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The '''Dead Sea scrolls''' include several of the oldest extant manuscripts of the [[Old Testament]], found in a remarkable modern discovery near the [[Dead Sea]] in [[Israel]]. This discovery proved the accuracy of the copying and preservation of [[Scriptures]] over thousands of years, because the ancient contents of these scrolls are virtually identical to the modern content today.  In addition, these scrolls are an important source of information about the [[Holy Land]] in the first century after [[Jesus Christ]]'s ministry on earth,

The '''Dead Sea scrolls''' include several of the oldest extant manuscripts of the [[Old Testament]], found in a remarkable modern discovery near the [[Dead Sea]] in [[Israel]]. This discovery proved the accuracy of the copying and preservation of [[Scriptures]] over thousands of years, because the ancient contents of these scrolls are virtually identical to the modern content today.  In addition, these scrolls are an important source of information about the [[Holy Land]] in the first century after [[Jesus Christ]]'s ministry on earth,

The first scrolls were discovered in 1947 by a [[Bedouin]] shepherd who uncovered seven scrolls in a [[cave]]. In the following decade, further searches yielded many thousands of scroll fragments, and there are currently over 900 such documents, discovered in eleven different caves.<ref>http://www.sdnhm.org/scrolls/history.html</ref> A nearby habitation, known as [[Qumran]], was also excavated in this time in an effort to identify the people who left the scrolls in the caves.

The first scrolls were discovered in 1947 by a [[Bedouin]] shepherd who uncovered seven scrolls in a [[cave]]. In the following decade, further searches yielded many thousands of scroll fragments, and there are currently over 900 such documents, discovered in eleven different caves.<ref>http://www.sdnhm.org/scrolls/history.html</ref> A nearby habitation, known as [[Qumran]], was also excavated in this time in an effort to identify the people who left the scrolls in the caves. "Ten to 13 percent of the Qumran library was written in [[Aramaic]]," a language brought to the region by [[Assyria]] and [[Babylonia]] beginning around the 700s B.C.<ref>https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/places/related-articles/aramaic-literature-in-the-dead-sea-scrolls</ref>

"Scholars have pointed to similarities between beliefs and practices outlined in the Qumran literature and those of early Christians."<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/juda.html JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS] Library of Congress Exhibitions.</ref> The Biblical Scrolls' contents focus the books from the [[Old Testament]]. The Scrolls are written in [[Hebrew]] and in [[Aramaic]] with a few texts in Greek. The use of Hebrew was a surprise to many scholars who felt that Hebrew had become a dead language by that time, and this discovery gave new evidence to a claim that the Gospels of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] were originally written in Hebrew and then quickly translated into Greek.<ref>http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2001/may2001p20_453.html</ref>

"Scholars have pointed to similarities between beliefs and practices outlined in the Qumran literature and those of early Christians."<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/juda.html JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS] Library of Congress Exhibitions.</ref> The Biblical Scrolls' contents focus the books from the [[Old Testament]]. The Scrolls are written in [[Hebrew]] and in [[Aramaic]] with a few texts in Greek. The use of Hebrew was a surprise to many scholars who felt that Hebrew had become a dead language by that time, and this discovery gave new evidence to a claim that the Gospels of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] were originally written in Hebrew and then quickly translated into Greek.<ref>http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2001/may2001p20_453.html</ref>