient synagogue at Ein Gedi – have been brought to light.

To date, this is the most ancient scroll from the five books of the Hebrew Bible to be found since the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Read Leviticus 1:1-8.

Today the Dead Sea scrolls are housed in the Israel National Museum’s Shrine of the Book complex in Jerusalem. Visitors to Israel can view the ancient manuscripts on display including the Great Isaiah Scroll during their custom Christian Israel tour.

See the Isaiah Scroll timeline – how it was prepared, what it was made of, how it was found and where it is displayed today.

Featured Image Photo Credit: IAA

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *