Copper
Scroll [3Q15]
List detailing a vast treasure of gold & silver buried
at various sites in Judea east of Jerusalem, inscribed on 3 copper
sheets that were originally connected but discovered as 2 separate rolls
at the back of Cave 3 at Qumran. Both the brittle material & unfamiliar
technical vocabulary delayed deciphering the text. The fact that it is
like no other text found at Qumran & appears to be incompatible with
the Essenes reputation for simplicity have made it the center of heated
scholarly disputes regarding the origins of the scrolls. So far
archaeological excavations have not located any of the treasure. Thus,
skeptics argue that it is a literary fiction. Others regard it as a
genuine historical record but debate whether the treasure was from the
Qumran sect or the Temple in Jerusalem.
Other resources
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Other important Dead Sea Scrolls
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