The Dead Sea Scrolls Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fragments of ancient writings discovered near the Dead Sea shortly after World War II

The phrase refers to thousands of fragments, representing roughly 800 documents, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran (near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea).

The story of their discovery and subsequent publication and interpretation reads like a Hollywood action film, full of danger, deception and (inevitably) conspiracy theories.

Answer: All of these types of writing

The phrase "Biblical texts" refers to those works contained in the Hebrew Bible (Christian "Old Testament"). All of the books of the Old Testament are represented in the Dead Sea Scroll collection except Esther.
The phrase "Apocryphal texts" or "Pseudepigraphical texts" refers to those works which are omitted from various canons of the Bible and included in others.
The phrase "Sectarian texts" refers to those scrolls related to a pietistic commune, including ordinances, biblical commentaries, apocalyptic visions, and liturgical works.

Also, there are scholars who believe there is a fourth category of scroll materials which is neither Biblical, apocryphal, nor sectarian. In their view, such scrolls should be designated simply as "contemporary Jewish writing".

Answer: Residents of Khirbet Qumran

The writings in the Dead Sea Scrolls are attributed to the residents of Khirbet Qumran, although there is some debate as to who they were. While the group producing the sectarian scrolls is believed by many to be the Essenes, there are other scholars who state that there is too little evidence to support the view that one sect produced all of the sectarian material.

This view is supported by the fact that a number of aspects of the Khirbet Qumran community do not fit well with the little that is known about the Essenes.

The Essenes were a separatist group, some of whom formed an ascetic monastic community and retreated to the wilderness of Judea. They shared material possessions and occupied themselves with disciplined study, worship, and work.

They practiced ritual immersion and ate their meals communally. One branch did not marry. Amongst other anomalies, the graveyard near Khirbet Qumran clearly includes women and children. Some scholars have proposed that it was a villa for a wealthy family, or even that it was a Jewish fort, and possibly at times a pottery factory.

It has been suggested that the residents of Khirbet Qumran became Christians, but not that they were already Christians at the time of writing the scrolls.

Answer: Between 150 BCE and 70CE

Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible were Masoretic texts dating to 9th century CE. The Biblical manuscripts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls push that date back to approximately 150 BC, based on evidence of writing script and word usage.

This is part of the reason for their perceived significance to scholars. A number of the references to contemporary society could not be dated after 70 CE, when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, ending the Jewish revolt that had started in 66 CE.

Answer: All of these

According to the information provided by the Library of Congress for a display of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 2002:
"The Dead Sea Scrolls include a range of contemporary documents that serve as a window on a turbulent and critical period in the history of Judaism. In addition to the three groups identified by Josephus (Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes), Judaism was further divided into numerous religious sects and political parties. With the destruction of the Temple and the commonwealth in 70 C.E., all that came to an end. Only the Judaism of the Pharisees--Rabbinic Judaism--survived. Reflected in Qumran literature is a Judaism in transition: moving from the religion of Israel as described in the Bible to the Judaism of the rabbis as expounded in the Mishnah (a third-century compilation of Jewish laws and customs which forms the basis of modern Jewish practice).
The Dead Sea Scrolls, which date back to the events described in the New Testament, have added to our understanding of the Jewish background of Christianity. Scholars have pointed to similarities between beliefs and practices outlined in the Qumran literature and those of early Christians. These parallels include comparable rituals of baptism, communal meals, and property. Most interesting is the parallel organizational structures: the sectarians divided themselves into twelve tribes led by twelve chiefs, similar to the structure of the early Church, with twelve apostles who, according to Jesus, would to sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Many scholars believe that both the literature of Qumran and the early Christian teachings stem from a common stream within Judaism and do not reflect a direct link between the Qumran community and the early Christians."

Answer: The CIA was concerned about providing information that would legitimize terrorist groups

You've got to love a good conspiracy theory! Almost surprisingly, the CIA (such a stalwart of conspiracy theories) is not mentioned in relation to the suggested Dead Sea Scrolls conspiracies. Most commonly featured is the Roman Catholic church, often more specifically the Dominicans who, in the persons of Roland de Vaux and J. T. Milik, initially controlled most of the scroll material and were in charge of all the early publications about them and all the early archaeology at Qumran. Israeli authorities, which have had nominal control of the scrolls since the 1967 Six-Day-War, are also featured in several cover-up allegations.

Answer: It is now clear that Old Testament scripture was extremely fluid until its canonization around 100 CE

The Qumran Biblical discoveries have prompted scholars to reconsider the once-accepted theories of the development of the modern Biblical text from only three manuscript families, those of the Masoretic text, the Hebrew original of the Septuagint, and the Samaritan Pentateuch.

It is now becoming increasingly clear that the Old Testament canon was not clearly defined until the end of the first century CE; before that, a number of texts were included by some groups but not by others.

Answer: There were three Messiahs

Christians understand the term Messiah to refer to a single person, Jesus Christ. The Dead Sea Scrolls have clear references to three separate Messiahs, each with a different role. One is a prophet, in the tradition of Jewish prophets. One is a priest of the House of Aaron. One is a warrior-king of the House of Israel/David.

Answer: A leader of the community responsible for formalizing the group's beliefs and practices

The "Teacher of Righteousness" was apparently a leader of the community responsible for formalizing the group's beliefs and practices; he was not the Messiah, but his activity meant that the messianic epoch could not be long delayed. He was opposed by the "Wicked Priest" - this is one of the main references dating the writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls before the destruction of the Second Temple, after which time there was no formal priesthood as described in the scrolls.

Answer: Alexander Jannaeus

Alexander Jannaeus became king and high priest of the Jews in 103 BCE, and held office until 76 BCE. He was notoriously a persecutor of certain pious groups in Judaea, particularly of those who considered either his high priesthood or his ritual procedure irregular.

Hillel the Elder is considered the greatest sage of the Second Temple period. Caiaphas was the high priest involved in the trial of Jesus, according to some parts of the New Testament. Moshe Dayan was Israeli Defense Minister during the Six-Day War of 1967.