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To: Logophile
"An interesting point of view. But I wonder: Have the Dead Sea Scrolls caused anyone to have faith in God?"

Actually, yes they have....many have been lead to God after years of believing that the Holy Bible was written by mortals, subject to mortal errors.

After witnessing the exact same thing written thousands of years before, kept safe for centuries and only "found" by some mere shepherds at a time when there was knowledge and technology (though not enough to prevent some deterioration) to preserve, study and confirm their existence by nonbelievers, their authentication has been a revelation to many and led many to God/Christ.

7 posted on 08/08/2007 12:28:19 PM PDT by zerosix (Native Sunflower)
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To: zerosix
Actually, yes they have....many have been lead to God . . . their authentication has been a revelation to many and led many to God/Christ.

Well, that is good news. I asked the question because I hear and read relatively little about the Dead Sea Scrolls. I don't recall ever hearing anyone say that he or she was lead to Christ because of the DSS.

10 posted on 08/08/2007 12:40:40 PM PDT by Logophile
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To: zerosix; Logophile
believing that the Holy Bible was written by mortals, subject to mortal errors.

the exact same thing written thousands of years before

I am not sure if I am taking issue with you on this point. It may just be a matter of semantics. Here is my understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls study. It was in fact mortal men who wrote under the influence of revelation. There were mortal men who followed and in turn did make errors, substitutions, and omissions that have been demonstrated by this work on the Scrolls (the passage struck from the opening of the Book of Samuel for instance). It has also confirmed that as with the lost books of the Bible (those that are referenced and cited but not found within the current canon) that it is amazing that the scriptures have been preserved as well as they have from the original authorship. Of course, the scrolls themselves are much closer to New Testament writings than to Isaiah for instance by many hundred years. It is impossible to calculate what may have been lost or changed during that span, not to mention we have only a number of pages that deal with the beginning of creation to Israel's captivity in Egypt. That is a long time. Many would suggest that God did not care for us to have that knowledge, but I disagree. Their ambivalence to what is revealed or "found" and to its significance will forever remain unchanged. They are comfortable where they are at and as Jesus described trying to pour new doctrine into old wine skins, they stop their ears and their minds, because if it gets poured in...they burst. It will always be the case with those who say, "So far has God revealed, but no more." Sigh.

12 posted on 08/08/2007 12:58:53 PM PDT by DanielLongo (Don't tread on me)
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