The Dead Sea Scrolls in Recent Scholarship: May 17-20, 2020

NYU has made available full recordings from the Dead Sea Scrolls in Recent Scholarship: A Public Conference, which took place virtually on May 17-20, 2020.

 

DAY 1: Sunday, May 17

Plenary Session

Chair and Opening Remarks – Alex Jassen, New York University

Welcome- Emily Master, Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority & Joe Uziel, Curator and Head of the Dead Sea Scrolls Unit

Contributions of the Israel Antiquities Authority to the Preservation and Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls – Pnina Shor, Israel Antiquities Authority

Where are We in the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls? – Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University

Canon and Authority

Chair: Eileen Schuller, McMaster University

Before the Canon – The Role of Extra-biblical Literature in Second Temple Judaism – Armin Lange, University of Vienna

Scribes as Authors in the Dead Sea Scrolls – Molly Zahn, University of Kansas

DAY 2: Monday, May 18

Archaeology, Realia and Science

Chair: Dennis Mizzi, University of Malta

New Archaeological Investigations of Qumran Cave 3Q – Marcello Fidanzio, Faculty of Theology, Lugano

Inkwells residues as a Pre-screening Tool for Characterizing DSS Ink – Ilit Cohen-Ofri, Israel Antiquities Authority

Trade and Manufacture at Qumran, with Special Attention to the Inscriptions – Sidnie White Crawford, University of Nebraska

Mimetic Performance in Ancient Judaism

Chair:  Alison Schofield, University of Denver

Mimetic and Literary Performance in Ancient Judaism – Hindy Najman, Oxford University

Mimetic and Scribal Performance in Ancient Judaism – Eibert Tigchelaar, KU Leuven

Interpreting Dead Sea Scrolls Texts

Chair: Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University

Jubilees and the Visions of Amram – James C. VanderKam, University of Notre Dame

Deciphering Fragments: Tefillin or an Amulet? – Ariel Feldman, Brite Divinity School

Reimagining Israel: The Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls and Judaism in the Hellenistic Period – Daniel Machiela, McMaster University

Digital Exploration of the Dead Sea Scrolls with Scripta Qumranica Electronica – Bronson Brown-deVost, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

DAY 3: Tuesday, May 19

Science, Technology and the Scrolls

Chair: Robert Cargill, University of Iowa

Researching the DSS with Imaging Technologies – Orit Rosengarten, Israel Antiquities Authority

Modern Forgeries: The Scientific Analysis of Dead Sea Scroll Fragments in the Museum of the Bible Collection – Colette Loll, Art Fraud Insights, LLC

The Hands that Wrote the Bible. Digital Palaeography of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Identifying and Dating Manuscripts – Mladen Popović and Maruf Dhali, University of Groningen

Ideology and Theology

Chair: Erik Larson, Florida International University

Virtue Signaling in the Dead Sea Scrolls – Charlotte Hempel, University of Birmingham

Metaphysics of Financial Relations in Qumran Wisdom – Jonathan Ben-Dov, Haifa University

Patterns of Prayer in the Dead Sea Scrolls – George Brooke, University of Manchester

Qumran and the Sect

Chair: Moshe Bernstein, Yeshiva University

Women in the Sectarian Texts from Qumran – Esther Chazon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Reconstructing the Life and Message of Jesus – Cecilia Wassén, Uppsala University

Why NOT the Essenes: How to Talk about the Dead Sea Sectarians – Maxine Grossman, University of Maryland

The Sectarian Movement and Qumran – John Collins, Yale University

DAY 4: Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Hebrew Bible and it Interpretation

Chair: Cana Werman, Ben-Gurion University

The Many Faces of the Bible in the Dead Sea Scrolls – Emanuel Tov, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

“2300 Evenings and Mornings” (Dan 8:13-14) Recalculated according to the Damascus Document – Michael Segal, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Perfect Marriage in the Genesis Apocryphon – Esther Eshel, Bar-Ilan University

Cave 11 and the Temple Scroll

Chair:  Joseph Angel, Yeshiva University

Treasures from a Small Box: Recently Discovered Fragments from Cave 11 – Oren Ableman, Israel Antiquities Authority

The Hydra-headed Mysteries of the Temple Scroll – Andrew D. Gross, Catholic University of America

The Utopian Temple Plan of the Temple Scroll – Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University

Law and Liturgy

Chair: Jonathan Ben-Dov, Haifa University

What Was Given on Mt. Sinai? – Cana Werman, Ben-Gurion University

The Early Study of Jewish Law in the Damascus Document – Alex Jassen, New York University

Close of Conference and Thanks

Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University &
Emily Master, Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Close of Conference

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Free Online Conference: The Dead Sea Scrolls in Recent Scholarship

The Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University (NYU) is hosting a free, four-day online conference, “The Dead Sea Scrolls in Recent Scholarship”, May 17-20, 2020.

