Dr. Gary Gromacki
Associate Professor of Bible and Homiletics
Baptist Bible Seminary
Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
ggromacki@bbc.edu
Mohammed edh-Dhib found seven scrolls in Qumran Cave 1 sometime between November 1946 and February 1947. The exact date is not known. The following DSS were discovered in jars in cave 1: (1) the complete Isaiah scroll (1QIsa a), (2) the incomplete Isaiah scroll (1QIsa b), (3) the Genesis Apocryphon (1QapGen), (4) the commentary on Habakkuk (1QpHab), (5) the Rule of the Community (1QS), (6) the Thanksgiving Hymns (1QH), and (7) the War Scroll (1QM). In August of 1948 George Ishaya returned to cave 1 and recovered fragments of Daniel, the Prayer Scroll, and others which he turned over to the Syrian monastery. On January 24, 1949 after many unsuccessful efforts made by others to discover Cave 1, Captain Philippe Lippens hired members of the elite Arab Legion and they discover its location. From February 15-March 5, 1949 G. Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux excavated Cave 1. Fragments of 70 scrolls and pottery shards from 50 jars were recovered.
The picture above shows the limestone cliffs north of Qumran. In a strip of 8 kilometers long, 230 loci were explored (natural caves, crevices, etc.) by de Vaux and his team. Only 40 loci showed signs of habitation and only 26 contained pottery similar to that found in cave 1Q and the Community Center of Qumran. Scrolls were found in five of the natural caves: 1Q, 2Q, 3Q, 6Q, and 11Q. None of the caves were used for regular habitation by the members of the Qumran community. they are too narrow, ill-ventilated, ill-lit and lack leveled floors. They are also situated beyond the Sabbath limit, which is the area within a radius of 500 meters around the Community Center. The caves were used for storage of the Dead Sea Scrolls, hiding of the scrolls in times of emergency, and perhaps temporary residence. (Magen Broshi, "Qumran: Archaeology" in Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by Lawrence Schiffman and James VanderKam. Vol.2. [New York: Oxford University Press, 2000], 734).
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LINKS TO OTHER DSS WEB PAGES BY DR. GARY GROMACKI
Doctrine of God Doctrine of the Bible Doctrine of Man and Sin
Doctrine of Salvation Doctrine of the Community Doctrine of the Messiah
Doctrine of Eschatology Archaeology of Qumran Bibliography of the DSS
Web Sites on the DSS DSS Table of Contents