"The story that will be told inside the walls...is the story not only of a presidency but of a movement - a determined movement dedicated to the greatness of America and faith in its bedrock traditions; in the essential goodness of its people; in the essential soundness of its institutions; and yes, faith in out very essence as a nation."
"I have always wondered at this American marvel, the great energy of the human soul that drives people to better themselves and improve the fortunes of their families and communities."
"Are you better off than you were four years ago?"
We arrived soon after the library opened and the front desk recommended that we tour the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit first because crowds tend to get rather large later in the morning. Good advice!
About the first half of the tour was on Judaism, Jerusalem, and historical artifacts that have been discovered in the area. There were so many exhibits and so much information presented it was difficult trying to determine what should be included in this blog. Since there were excellent descriptions presented along with the exhibits; in most instances I have just quoted the presented information along with a few pictures of the artifacts.
"Symbols of the Abrahamic Faiths where Judaism, Christianity and Islam Converged: Millions today live by religious concepts from biblical texts at the heart of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which have shaped Western culture. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam trace their roots to Abraham, worshipping the same God who revealed Himself to this patriarch. Hence, they're called 'Abrahamic' faiths..."
"A remarkable mosaic floor, unearthed near Jerusalem's Byzantine southwest gate, features a Greek Inscription quoting Psalms 118:6-7 (The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper, I look in triumph on my enemies.) The mosaic, with its biblical inscription and location on the path to Bethlehem, exemplifies how the Holy Land pilgrimage gained significance after Constantine legalized Christianity, transforming Israel into a focal point of Christian devotion."
"Where Islam and Christianity Converged: In Shivta, a Negev desert town, a small mosque adjoining a Byzantine church exemplifies religious coexistence during the transition from Byzantine to Islamic rule. The shared wall symbolizes this peaceful shift.
"The mosque features expert inscriptions by multiple calligraphers, including Nasr b. Mansur. These 13-line texts contain the basmala blessing, praises for Prophet Muhammad, and Qur'anic verses. One verse states, 'We make no division between any one of His messengers,' extending goodwill to the Christian community."
"In the 1st century CE, the Sea of Galilee was a bustling center of activity under Roman rule...This was the setting where Jesus of Nazareth lived and preached, with many of his disciples being fishermen. In 1986, a drought revealed an extraordinary discovery in the Sea of Galilee: the remains of an ancient fishing boat. Nicknamed the 'Jesus Boat,' this 1st-century vessel measures 8.2 meters (26.9 feet) long, 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) wide and 1.2 meters (3.9 feet)high...Though not directly linked to Jesus...it represents the typical fishing vessel of the era."
The below mosaic is a map of Jerusalem, which was part of a floor in the early Byzantine Church of Saint George at Madaba, Jordan.
A late 16th century German map depicted Jerusalem as the "Centre of the World" was a gift to President Reagan.
"The Magdala Stone...likely served as a piece of ceremonial furniture for Torah scrolls. Its intricate carvings feature detailed reliefs of the Jerusalem Temple, including what is believed to be the earliest known synagogue depiction of the Temple menorah. The level of detail suggests that the artisan who created it had firsthand knowledge of the Temple in Jerusalem, offering a fascinating link between this Galilean town and the religious center of Judaism."
"According to rabbinical writings, the pre-Herodian Temple had two gates. When Herod doubled the size of the Mount, he built two additional gates in the Southern Wall; to the east was the 'Triple Gate' and on the west, the 'Double Gate.' Tunnels led from them both to the interior and up the surface of the Temple Mount. These fragments come from the Double Gate passageway, although their exact location is uncertain."
The exhibit contained some unique ways to display various artifacts. When placed behind glass enclosures, views of artifacts are often distorted and it is difficult to take pictures without getting a glass-glare from the interior lighting. For this exhibit, along the walls in certain areas, the artifacts were placed behind the wall and just out of human reach. Then there were 6-8 inch slots cut in the wall, so the artifacts could be viewed unobstructed. There were painted backdrops behind the artifacts.
"In the bustling streets of ancient Jerusalem, people were just as prone to losing personal items as we are today. Excavations of Jerusalem's Stepped Street and drainage channel have unearthed a collection of lost personal items from two millennia ago. These findings include everyday objects like keys, coins, beads, and finger rings, offering glimpses into daily life in ancient Jerusalem."
"During the Second Temple period, shells in Jerusalem were more than mere ornaments. Prized for their luster, they were crafted into luxury items lie jewelry, inlays for boxes, and furniture decorations, catering to the city's elite.