Register for each day of the conference here.

DAY 1: Sunday, May 17 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR DAY 1

1:00-2:30 PM EDT: Plenary Session

Chair and Opening Remarks – Alex Jassen, New York University

Welcome– Emily Master, Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority &
Joe Uziel, Curator and Head of the Dead Sea Scrolls Unit

Contributions of the Israel Antiquities Authority to the Preservation and Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls – Pnina Shor, Israel Antiquities Authority

Where are We in the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls? – Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University

2:30-3:00 PM EDT: Break

3:30-5:00 PM EDT: Canon and Authority

Before the Canon – The Role of Extra-biblical Literature in Second Temple Judaism – Armin Lange, University of Vienna

The Canon and the Canonical Process: The Evidence of the Scrolls – Eugene Ulrich, University of Notre Dame

Scribes as Authors in the Dead Sea Scrolls – Molly Zahn, University of Kansas

 

DAY 2: Monday, May 18 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR DAY 2

9:00-11:00 AM EDT: Archaeology, Realia and Science

New Archaeological Investigations of Qumran Cave 3Q – Marcello Fidanzio, Faculty of Theology, Lugano

Inkwells residues as a Pre-screening Tool for Characterizing DSS Ink – Ilit Cohen-Ofri, Israel Antiquities Authority

Essenes at Masada – Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina

Trade and Manufacture at Qumran, with Special Attention to the Inscriptions – Sidnie White Crawford, University of Nebraska

11:00-11:30 AM EDT: BREAK

11:30 AM-12:30 PM EDT: Mimetic Performance in Ancient Judaism

Mimetic and Literary Performance in Ancient Judaism – Hindy Najman, Oxford University

Mimetic and Scribal Performance in Ancient Judaism – Eibert Tigchelaar, KU Leuven

12:30-1:00 PM EDT: BREAK

1:00-3:00 PM EDT: Interpreting Dead Sea Scrolls Texts

Jubilees and the Visions of Amram – James C. VanderKam, University of Notre Dame

Deciphering Fragments: Tefillin or an Amulet? – Ariel Feldman, Brite Divinity School

Reimagining Israel: The Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls and Judaism in the Hellenistic Period – Daniel Machiela, McMaster University

Digital Exploration of the Dead Sea Scrolls with Scripta Qumranica Electronica – Bronson Brown-deVost, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

 

DAY 3: Tuesday, May 19 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR DAY 3

9:00-10:30 AM EDT: Science, Technology and the Scrolls

Researching the DSS with Imaging Technologies – Orit Rosengarten, Israel Antiquities Authority

Modern Forgeries: The Scientific Analysis of Dead Sea Scroll Fragments in the Museum of the Bible Collection – Colette Loll, Art Fraud Insights, LLC

The Hands that Wrote the Bible. Digital Palaeography of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Identifying and Dating Manuscripts – Mladen Popović and Maruf Dhali, University of Groningen

10:30-11:00AM EDT: BREAK

11:00 AM-12:30 PM EDT: Ideology and Theology

Virtue Signaling in the Dead Sea Scrolls – Charlotte Hempel, University of Birmingham

Metaphysics of Financial Relations in Qumran Wisdom – Jonathan Ben-Dov, Haifa University

Patterns of Prayer in the Dead Sea Scrolls – George Brooke, University of Manchester

12:30-1:00 PM EDT: BREAK

1:00-3:00 PM EDT: Qumran and the Sect

Women in the Sectarian Texts from Qumran – Esther Chazon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Reconstructing the Life and Message of Jesus – Cecilia Wassén, Uppsala University

Why NOT the Essenes: How to Talk about the Dead Sea Sectarians – Maxine Grossman, University of Maryland

The Sectarian Movement and Qumran – John Collins, Yale University

 

DAY 4: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR DAY 4

9:00-11:00 AM EDT: Hebrew Bible and it Interpretation

The Many Faces of the Bible in the Dead Sea Scrolls – Emanuel Tov, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Reworked Pentateuch and Genesis Apocryphon: Close or Distant Relatives? – Moshe Bernstein, Yeshiva University

“2300 Evenings and Mornings” (Dan 8:13-14) Recalculated according to the Damascus Document – Michael Segal, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Perfect Marriage in the Genesis Apocryphon – Esther Eshel, Bar-Ilan University

