Bar-Kokhba, Qumran, Ein Gedi.  These words roll off the tongues of Dead Sea Scrolls heavy-weight professors Hanan and Esther Eshel.

Collectively they have over 50 years of experience studying the ancient scrolls, the archeology of them and their historical and cultural importance.

The scrolls, found in 11 caves along the northwest shoreline of the Dead Sea about 13 miles east of Jerusalem and 1,300 feet below sea level, date from the third century B.C.E. to the first century C.E. and are written on animal skins, papyrus, and copper.

The documents are thought to comprise the library of a Jewish sectarian group that lived in the area and are of particular importance to religious and scholarly communities because they include the oldest known copies of both the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) and non-biblical books on community living, wisdom literature, war conduct, hymns, and benedictions that shed light on how this early community lived.

Associate professor and former head of the department of land of Israel studies and archaelology, Dr. Hanan Eshel’s wealth of research has concentrated on excavation research where he tries to combine archeological finds with historical sources, as well as field work and library research.

Eshel as part of the international team formed in 1991 to publish the Dead Sea Scrolls was responsible for the publication of 13 of the scrolls found in Cave 4 of the Qumram. 

These scrolls covered a wide variety of subjects including hymns, a list of transgressions by members of the sect, biographies, and prayers.

On Sept. 9 and 10 at Trinity Western University, the pair will be guest lecturing, and transferring some of the knowledge they have acquired in their vast research with faculty and students.

The illustrated lecture is free, open to the public and takes place in the Northwest Auditorium Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at TWU’s Langley campus.