The Dead Sea Scrolls at 70

NYU this Thursday and Friday (Nov. 16–17, 2017) is hosting a two-day conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls. The keynote address will be given by Professor Lawrence Schiffman of NYU. Presentations range from conservation efforts to how the scrolls inform our current understanding of the Bible to angels and demons among the scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were found at Qumran and nearby caves in Israel. They have been instrumental in understanding the development of Judaism. They were penned between 200 BCE and 100 CE, but the community who produced it is still debated. For a long time, it was thought that the community as Qumran were Essenes, though lately Professor Schiffman has advocated a Sadducean origin. The three chief Jewish sects at the time were the Pharisees, who dominated the royal court, the Sadducees, and the Essenes.

See this link for a full list of presentations. This conference is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Center for Ancient Studies at 212.992.7978 or at ancient.studies [at] nyu [dot] edu.