"These shells tell a fascinating story of ancient trade and desire for exotic luxury items. While some came from nearby Mediterranean coasts, others traveled from as far as the Red Sea (242 km away) and the Nile region (380 km distant)."
"Literacy may have ben more widespread than previously thought. Evidence from informal inscriptions suggests basic reading and writing skills extended beyond the upper classes, indicating the written word connected people to their culture and religion."
"Woman with wax tablets and stylus (so-called 'Sappho')."
"The Stepped Street, also known as the Pilgrimage Road, was a remarkable feature of ancient Jerusalem. This path, leading to the Temple, was ingeniously designed with alternating wide stone steps - one narrow, one long. Such a layout likely served both practical and spiritual purposes. It regulated the flow of pilgrims during busy seasons while also creating a measured, meaningful approach to the sacred site. As travelers ascended these steps, they must have felt a growing sense of anticipation, the Temple gates drawing ever closer with each stride. This carefully crafted journey arguably heightened the overall spiritual experience, turning the approach itself into a significant part of the pilgrimage. What's truly astounding is how well-preserved mush of this stone pavement remains today, allowing modern visitors to literally walk in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims and connect with centuries of spiritual history." We were allowed to touch the stone step.
"For centuries, the second Temple served as Israel's religious and spiritual core. The second temple, like the First, was not a place of gathering or worship like a synagogue, church, or mosque' it is envisioned in the Bible as the dwelling place of God. Jews came on pilgrimages to witness sacrifices and offer gifts, but only priests were permitted to enter the Temple itself. Holiness radiated from the most sacred interior - the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest might enter - into the courtyards for the Jewish and then non-Jewish public.
"At least three times each year, as commanded in the Bible, Jews from across Judea, Galilee, and from the Diaspora would flood into the city. By the Herodian period, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims would come to Jerusalem, which had a population at this time of abut 60,000. These worshippers would trek up the Temple Mount to watch the magnificent sacrificial ceremonies and the priestly rites conduced there."
"On the fifteenth of the month the tables of the moneychangers were set up in the provinces and on the twenty-fifth they were set up in the Temple."
"The Tyrian shekel - minted in Tyre before 19BC and weighing around half an ounce - was the only coin accepted as Temple tax. Temple priests valued the high silver content of these pagan coins (about 94 percent), which remained the standard even after the Romans took over. Because the imagery of Melqarth-Herakles and the eagle on these coins was contrary to biblical teachings about graven images (Exodus 20:3-4), these shekels were exchanged by moneychangers outside the Temple for coins with approved priestly images. When 'Jesus went into the temple of God, and...overthrew the tables of the moneychangers' (Mathew 21:12), he likely attached those who exchanged other currencies for Tyrian coins."
Jerusalem is 3,412 feet above sea level with green rolling hills, which is a contrast to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found to the southeast near a desert site known as Khirget Qumran that is about 1,318 feet below sea level.
In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd boy named Muhammed Edh-Dibh was tending sheep when he made the first discovery. In his own words, he stated: "I was tending a flock of 55 in the wilderness. I came upon a cave with its entrance open at the top. Every time I threw a stone in, I would hear breaking pottery. In the cave I found pottery jars. I began to break the jars with my staff, thinking I would find treasure. In the first nine jars, I found little seeds of reddish color, and nothing else. When I broke the 10th jar, I found some rolled leather with scrawling on it. I kept the leather with me until I returned to our house. An uncle of mine asked to show it to a dealer in Bethlehem, so see if it might be of an value." To date, almost 15,000 scrolls and scroll fragments have been found.
"The identified texts fall into three general groups: (1) About 40% are copies of texts from Hebrew scriptures. (2) Approximately 30% are texts from the Second Temple period that ultimately were not canonized in the Hebrew Bible, such as the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, the Book of Tobit, the Wisdom of Sirach, Psalms 152-155, etc. (3) The remainder (roughly 30%) are sectarian manuscripts of previously unknown documents that shed light on the rules and beliefs of a particular sect or groups within greater Judaism, such as the Community Rule, the War Scroll, the Pesher on Habakkuk, and The Rule of the Blessing."
Fragments of the Scrolls on display were under heavy protective glass and special room lighting; so in addition to each fragment, there were photographs of the fragment with different lighting on each side of the display.
