Scrolls Around the World
TWU's Dead Sea Scrolls experts make their mark internationally
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Religious Studies, Dorothy Peters, Ph.D., spoke at the 2009 Unite in Worship conference at the Royal Ontario Museum. The projected text is a song, co-written by Peters and celebrated musician Brian Doerksen, drawn from Dead Sea Scrolls scripture.
From presenting at a prestigious exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, to witnessing the unveiling of rare facsimile editions of the Scrolls at the Museum of Biblical and Sacred Writings in California, TWU’s Dead Sea Scrolls experts are at the forefront of the research and activities surrounding what is thought to be the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century.
“There is an Indiana Jones or Da Vinci Code-like aura surrounding the Scrolls—ancient manuscripts, hidden in caves in antiquity and mostly kept secret until just 18 years ago,” says Martin Abegg, Ph.D., Ben Zion Wacholder Professor of Dead Sea Scrolls Studies at TWU.
Abegg and TWU Canada Research Chair in Dead Sea Scrolls Studies, Peter Flint, Ph.D., were established Dead Sea Scrolls scholars before they came to Trinity Western. Abegg and Flint, along with former TWU Professor of Biblical Studies Craig A. Evans, Ph.D., founded the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at Trinity Western in 1995. Their expertise in the field is sought at conferences, lectures, and events concerning the Scrolls. “We have had the good fortune to be included as partners in several important Dead Sea Scrolls projects,” Abegg says.
TWU Adjunct Assistant Professor in Religious Studies Dorothy Peters, Ph.D., who spoke at the Unite in Worship Conference at the ROM in November, says of her colleagues, “Their lectures are informative but also entertaining, which explains why they are in such high demand as speakers.”
Abegg concludes, “Fortunately, the excitement surrounding the Scrolls is not all hype. The Scrolls include the oldest known biblical manuscripts—over 1,000 years older than the manuscript used as the basis of all English translations. Thus they give us—for the first time—a contemporary window into the pre-history of two great world religions.”
by Elisabeth Fallon '08
Back to Top Table of Contents
Share This Story
Feature Stories
The Aesthetics of Attentiveness
Art professor Erica Grimm-Vance turns the horror of a heart attack into a beautiful body of work.
Photo-synthesis
At TWU, caring for creation is in our nature.
Lessons in Leadership
Okanagan Indian Band chief, Fabian Alexis ('85), overcame odds through education and encourages his band to follow in his footsteps.
