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A case of Slander, Lies and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Archaeology News ^ | Wednesday, November 24, 2010 | Jewish Journal

Posted on 11/30/2010 8:59:07 PM PST by SunkenCiv

...Using sophisticated computer programs, Cargill built what he described as "a fully reconstructed, three-dimensional, real time, interactive model of Khirbet Qumran."

Taking the building's excavated remains as a blueprint, the model "visualized" that the structure was originally designed as a fortress, then abandoned, and later expanded and repurposed by a group... According to the model, the new inhabitants built an elaborate water system, as well as a scriptorium, where the scrolls were written. The building was destroyed in 70 C.E., or shortly thereafter, by the conquering Roman legions, a view now widely accepted...

In early 2007, Cargill was nearing completion of a virtual reality film on Qumran as his doctoral dissertation and as part of an upcoming Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Then something strange happened. Cargill and the San Diego museum began noticing a rash of posts on Internet blogs and message boards, under different names, all attacking the exhibit and Cargill's film for "misleading the public" by omitting Golb's alternate theory.

Over the next two years, the posts escalated in volume and harshness. "At UCLA, all my departmental faculty, the provost and chancellor started getting e-mails, as did potential employers at other universities, attacking my qualifications to receive a Ph.D.," Cargill said in a phone interview.

What all the posts had in common was a defense of Golb's thesis against the deliberate "errors" of those who argued otherwise.

...investigators found their man in Raphael Haim Golb, a 50-year-old Manhattan lawyer with a Harvard doctorate in comparative literature -- and the son of Norman Golb.

The younger Golb was arrested in March 2009 on charges of engaging "in a systematic scheme on the Internet ... in order to influence and affect debate on the Dead Sea Scrolls."

(Excerpt) Read more at archnews.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: deadseascrolls; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; israel
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To: eclecticEel; All

I think that one of the problems is that Golb used 80 false identities to defame and economically damage the other guy.


21 posted on 11/30/2010 11:48:13 PM PST by gleeaikin
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To: yarddog

>>Common era? what in the world does that mean?<<

It means “after Christ’s death”. I like to think of it as “AD”. :)


22 posted on 12/01/2010 12:01:55 AM PST by RobRoy (The US Today: Revelation 18:4)
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Comment #23 Removed by Moderator

To: SunkenCiv
Interesting. I will be seeing Professor Schiffman tomorrow evening. He has referred to some legal proceeding that he has been involved in, but I didn't really know what it was about before reading this.

ML/NJ

24 posted on 12/01/2010 6:00:17 AM PST by ml/nj
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To: yarddog
Common era? what in the world does that mean?

I'm afraid I don't get this controversy.

"Common era" refers to the commonly used calendar start point.

Christians are a minority of the world's total population. I think we should be proud the entire world uses the (approximate) date of Christ's birth as its "common era" regardless of what they call it. By doing so they implicitly recognize the overwhelming importance of this event in history.

AD stands for "anno domini," or "in the year of our Lord." It is not reasonable to expect those who do not recognize Christ as their Lord to use this term.

Nobody is stopping you from using AD if you choose.

25 posted on 12/01/2010 6:50:27 AM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: yarddog

BTW, you can read CE as “Christian Era” if it makes you feel better.


26 posted on 12/01/2010 6:52:41 AM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: yarddog
"Hateful because the only possible reason to use it is so you will not use Christ."

EXACTLY.

27 posted on 12/01/2010 7:28:00 AM PST by BenLurkin (This post is not a statement of fact. It is merely a personal opinion -- or humor -- or both)
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To: SunkenCiv
BCE - so simple a cave man could do it.


28 posted on 12/01/2010 4:24:57 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: Spirochete
Twist it back on the libs, and say CE="Christ Era", and BCE="Before Christ Era"

Very nice. I'll be doing that from now on!

29 posted on 12/01/2010 6:19:19 PM PST by DWar ("The ultimate destination of Political Correctness is totalitarianism.")
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To: gleeaikin
I am not sure what you mean gleeaikin by false identities?

30 posted on 12/02/2010 1:10:48 AM PST by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
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To: Steve Van Doorn; All

When I read the rest of the article, I believe that 80 different on-line identities were used to slander and make suspect Cargill’s thesis. Read is yourself and let me know if I misunderstood.


31 posted on 12/02/2010 10:22:39 AM PST by gleeaikin
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To: gleeaikin
You mean like an anonymous post such as “gleeaikin”

I am one of the very few people on the net that uses his real name. This is quite troublesome if people are being prosecuted for saying something incorrect using on-line identities.

32 posted on 12/02/2010 12:18:43 PM PST by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
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To: Steve Van Doorn; All

First of all how do you know this isn’t my real name? Secondly I am not using this or 79 other identities to hide behind a slander campaign against someone.


33 posted on 12/02/2010 1:27:00 PM PST by gleeaikin
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To: SunkenCiv

It is a fascinating subject.


34 posted on 12/02/2010 1:38:45 PM PST by MHGinTN (Some, believing they can't be deceived, it's nigh impossible to convince them when they're deceived.)
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To: gleeaikin
The article states "errors" not slander.

This is most troublesome if we are held accounted for errors we make on the net.

35 posted on 12/03/2010 1:23:40 PM PST by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
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To: gleeaikin

the title says slander the article says errors.


36 posted on 12/03/2010 1:25:37 PM PST by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
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