

After 24 centuries, Google puts the Dead Sea Scrolls online for the world to see - coderdude
http://googlefornonprofits.blogspot.com/2011/09/from-desert-to-web-bringing-dead-sea.html

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jorangreef
If you're looking for verses to explore for yourself, start at chapter 45
verse 1 on the scroll of Isaiah,
<http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah?id=45:1>

Here, Isaiah names Cyrus the Great, 150 years before his birth, and goes on to
describe how the Lord ("HaShem" on the scroll) would use him as a foreigner to
demolish the empire of Babylonia and restore the Jewish people out of exile
(<http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah?id=45:13>).

Josephus, the Jewish historian, in his Antiquities, records that the Jews in
Babylonian captivity showed Cyrus the prophecies of the Old Testament
Scriptures which contained his name and described his role in the scheme of
God. The historian says that it was this circumstance that motivated the ruler
to fulfill what was written, and to issue his edict permitting Israel's return
to her homeland
([http://books.google.co.za/books?id=kyaoIb6k2ccC&pg=PA359](http://books.google.co.za/books?id=kyaoIb6k2ccC&pg=PA359)).

Shortly after chapter 45, Isaiah writes in chapter 46:8, "Remember this and
stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things
of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like
me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet
done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my
purpose...'" (<http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah?id=46:10>)

Then from chapter 49 to chapter 53, Isaiah foretells the servant of the Lord,
Israel and its embodiment in the person of the Messiah, and his suffering and
rejection by his own people, how "he has borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he
was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are
healed" (<http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah?id=53:5>) and how "like a
lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers
is silent, so he opened not his mouth"
(<http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah?id=53:7>) and how "they made his
grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death"
(<http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah?id=53:9>).

It is often said that the words of the OT have a remarkable weightiness to
them. I recall reading that Ernest Hemingway at one time used to read the OT
to absorb this quality in his own writings.

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cema

      After 24 centuries, 
      Google puts the Dead Sea Scrolls online 
      for the world to see
    

Not 24 but 21 or 22.

Not Google but the Museum of Israel.

Other than that, the title is not too far off.

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JoeAltmaier
...and neither has been around for even 1 century? So "Fairly young
institution puts ancient artifact on display"

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RK
I am pretty ignorant of the Dead Sea Scrolls and related documents, but why is
the translation not into modern English?

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s00pcan
Well, it was interesting to use an actual scroll bar

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nhebb
© The Israel Museum.

I was talking to a Catholic priest years ago, and he told me that the Dead Sea
Scrolls had more historical significance than religious significance. (I don't
know if that was the church's position or just his.) Given that, and the fact
that I'm even not religious, I don't know why the copyright bothers me so
much, but it does. Placing a copyright on the images of religious documents
strikes me as a contradiction in purposes. Imagine if God had inscribed the
Ten Commandments with "©For All Eternity, God. All Rights Reserved."

~~~
rmc
Most universities do things like this. Modern Universities don't really get
the whole 'sharing knowledge' thing (cf. the posts about academic publishers).
I wish they had used creative commons or something for them, but instead it's
"All rights reserved".

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rjd
Wait, wait,wait ... I read these online years ago... whats so special this
time? just because Google is involved?

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romnempire
publically available scans are infinitely more useful than publically
available text translations for purposes of research, as well as for coolness.

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jarin
Haha, the post title implies that Google has been working on this for 24
centuries.

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nostrademons
We invented time travel a few months ago and used it to undertake some really
ambitious projects, like inventing time travel.

~~~
nitrogen
I _definitely_ want to be on that team. Though I'd settle for more information
on Android@Home.

~~~
shithead
Also good for fixing timely releases of source code ... the Amazon guys are
sticking the public with an old version fork ...

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oskee80
When text spans multiple columns, the translation renders off the page:
<http://i.imgur.com/c7xWZ.jpg>

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billmcneale
Didn't realize Google had been around for such a long time.

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smallhands
i wish google translation work on those text

