The Museum of the Bible's 'Dead Sea Scrolls' are all forgeries

essentialsaltes · Mar 14, 2020

On Friday, independent researchers funded by the Museum of the Bible announced that all 16 of the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments are modern forgeries that duped outside collectors, the museum’s founder, and some of the world’s leading biblical scholars. Officials unveiled the findings at an academic conference hosted by the museum.

Given their lax ethics on acquisition, it's not much of a surprise.

FireDragon76 · Mar 14, 2020

I'm really not surprised, considering the quality of conservative evangelical "scholarship" in general.

SkyWriting · Mar 14, 2020

essentialsaltes said:
On Friday, independent researchers funded by the Museum of the Bible announced that all 16 of the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments are modern forgeries that duped outside collectors, the museum’s founder, and some of the world’s leading biblical scholars. Officials unveiled the findings at an academic conference hosted by the museum. Given their lax ethics on acquisition, it's not much of a surprise.

I made pizza yesterday and found similar fragments in my oven!
Where can I send them to eager buyers?

GOD Shines Forth! · Mar 14, 2020

essentialsaltes said:
On Friday, independent researchers funded by the Museum of the Bible announced that all 16 of the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments are modern forgeries that duped outside collectors, the museum’s founder, and some of the world’s leading biblical scholars. Officials unveiled the findings at an academic conference hosted by the museum.

Given their lax ethics on acquisition, it's not much of a surprise.

On this theme of forgeries, Olson Welles made something of an art film on the subject, well worth watching IMO:

durangodawood · Mar 14, 2020

essentialsaltes said:
On Friday, independent researchers funded by the Museum of the Bible announced that all 16 of the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments are modern forgeries that duped outside collectors, the museum’s founder, and some of the world’s leading biblical scholars. Officials unveiled the findings at an academic conference hosted by the museum.

Given their lax ethics on acquisition, it's not much of a surprise.

Fake news.

essentialsaltes · Mar 14, 2020

News about fakes, anyway.

durangodawood · Mar 14, 2020

essentialsaltes said:
News about fakes, anyway.

Thats what I meant. Its against the rules here to call things "fake news, I think.

Der Alte · Mar 14, 2020

FireDragon76 said:
I'm really not surprised, considering the quality of conservative evangelical "scholarship" in general.

What does "evangelical 'scholarship'" have to do with artifacts held and supposedly vetted by Jewish scholars?

civilwarbuff · Mar 14, 2020

Please note that the story is not calling the Dead Sea Scrolls a fake just the fragments in the possession of the Museum of the Bible.....sorta like someone having a Picasso that is later determined to be fake....just pointing out.....

essentialsaltes · Mar 14, 2020

title edited for more clarity.

civilwarbuff · Mar 14, 2020

Der Alter said:
What does "evangelical 'scholarship'" have to do with artifacts held and supposedly vetted by Jewish scholars?

Absolutely nothing....but it sounds good......

Aryeh Jay · Mar 14, 2020

FireDragon76 said:
I'm really not surprised, considering the quality of conservative evangelical "scholarship" in general.

Balderdash! I found the Ark Encounter to be the absolute pinnacle of Evangelical Scholarship.

SkyWriting · Mar 14, 2020

durangodawood said:
Fake news.

It took me a while, but I laughed very hard on that.

FireDragon76 · Mar 14, 2020

Der Alter said:
What does "evangelical 'scholarship'" have to do with artifacts held and supposedly vetted by Jewish scholars?

Just who are these supposed "Jewish scholars"?

The Bible museum is no doubt chock full of such fake scholarship.

mmksparbud · Mar 14, 2020

But what was at the museum, outside of the originals that are in the vaults, everyone knows are fakes, recreations of the originals to protect the originals, for the originals are too fragile, so they have the copies available. That's what I always thought from what they had said. I don't get it, what the museums shows have always been copies. Or is there something else I'm missing?

Der Alte · Mar 14, 2020

FireDragon76 said:
Just who are these supposed "Jewish scholars"?
The Bible museum is no doubt chock full of such fake scholarship.

The better question is what is "the quality of conservative evangelical 'scholarship'" that someone, in this thread, said was responsible for alleged forgeries that have always been under the control of the Israeli government since their discovery for something like 70+ years. Why would the government of Israel spend all the money they have on storing, preserving etc. forgeries? What purpose would that serve? Now if someone was trying to sell some forged Dead sea and Qumran scrolls I could understand.

essentialsaltes · Mar 14, 2020

mmksparbud said:
But what was at the museum, outside of the originals that are in the vaults, everyone knows are fakes, recreations of the originals to protect the originals, for the originals are too fragile, so they have the copies available. That's what I always thought from what they had said. I don't get it, what the museums shows have always been copies. Or is there something else I'm missing?

These were not displayed as reproductions, they were purported to be real.

Some coverage from 2018, when only some of them were revealed to be forgeries:

In 2017, when Museum of the Bible decided to exhibit the forged fragments, they did acknowledge the controversy surrounding the inclusion in the exhibit itself. Signage accompanying the fragments noted that testing was underway and that “scholars continue to debate the authenticity of this fragment.” Some (full disclosure: I was among them) felt that the scrolls should not have been exhibited if the museum could not account for the authenticity or origins of these fragments.

Though it is disappointing that it has taken nearly a year for scholarly warnings to be heeded, it is commendable that Museum of the Bible is doing the right thing now and removing the scrolls from their exhibit. They could have saved themselves some money and public embarrassment if they had listened to academics like Justnes over a year ago.

FireDragon76 · Mar 14, 2020

Der Alter said:
The better question is what is "the quality of conservative evangelical 'scholarship'" that someone, in this thread, said was responsible for alleged forgeries that have always been under the control of the Israeli government since their discovery for something like 70+ years.

The Qumran texts aren't the texts that the Bible museum has. The ones the museum has are fakes purporting to be ancient manuscripts.

Der Alte · Mar 14, 2020

FireDragon76 said:
The Qumran texts aren't the texts that the Bible museum has. The ones the museum has are fakes purporting to be ancient manuscripts.

Your evidence?

FireDragon76 · Mar 14, 2020

Der Alter said:
Your evidence?

The Museum of the Bible's own commissioned study concluded they were fake. It is a settle issue.

The Museum of the Bible's 'Dead Sea Scrolls' are all forgeries

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