5 Things I Learned at the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE
By Jana Riess

A three-ton stone that fell from the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE.

OHIO---Get thee to the Cincinnati Museum Center! And do so in some haste, as the much-lauded Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit only has a few more weeks before it closes on April 14. It’s an exhibit as much about biblical history in general as it is about the DSS in particular, walking visitors through millennia of the Ancient Near East. Like last year’s excellent Pompeii exhibit, there’s a strong emphasis on the artifacts of everyday life—jars, seals, coins, and the like. As the exhibit’s subtitle suggests, this is a look at “life and faith in ancient times,” much of it providing the context for understanding the scrolls, which don’t come until near the end of the exhibit. [link]

1. This is a marvelous exhibit for adults and for older kids.
2. Monotheism was a great idea in theory, and not so prevalent in actual practice.
3. It’s really not a brilliant idea to use Scotch tape on ancient documents.
4. There is an unexpected emotional knockout from touching a piece of the Western Wall.
5. There is a strong Cincinnati connection to the Dead Sea Scrolls.