I thought some of our bible scholar peeps might be interested in this.
Biblical Arts Center, Dallas to exhibit 'Dead Sea Scrolls'
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A special preview of the unique exhibit was presented by Dr. William Noah on June 29 to the combined Sunday School classes of Lovers Lane UMC, Dallas.
Dr. Noah, a Dallas native who now lives near Nashville, Tennessee, will return to Dallas to again preview the exhibit, this time for pastors at the Biblical Arts Center, July 28 and 29 at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
"Our desire is to let the average church person know where the bible text comes from in a way that is as unbiased as possible," Dr. Noah said. He believes the best way to accomplish this goal is to put the works themselves on display.
Dr. Noah, a physician who has become a scholar of the development of the biblical text through the millennia, is also motivated by conviction that children need to know that access to the Bible was so important that people sacrificed their lives to read the text in English. He adds that the "forbidden book" part of the exhibit title derives from the reality that many did pay the ultimate price to ensure that the Bible could be read in the language of the common person.
Among the texts to be displayed are 5,000 year-old pictographic clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia, history's oldest form of writing; a 2,000 year-old scroll in the oldest known Hebrew script, and the earliest known written example of Elohim, the early Hebrew name for God.
Other rare items include biblical Dead Sea Scroll fragments, including excerpts from Genesis and Isaiah, regarded as the oldest biblical fragments in existence. An exceptionally rare copy of the letter to the Colossians in Coptic from the third century is one of the earliest New Testament manuscripts known. Many important 16th Century Bibles in English and a first edition King James Bible from 1611 are also part of the exhibit.
Partial proceeds from the exhibit benefit the West Dallas Community Center.
For more information, or to obtain a free church press kit, including posters and information about organizing group and individual visits, please visit Website: www.DeadSeaExhibit.com and select Church Reservations, or call 877-332-4253. Special church group rates are available for tickets purchased by August 14.
Sincerely,
District Overbeer