As you stand among the 2,000 year-old ruins of Qumran, overlooking the Dead Sea you’ll gain deeper appreciation for the Dead Sea Scrolls – the oldest  Hebrew Bible ever found – discovered right here on the edge of the Judean Wilderness in 1947. The archaeological remnants and the fascinating displays at the Qumran National Park visitor center recall the lifestyle of the Essenes, who left Jerusalem seeking spiritual purity. The message of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Christians is manifold. For example, they were part of a widespread movement also spearheaded by John the Baptist. Their writers lived similarly to early believers, who “had everything in common” (Acts 2:44). Their scriptural commentaries echo the way the Gospels interpreted the events of the day with prophetic references, and they had a special focus on ritual immersion, which would eventually develop into baptism.

You can behold the scrolls themselves at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book. Its landmark dome gleams white against the adjacent black wall, recalling the group’s belief in the battle of good against evil. Fountains play on the dome, recalling water baptism, and its shape evokes the cover of the jars that held the scrolls, which you’ll see inside in the exhibit “A Day at Qumran.” And the precious Isaiah Scroll at the heart of the exhibit proclaims the scrolls’ prophetic significance.