For much more on the Franklin Institute exhibition of Dead Sea Scrolls in Philadelphia, see here and links.
UPDATE: New Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts have come to the Franklin Institute exhibition.
Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at Franklin Institute gets updateThe "Pierced Messiah" text probably doesn't actually refer to a pierced Messiah.
By Jan Feigner
Journal Register News Service
Posted: 07/29/12 12:01 am
The second installation of 10 Dead Sea Scrolls in The Franklin Institute’s excellent, exhibition, “Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times,” which opened in May and continues through Oct. 14 at TFI’s Mandell Center, will be available for viewing by Friday, Aug. 3. The current show will not be closing for the upcoming installation according to Stefanie Santos, TFI’s Communications Manager, who stated that the new additions were placed after hours beginning Thursday.
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“Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times” originally displayed 10 scrolls from the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament, or Torah), including the oldest-known handwritten section of Genesis ever to visit the United States. Written mostly in Hebrew, but also Aramaic and Greek, and dated to around 50 Common Era (CE), the fragile pieces offer some of the Bible’s most memorable and inspirational words like these: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”
The second equally fascinating set entails passages from Isaiah, Deuteronomy and Psalms. It also showcases non-biblical writings such as the “Community Rule,” also known as the “Manual of Discipline,” a set of rules or the constitution by which the community conducted their lives, and the “War Rule,” a six-line fragment commonly referred to as the “Pierced Messiah” text that refers to a Messiah from the Branch of David, to a judgment, and to a killing.
Also related: Dead Sea Scrolls - Part 1: Paul Calvert spoke with archaeologist Stephen Pfann (Cross Rhythms).