Replies

“Second, These are not like other libraries that have been found, because these were buried for the purpose of being found in the later times. They have been preserved. Ironically, the mistakes you mention, are the opposite of why these were buried, at least IMO. Just as surely as you copy a document, you will make mistakes; and just as surely as the next person comes along and copies your mistakes, he will try to correct them; and just as surely as he tries to correct them, he will make new mistakes. The next person will come along and try to correct him, and before you know it, the document is a mass of corruption, whether deliberate or not. But no document can ever escape these basic distortions and corruptions, except if buried to come forth in its purity at a later time.”

Actually, you are not disagreeing with me as I am not the originator of the position that the Dead Sea Scrolls could be examples of corruptions.

I will be interested to see the evidence from those manuscripts themselves that they were placed there principally to preserve them (and I would not try to deny that some of them may have been in fact placed there to protect them). But in my reading, I have not come upon anything so conclusive in that regard. And not all genuine scholars of the Scrolls, evidently, are in agreement on that

What you have written in the paragraph I quoted above is on the human level, and true, as it does not take into account any Divine Superintendence of the process. What I believe are the promises of God to preserve His Words. The Scriptures that promise preservation of Scripture are even more numerous than those stating Divine Inspiration of Scripture.

I believe the reason of frequency in the preservation references to be that “Inspiration” would be a useless doctrine unless God PRESERVES that which He had Inspired. If a man quotes a verse that states that God gave the Bible by inspiration, it is useless in the scenario as you lay it out in your paragraph. BUT if God is Superintending the process, it is not merely on the human level.

I believe, however, that God had preserved His words through manuscripts that are in motion, open, being copied and being used on a continuing basis. I believe that this has been the case for both the Old and New Testaments. When Divine Superintendence is at work in the matter of Preservation (God promised to preserve), therefore, it is actually possible to find relatively late dated manuscripts that are accurate and correct earlier manuscripts that were corrupted. God is not bound by the “earlier-later” debate. God is not bound by time. But I do believe God’s promises to Preserve His Words.

The Scriptures from which “God Manifest in the Flesh,” (God the Son) Jesus Christ, read in the synagogues and Temple in Israel during His earthly ministry were (are) of much higher value than the Dead Sea Scrolls. That’s my position. And I also believe that there are Scriptures today of equal accuracy that were printed this week.

I don’t approach these subjects from a naturalistic or humanistic mind set. I believe that God still ACTIVELY PRESERVES His Words, and will continue to do so beyond the day that heaven and earth passes away. (Matthew 24:35; Psalm 12:6, 7; etc.).

Great response, and quite right, I have written on a human level. To me there is just too much going on to point to a ritual burial of errant writings. There are nearly 1000 manuscripts, every single book in the Old Testament, excluding the book of Esther. There are also many many books of the Apocrypha and the like. There is the temple scroll as well as the treasure scroll written on copper sheeting, showing the many locations of hidden temple treasures. To me it sounds like protection for the future, not mistakes of the past. But that’s my opinion. I don’t think there are many coincidences, I believe the Lord has all things in his hands for a reason.

Cheers.