11:00-11:30 AM EDT: BREAK

11:30 AM-1:00 PM EDT: Cave 11 and the Temple Scroll

Treasures from a Small Box: Recently Discovered Fragments from Cave 11 – Oren Ableman, Israel Antiquities Authority

The Hydra-headed Mysteries of the Temple Scroll – Andrew D. Gross, Catholic University of America

The Utopian Temple Plan of the Temple Scroll – Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University

1:00-1:30 PM EDT: BREAK

1:30-3:00 PM EDT: Law and Liturgy

What Was Given on Mt. Sinai? – Cana Werman, Ben-Gurion University

Law and Order in the Dead Sea Scrolls – Sarianna Metso, University of Toronto

The Early Study of Jewish Law in the Damascus Document – Alex Jassen, New York University

3:00-3:30 Close of Conference and Thanks

Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University &
Emily Master, Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority

70 Years of Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

On August 6, 2017, at the 17th World Congress of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, the first plenary session celebrated “70 Years of Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls”. The four papers look at various ways in which the Dead Sea Scrolls enhance our knowledge of early Jewish literature.

Chairperson: Esther Chazon

Devorah Dimant: The Dead sea Scrolls and the Jewish Apocryphal Literature

Emmanuel Tov: The Exegesis of the Bible Enriched by the Dead Sea Scrolls

Hindy Najman: Rethinking the Contours of the Biblical Corpus through the Lens of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Michael Segal: On Writing and Rewriting in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Sidnie White Crawford, “The History of Qumran and its Library: A New Synthesis”

Professor Sidnie White Crawford (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) summarises the latest scholarship on the Qumran library of 800-900 fragmentary manuscripts from the mid-third century BCE to the late first century CE, and the history of the sect responsible for the collection and its scribal/learned characteristics. Her public lecture was delivered on January 25, 2018, on the occasion of receiving a D.Theol honoris causa from the University of Uppsala.

Lawrence Schiffman – 2006 Stroum Lectures: The Religion of The Dead Sea Scrolls

Professor Lawrence Schiffman (University of Chicago) delivered the 1990 Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies at the University of Washington, “Creation, Revelation, and Redemption: The Religion of The Dead Sea Scrolls”.

Lecture 1: God, Humanity & The Universe in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Lecture 2: Scripture, Law & The Life of the Dead Sea Sect

Lecture 3: Apocalyptics, Messiahs, and the End of Days

Peter Flint on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament

The late African biblical scholar Dr. Peter Flint delivers a lecture introducing the Dead Sea Scrolls and their relevance for understanding the New Testament, on January 16, 2012 at El Shaddai Ministries, Tacoma, WA.

Daniel K. Falk on Prayer in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Professor Daniel K. Falk (University of Oregon) delivered the 2013 Peter Craigie Memorial Lecture, “Singing With Angels: Prayer in the Dead Sea Scrolls” at the University of Calgary on October 17, 2013.

Why did Jews begin to pray together daily? Prayer as regularized service of the community is one of the profound contributions of Judaism to western civilization, but the origins of Jewish liturgy remain obscure. The most important evidence is to be found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the earliest known collections of Jewish liturgical prayers. Falk explores the significance of these prayers for understanding the distinctive religious life of these particular sectarians, who joined the angels in worship of God and warfare against dark forces, and in their prayer sought to harmonize with God’s created order and rectify disorder. Falk also reflects on what these texts reveal of trends in early Jewish prayer and piety more broadly.

Audio of the lecture is available here, beginning at 20:00.

Emanuel Tov – The Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls

Professor Emanuel Tov delivered a guest lecture in Scott Chapel, Oklahoma Christian University, in April 2014. The topic was the biblical texts among the scrolls at Qumran.

There is also a heartwarming chat with Oklahoma Christian president John deSteiguer to talk about his childhood, career, and calling:

Christian Beginnings and The Dead Sea Scrolls (Hayward Lectures 2004)

A special edition of the 2004 Hayward Lecture series was held on the topic of “Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls”, at Acadia Divinity College. Articles developed from the lecture series were later published in John J. Collins and Craig A. Evans, eds, Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Baker Academic, 2006).

John J. Collins, “A Messiah before Jesus?”

Craig A. Evans, “Jesus, John, and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Assessing Typologies of Restoration”

Martin Abegg, “Paul and James on the Law in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls”

Peter Flint, “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Biblical Canon”

Glenn Wooden, “Guided by God: Divine Aid in Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament”

Barry Smith, “‘Spirit of Holiness’: An Eschatological Principle of Obedience”

Panel discussion