Why Are the Dead Sea Scrolls Important?

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain text which is identical to Hebrew manuscripts that are about 1000 years older then the previous oldest known manuscripts. The scrolls validate much of what scholars have translated in other versions of the Bible (Masoretic text and the Septuagint). They are a testament to the way God has preserved His Word throughout the centuries. The scrolls are important because they provide details about the culture and history of first-century Israel as well as information about the beliefs and rules of a specific Jewish sect.

Skeptics question the reliability of the Bible because they believe that since the text has been copied and recopied over the centuries, it is impossible to know with certainty what the biblical authors originally wrote or meant. However, only small spelling and grammatical differences that have been found in the text whether intact or on fragments is the same as in the books in the Bible. Thus the scrolls are important because they provide solid evidence that the Hebrew scriptures have remained unchanged since at least 250 BC.