What is the Significance of Dead Sea Scrolls for Christianity?

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea in Israel. They consist of 972 scrolls, parchments, and fragments of manuscripts bearing religious texts from over 2,000 years ago. The ancient scrolls give us great insight into the language, religion, and culture of the Second Temple Period.

Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Tell Us About Jesus?

Christ lived during this era, but there is no mention of Jesus or Christianity in the scrolls.

Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Contradict the Bible?

The Dead Sea Scrolls do not contradict the Bible. In fact, they confirm that there was a rich religious life, including the Essenes, a Jewish sect believed to have written the scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls include fragments and whole sections of every book of the Old Testament (except the Book of Ester), but none of the New Testament. A large portion of the scrolls contains secular texts that paint a picture of life at that time.

Significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls to Christians

Although there is no mention of Jesus or early Christians in the scrolls, they do give us a better understanding of the world he lived in and why his messages had a great impact on his followers. For this reason, the Dead Sea Scrolls are significant for followers of Christ.