The Psalms scroll display stated: "The biblical book of Psalms makes up the greatest number of scrolls found in the Dead Sea Caves. Psalms is represented by 39 manuscripts...which have been dated to 150BCE through 68 CE. This manuscript preserves 26 portions of what were originally 36 consecutive columns of text, containing 15 different psalms... The fragments on display present the upper part of the scroll with the beginning of seven columns, as well as the lower part, with the bottom portion of four columns.
"Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, approximately 18 copies of Exodus have been discovered, with the book frequently quoted in other nonbiblical scrolls. 4Q22, containing portions of Exodus 6:25-37:16, stand out as one of the most extensive and significant biblical manuscripts from Cave 4. The displayed fragment includes the famous story of Manna provided by God to the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings, as well as the people's complaint about lack of water, leading to Moses striking a rock."
"This scroll belongs to a group of texts classified as Wisdom literature, sharing themes and content with the biblical book of Proverbs. Wisdom literature generally provides practical life advice and teachings about God's nature and virtues. In this particular scroll, the author addresses his audience as 'sons,' urging them to pursue wisdom and remember the miraculous events of the Exodus from Egypt. The text personifies Wisdom as a female figure, much like in Proverbs. This Wisdom is portrayed as originating from God, actively sought by humans, and capable of bestowing a good life upon those who possess her. The scroll emphasizes that to attain wisdom, one must devote oneself to God, presenting this pursuit as the key to happiness. Scholars have noted influences from Isaiah 40 and Psalms 105 in the text's composition. This Scroll, therefore, not only offers guidance for righteous living, but also connects its teachings to broader biblical traditions and narratives."
"The Book of Tobit, known from the Greek Codex Sinaiticus, was originally written in a Semitic language, either Hebrew or Aramaic. Five copies were found in Qumran Cave 4, with four in Aramaic and one in Hebrew.
"Set in the Assyrian Empire (8th-7th centuries BCE), it narrates the adventures of Tobiah, a pious Jewish exile in Mesopotamia. Tobiah's devotion to charity and proper burial of the dead attracts the attention of the angel Raphael, who disguises himself as a human to assist Tobiah.
"Raphael aids Tobiah by banishing a demon troubling his cousin Sarah, who had killer her previous husbands on their wedding nights. This allows Tobiah and Sarah to marry safely. Raphael further helps by curling Tobiah's father of blindness. Scholars debate whether the Aramaic or Hebrew version is the original text."
"This is the only copy of this text, which seemingly describes a battle between different groups - perhaps even the clash between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. According to the existing text, those who stayed true to the way of God walked away from these battles. Some scholars have suggested that this describes the move of the community to the desert region and Qumran. Interestingly, when the name of God appears, whether through the sue of the tetragrammaton (as in the smaller fragment) or the word El (the more general term for God), the Paleo-Hebrew script is used. This script, common in the First Temple Period, was still known in the Second Temple Period, although it was reserved for use in specific cases, such as the name of God, as in this scroll."
"Thirteen copies of this text have been discovered, the most complete originating in Cave 1 and including almost the entire composition. The 'Community Rule,' also known as the 'Manual of Discipline,' contains principles regarding religion, justice and conduct of the members, including rules for entry, views on predestination, community organization, and daily life details. The text refers to the community as Yahad (Hebrew for 'together' or 'community'). Two versions existed: longer and shorter. Many features in Josephus' description of the Essenes fit the group portrayed in the Community Rule, notable a three-year initiation process. However, other features do not match. Some scholars see these discrepancies as different perspectives on the same group, while others interpret it as belonging to an Essence subgroup or a separate movement. Some claim no connection between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essences. The fragments of 4Q260 preserve five columns of text from the original scroll. The scribe attempted to justify line endings, sometimes compressing words to achieve this."
"The Book of Samuel, encompassing First and Second Samuel, chronicles Israel's history from the prophet Samuel through King David's later reign. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, four copies were found, with three from Cave 4. The displayed fragments come from one of the largest biblical scrolls discovered. Copied in the mid-1st century BCE, this text (4Q51) contains numerous variants absent from the Masoretic Bible, including words, phrases, and entire sentences. It closely resembles the Septuagint - the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.
"1 Samuel 17 in this scroll is particularly significant, featuring several verses not found in other known biblical manuscripts. This discovery is considered one of the most dramatic among the biblical scrolls."
