Masada and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Lecture 19)

Where is Masada and when does it date to?

southern end of the Dead Sea in Israel; built in 40 BC and inhabited until 73 CE

Who is most known for excavating at Masada?

Yigael Yadin in the 1960s

Who inhabited Masada?

at the end of the 1st Jewish Revolt, a group known as the Sicarii (aka the Dagger Men) led by Eleazar ben Ya'ir took refuge here

What happened at Masada?

According to Falvius Josephus, the Romans sieged Masada and the people committed suicide rather than be killed; 960 deaths

What structures were found at Masada?

built by King Herod; two palaces, one on the northern end with 3 levels and one on the western end; tanneries, workshops, what may be a synagogue, storage areas

Was there any decoration?

walled were covered in plaster and painted; floors inlaid with mosaics of Greek and Roman design

What artifacts were found?

coins, pottery, jewelry, belt buckles, door keys, arrowheads, spoons, etc

What scrolls were found at Masada?

fragments of scrolls, including scraps from the Book of Psalms and other non-biblical texts

What was relevant about the ostraca found at Masada?

ostraca (one that says ben Ya'ir); interpreted as evidence that lots were indeed drawn to determine who killed who

What contradicts Josephus' story?

According to Josephus, the Romans punched through the wall blocking the entrance, and set fire to the rest of the structure that the Masada people built. They then decided to leave and wait until the next morning to kill the people. However, according to Roman military strategy at the time, they would've taken the advantage and ended it right then rather than waiting. Therefore, what happened at Masada was most likely a massacre.

What does the story Josephus told most likely represent?

what happened to him at Jotapata

Why might Yadin have been wrong?

\-only 30 bodies were found and forensic analysis suggests they were Roman

\-bodies were in a jackal's nest and were dragged there by jackal

\-Yadin thought a group of three bodies was a family but ages were too close.

Where were the Dead Sea Scrolls found and when do they date to?

found near Qumran settlement (inhabited by the Essenes) in the cliffs on the western side of the Dead Sea; date between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century CE; buried ca. the 1st Jewish Revolt

Who found the Dead Sea Scrolls and who excavated them?

found by three Bedouin boys in 1947 and excavated by Eliezer Sukenik in the 1950s

What were the scrolls found in?

10 jars, one filled with seven rolled-up leather scrolls

What three scrolls were purchased by Sukenik?

\-one scroll was a copy of the Book of Isaiah

\-the War Scroll records that the ancient people were waiting for Armageddon

\-the Thanksgiving Scroll contains hymns and prayers of thanks

What happened to the other four scrolls?

other four scrolls had been sold until Yadin bought them for Israel

What did the other four scrolls contain?

\-one was another copy of the Book of Isaiah

\-Manual of Discipline (rules of the community)

\-Book of Habakkuk from the Hebrew Bible

\-Genesis Apocryphon: alternate version of the Book of Genesis

How many caves containing scrolls are there?

at least 11 caves in all

What was found in Cave 11?

the Temple Scroll; describes a Jewish temple, along with extensive detailed regulations about sacrifices and temple practices

What was found in Cave 3?

the Copper Scroll; cut into sections to unroll; revealed a treasure map for 64 different treasures; none were ever found; treasures might have been tithes that people couldn't send to Jerusalem during the 1st Jewish Revolt