The Dead Sea Scrolls 101 - The Discovery

Perhaps we should thank a wayward sheep for the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Behind any lost sheep is a shepherd diligently searching. After all, a good shepherd always goes after the lost sheep...or at least sends his younger cousin.

It was the Spring of 1947, when young Muhammed ed Di’b went in search of one of his sheep. The search took him through an area about a mile from the western shore of the Dead Sea. As he climbed around the steep cliff face, he noticed some caves. Instead of inspecting each one for his lamb, he picked up rocks and began tossing them in the cave. Instead of hearing a bleating lamb followed by the rustling of lamb feet, Muhammed heard a crash.

Though the details vary slightly, what is consistent is that curiousity and perhaps a little bit of fear came over the young shepherd. With the aid of his cousin, young Muhammed explored what would later be called "Cave I of Qumran". Here they discovered a collection of earthenware jars inside of the cave. Some of these jars were broken, at least one by Muhammed's pitching arm. Amidst broken fragments, the boys discovered rolls of leather bound in cloth. The young men gathered up some of these rolls and brought them back to their tribe.

The Bedouin elders inspected these rolls and found them to contain writings of some sort. For a time these scrolls served as interest and boasting rights, similar to a hunter's catch. Somewhere amidst the handling, the scroll was torn in half. This would later become the famous "Isaiah Scroll" of Qumran.

Eventually these scrolls were thought to have value and taken to be sold. The first dealer assessed them to be worthless and likely stolen from a temple. The scrolls moved through the marketplace, where another dealer offered to buy them. Another joined in the conversation and suggested that they take them to Khalil Eskander Shahin, a part-time antiques dealer. The dealer immediately noted their worth, but bought some of the scrolls for about $30.

In time the scrolls would be analyzed and their value discovered. Others would wonder if there were more. This would result in an all out search of the area for more caves, that perhaps might contain more scrolls. In fact, they would find 11 such caves.