"The Book of Daniel is quite common in the Qumran Library, although this manuscript, which was inspired by the biblical text, is only represented by the single fragment before you. Two columns of the text have survived, the second one is complete. It is clear that the scroll contained, as can be seen by the stitches at the edge of the fragment, which signify its attachment to an additional leather sheet. The scroll presents an apocalyptic text about the end of time. The text calls someone 'son of God' and 'son of the Most High.' This person is heavily debated, especially as these titles are reserved for Jesus in the New Testament (Luke 1:32, 35). This seems to concern some sort of heavenly Messiah. This text illustrates that the idea of the Messiah as the Son of God is rooted in Jewish tradition of the Second Temple Period and that the early Christians used this Jewish tradition when speaking of Jesus."
The Ten Commandments exhibit was housed in a separate room with a multi-media presentation. As part of the exhibit, there were three different presentations at three different locations; so all three are included below.
"The Ten Commandments Scroll is one of the most outstanding manuscripts found in the caves of Qumran. The current display presents a reproduction of what the scroll would have looked like 2000 years ago, at the time of its writing. The scroll was written on leather sheets, made from animal skin. DNA testing on some scrolls has shown that these skins were primarily sheep, although goat and cow skin were also used. The ink was made from carbon and tree resin, forming the black ink used to write the scrolls. Microscopic analysis has shown that in some cases, the resin was gum arabic, extracted from acacia trees. Today, the scroll has weathered the tests of time, with the leather darkening and cracking along the left margin."
"The Ten Commandments Scroll, found in Cave 4 at Qumran, is composed of two sheets of leather that bear the text from Deuteronomy that includes the decalogue (i.e., the Ten Commandments). This is not a typical Biblical scroll, as it seems to only have contained excerpts of the Book of Deuteronomy. Of special interest is the presentation of the commandments. Although the text generally follows Deuteronomy, several differences are notable, such as the reasoning for the observance of the Sabbath. In Deuteronomy, the reason is the exodus of the tribes of Israel from Egypt, and their freedom from slavery. Here an additional reason, as told in the Book of Exodus relating to the creation narrative, where God rested on the seventh day. Scholars suggest that the unique aspects of this scroll indicate that it was likely used for liturgical purposes."
"Of all the laws presented in the Hebrew Bible, the most famous are the Ten Commandments. These have influenced Judaism and Christianity for centuries and comprise the most famous religious and ethical rules in the world.
"According to Exodus and Deuteronomy, the God of Israel speaks to the Israelites, immediately after His appearance on Mount Sinai, in a set of remarks known as the "ten words," or the Decalogue. God inscribes these words, also called the Ten Commandments, upon stone tablets. The text is understood to be Israel's basic constitution. The 'words' are essentially categorical imperatives - of universal validity, timeless and independent of circumstances.
"According to Jewish tradition, God gave the Jewish people not just 10, but 613 mitzvot (commandments), all equally sacred and binding. The Ten Commandments are generally viewed as ideological foundations for the rest. For Christians, the Ten Commandments provide both religious and ethical guidelines. The New Testament does not contain the full Decalogue, but individual precepts are cited throughout. The Decalogue foreshadows Jesus 'double love' commandment, which requires love of God and love of one's neighbor.
"The Qur'an includes equivalents of most of the Commandments, and appears to refer to the Decalogue as a whole: 'And We ordained laws for him [Musa, or Moses] in the tablets in all matters, both commanding and explaining all things [and said], 'Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts'...' (sura 7, verse 145)."
There was a large stone by the exit and a station where visitors could write prayers and place them on the stone before leaving. "The massive stone, once part of the Temple Mount's majestic enclosure, now lies as a silent testament to Jerusalem's fall. Hewn from hard limestone with marginal dress, it exemplifies Herod's grad 1st century BCE architecture. Such stones, some weighing 12 to 15 tons, once formed an awe-inspiring edifice.
"As Roman rule grew oppressive, with heavy taxes and control over the Temple's high priest, the Zealots emerged, yearning for political and religious liberty. Their revolt in 66 CE initially succeeded, but Rome's retaliation was swift and merciless. Over sixty thousand troops marched from the north, leaving destruction in their wake.
"In the scorching summer of 70 CE, Jerusalem's walls fell. The Romans razed the city, obliterating the Second Temple. Only its outer wall remained - until even that succumbed. This stone, likely thrown from the southwest corner during the brutal siege, embodies the cataclysmic end of an era, tangible remnant of the retaining wall that stood two millennia ago."
Before we left the Library, we took a quick tour through the "white house," passed by Nancy's dress collection, and walked through Air Force One.
