Welcome to the Academy for Christian Thought Seminar on the DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Learn the story of how the oldest Bible in the world was discovered in 1947.

The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) were not found in the Dead Sea. They have nothing to do with the sea, or the dead, let alone the Dead Sea or any sea which is dead.

What we commonly call the DSS are in fact only a part of stash, called the Scrolls at Qumran. The faith of the Jews at the time of Jesus was a varied collection of religious sects (including Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Sicarii, Essenes, The Way etc.) from which early Christianity arose. The DSS remind us of the Jewish roots of Jesus. This strips Christianity of successive layers of Eurocentric clothing. We need to understand the world and culture of Jesus as he appeared to humanity in all its complex social, economic, political and cultural contexts.

Jesus was born in Palestine around ~6 BC or the 747th year of the founding of Rome. If Jesus had come to us as a child born in Beijing in the year 1960, we would be studying Mandarin to read the Bible in its ‘original’ language and be conversant with the period of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as the backdrop to understanding the Gospels.

The Gospel writers consistently refer to the Old Testament texts to ratify their pronouncements and Jesus himself declared that the Old Testament prophets have been speaking of the Messiah, the Christ, who has now come! Neither confessional interpretations of Jesus’ crucifixion nor belief in his resurrection by God can be disproved by the DSS because the scrolls do not mention either Jesus or any of the apostles by name. However, they tell us a great deal about the world Jesus lived through.

The seminars will take place on four Saturdays, from 10.00am till noon, on June 8, 15, 22 and 29

This online version of this course may be taken from anywhere. If you have ever wondered about the oldest copy of the Bible's Old Testament, this seminar is for you, crafted for the busy lay person in plain English. No background in theology is necessary. Join us for this exciting learning opportunity alongside students from around the world.

Tutor: Dr Ron Choong, LLB, STM, PhD

New York: $199

Online via private YouTube access: $99