Dead Sea Scrolls to be displayed as museum renovations completed

Published: 2004-06-01

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- The Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, will reopen June 7 following a yearlong renovation project. The renovation of the Shrine of the Book, which is part of the Israel Museum, cost $3 million and included repairs on the outside of the structure as well as a complete overhaul of the inside to bring it up-to-date with modern exhibition technology. Dating from the third century B.C. to the first century B.C., the scrolls are among the most ancient biblical manuscripts in the world and provide insight into ancient Jewish history and the historical context from which Christianity emerged. They were discovered in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea in 1947.

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