04-21-2007, 08:04 AM
Ministry Says It Has Dead Sea Scrolls Fragment.
Alison Stanton
Special for The Republic
Apr. 20, 2007 06:55 PM
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westv...21-ON.html
For decades, the Dead Sea Scrolls have fascinated people around the world, stirring debate over their historical and biblical significance.
Now a small portion of one of the scrolls sits under tight security in the offices of Legacy Ministries International, a Sun City business dedicated to educating the public on the history of the Bible.
The organization recently acquired what its owners say is an authenticated fragment containing a portion of the text from the Old Testament's Deuteronomy 27:4-6. advertisement
Bruce Thurman, director of ministry partnerships, said Legacy Ministries International plans to exhibit the artifact, along with its collection of other biblical antiquities, in the Museum of the Book scheduled to open within the next three years in the Phoenix area.
The fragment was purchased through an antiquarian broker who had been asked to put out feelers for religious pieces that could be purchased for the planned museum. Money for the purchase came from the sale of a parcel of land the ministry owned near Lake Pleasant and donations from patrons.
"We are now one of two institutions in the United States that have a portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls," Thurman said, adding that the University of Chicago also owns a fragment.
"Ours is a biblical portion which makes it all the more rare," he said. "We are the only institution in the United States that has a biblical portion. The nation of Israel owns almost every portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Individual portions go for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and these are the size of quarters or half dollars. Our piece is about the size of a silver dollar and a half."
Anthony Naimo, executive director of Legacy Ministries International, 10451 W. Palmeras Drive, Suite 226, said the relic is insured for more than $900,000 and contains a historically significant marking.
"One of the exciting and rare features of this fragment is that is has what is referred to as the Tetragrammaton, which is the Hebrew character YHWH," he said. "This character represents the name of Jehovah God, a name so holy the scribes who copied the text couldn't even write it out or say it. They had to use this character to represent God's name."
Naimo said he is thrilled that his business now owns a portion of the scrolls, which he said are of "paramount importance" in the world of biblical antiquities.
"The last of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered half a century ago, yet they continue to fascinate the modern world," he said. "They serve as a powerful reminder that God preserves His Word, and our prayer is that God would use this tiny fragment to express huge truths as we tell the timeless story of the Scriptures."
Warm Christian Love
Bangalore
Alison Stanton
Special for The Republic
Apr. 20, 2007 06:55 PM
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westv...21-ON.html
For decades, the Dead Sea Scrolls have fascinated people around the world, stirring debate over their historical and biblical significance.
Now a small portion of one of the scrolls sits under tight security in the offices of Legacy Ministries International, a Sun City business dedicated to educating the public on the history of the Bible.
The organization recently acquired what its owners say is an authenticated fragment containing a portion of the text from the Old Testament's Deuteronomy 27:4-6. advertisement
Bruce Thurman, director of ministry partnerships, said Legacy Ministries International plans to exhibit the artifact, along with its collection of other biblical antiquities, in the Museum of the Book scheduled to open within the next three years in the Phoenix area.
The fragment was purchased through an antiquarian broker who had been asked to put out feelers for religious pieces that could be purchased for the planned museum. Money for the purchase came from the sale of a parcel of land the ministry owned near Lake Pleasant and donations from patrons.
"We are now one of two institutions in the United States that have a portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls," Thurman said, adding that the University of Chicago also owns a fragment.
"Ours is a biblical portion which makes it all the more rare," he said. "We are the only institution in the United States that has a biblical portion. The nation of Israel owns almost every portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Individual portions go for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and these are the size of quarters or half dollars. Our piece is about the size of a silver dollar and a half."
Anthony Naimo, executive director of Legacy Ministries International, 10451 W. Palmeras Drive, Suite 226, said the relic is insured for more than $900,000 and contains a historically significant marking.
"One of the exciting and rare features of this fragment is that is has what is referred to as the Tetragrammaton, which is the Hebrew character YHWH," he said. "This character represents the name of Jehovah God, a name so holy the scribes who copied the text couldn't even write it out or say it. They had to use this character to represent God's name."
Naimo said he is thrilled that his business now owns a portion of the scrolls, which he said are of "paramount importance" in the world of biblical antiquities.
"The last of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered half a century ago, yet they continue to fascinate the modern world," he said. "They serve as a powerful reminder that God preserves His Word, and our prayer is that God would use this tiny fragment to express huge truths as we tell the timeless story of the Scriptures."
Warm Christian Love
Bangalore