Never Before Seen Dead Sea Scrolls Fragments On Display In SFBackground here.
Bits Of History On Loan From Israel Antiquities Authority
By Kris Sanchez, NBC11 News Anchor/Reporter
POSTED: 2:40 pm PDT June 9, 2008
UPDATED: 3:05 pm PDT June 9, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif -- When you hear the word Israel it's hard not to automatically think of the headlines of political conflict that come with every passing day. Yet you can visit a small collection of pottery, glass, gold and parchment on display in San Francisco and be transported 5,000 years in time.
"The Dead Sea Scrolls and 5,000 Years of Treasures" is an exhibit featuring items on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority. Curator Renee Dreyfus told NBC11, "Although it is a small exhibition, it's got under 50 items, each one tells a unique story about this land."
5 Thousand Year Old Israel Treasure Comes To The Legion Of Honor
The Dead Sea Scrolls get top billing, but Dreyfus' favorite piece is a mosaic table made of glass found in a Byzantine villa. "It's just dazzling. Nothing like it has ever been found before. We are the first institution to show it. It hasn't even been on view in Israel yet. It's extraordinary, it's unique, it's one-of-a-kind," Dreyfus said.
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The fragments of Dead Sea Scroll, so fragile they're only lit up for viewing 15 seconds at a time, tell the story of the beginning of days. The fragments at the Legion of Honor now are on display for the first time every, anywhere. They are juxtaposed with fragments of the Book of Enoch, a text written at the same time, but which was not part of the Hebrew bible.
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It's nice to see the Enochic texts getting some exposure. They were at the San Diego exhibition as well.