A worker of the IAA, Israel Antiquities Authority, points at a fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls in a laboratory in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010. Israel’s Antiquities Authority and Google announced Tuesday they are joining forces to bring the Dead Sea Scrolls online, allowing both scholars and the general public widespread access to the ancient manuscripts for the first time. …
By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter
February 16, 2012|10:36 am
The Dead Sea Scrolls have long been considered a source of great wonder and revelation for the faithful, and now an author is arguing in his new book that the Hubble telescope validates an ancient passage about the universe found in one of the scrolls.
The Hubble telescope, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, observes the universe with ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared instruments. The Hubble was launched into orbit around the Earth in 1990 and still remains in operation, often capturing intense images of stars, constellations and distant galaxies. In a recent article, The Business Insider listed 10 things Hubble has discovered that science was previously unaware of.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, on the other hand, which were found in caves on the shores of the Dead Sea between 1947 and 1956, represent 825 to 870 separate scrolls written mostly on animal skin. They are written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and are divided into two categories – biblical and non-biblical, and contain prophecies by Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel not found in the Bible.
Among the non-biblical writings are the order of commentaries on the Old Testament, paraphrases that expand on the Torah, rule books of the community, war conduct, thanksgiving psalms, hymnic compositions, benedictions, liturgical texts, and sapiential (wisdom) writings.
The Isaiah Scroll, which, unlike many of the other scrolls, was found mostly intact, and is 1,000 years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah. In fact, the scrolls, also referred to as the Qumran scrolls, are the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found.
According to author J. Paul Hutchins’s book, Hubble Reveals Creation by an Awe-Inspiring Power, which will be released at New York City’s BookExpo America this summer, the ancient prophet Isaiah recorded what appears to be a “divine invitation from God to mankind,” inviting people to explore divinely questions through the stars.