HONG KONG, October 23, 2014 — The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 has garnered many attention from both scholars and religious groups alike, shedding light into the historical study of Judaism and Israel. As part of the upcoming exhibition, Temple Scrolls, and Divine Messengers: Archaeology of the Land of Israel in Roman Times, this lecture featured Dr. Adolfo D. Roitman, the Head of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and Pnina Shor, the Head of Dead Sea Scrolls Projects at the Israel Antiquities Authority. Dr. Liu Yang, the General Manager of the Hong Kong Truth Book Room joined in moderating the discussion and Q&A session held at the City University of Hong Kong.

Starting off with the Judean Dessert in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered, Dr. Adolfo Roitman explained that before the unearthing of the Great Isaiah Scrolls and other manuscripts, most copies of the Hebrew Bible came from the Middle Ages. The Dead Sea Scrolls became the first physical evidence of the written Bible from the Second Temple Period. Dr. Roitman also went through other archaeological findings in Qumran, Israel that revealed the life and culture of the ancient Jews. Citing Israeli archaeologist, Ygael Yadin, Dr. Roitman conveyed the emotions and significance brought to the Israeli people upon the excavation of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

On the other hand, Pnina Shor looked into the more technical and practical side on how the Dead Sea Scrolls are preserved. Reviewing the findings of the Scrolls and its transportation, Shor revealed how the fragmentation of the Scrolls have made it difficult for even the best scholars to put together and publish it, in which pictures of the meticulous works done by the scholars were illustrated.

This lecture unravelled what is to come for the exhibition and provided a backstory for the origins and importance of one of the 20th century’s major archaeological findings.

Video: Watch the complete program (1 hr., 46 min.)