| List of the manuscripts from Qumran Cave 3 | |
|---|---|
 A part of a replica of the Copper Scroll that was found in Qumran Cave 3. | |
| Material | Papyrus, Parchment, and Bronze |
| Writing | Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Nabataean |
| Created | Est. 408 BCE to 318 CE |
| Discovered | 1952 |
| Present location | Qumran |
The following is a list of the Dead Sea Scrolls from the cave 3 near Qumran.
Wadi Qumran Cave 3 was discovered on 14 March 1952 by the ASOR team. The cave initially yielded fragments of Jubilees and the Copper Scroll. [1]
Some resources for more complete information on the Dead Sea Scrolls are the book by Emanuel Tov, "Revised Lists of the Texts from the Judaean Desert" [2] for a complete list of all of the Dead Sea Scroll texts, as well as the online webpages for the Shrine of the Book [3] and the Leon Levy Collection, [4] both of which present photographs and images of the scrolls and fragments themselves for closer study. Information is not always comprehensive, as content for many scrolls has not yet been fully published.
| Fragment or scroll identifier | Fragment or scroll name | Alternative identifier | English Bible Association | Language | Date/script | Description | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qumran Cave 3 | |||||||
| 3QEzek | Ezekiel | 3Q1 | Ezekiel 16:31–33 | Hebrew | Herodian | [5] [6] | |
| 3QPs | Psalms | 3Q2 | Psalm 2:6–7 | Hebrew | [7] [8] | ||
| 3QLam | Lamentations | 3Q3 | Lamentations 1:10–12; 3:53–62 | Hebrew | [7] [9] | ||
| 3QpIsa | Pesher on Isaiah | 3Q4 | Isaiah 1:1 | Hebrew | Herodian | [7] [10] | |
| 3QJub | Jubilees | 3Q5 | Hebrew | Herodian | Jubilees 23:6–7, 12–13, 23 | [7] [11] | |
| 3QHymn | Unidentified Hymn | 3Q6 | Hebrew | Herodian | Hymn of Praise | [7] [12] | |
| 3QTJud(?) | Testament of Judah(?) | 3Q7 | Hebrew | Herodian | cf. 4Q484, 4Q538 | [7] [13] | |
| 3Q Text Mentioning Angel of Peace | 3Q8 | Hebrew | Herodian | Text about an Angel of Peace | [7] [14] | ||
| 3QSectarian text | 3Q9 | Hebrew | Herodian | Possible unidentified Sectarian text | [7] [15] | ||
| 3QUnc | Unidentified | 3Q10 3Q11 | Hebrew | Hellenistic-Roman | Unclassified fragments | [7] | |
| 3QUncA-B | Unclassified fragments | 3Q12 3Q13 | Aramaic | Hellenistic-Roman | Unclassified fragments | [16] | |
| 3QUncC | Unidentified | 3Q14 | Hebrew? | Hellenistic-Roman | 21 unclassified fragments | [17] [18] | |
| 3QCopScr | The Copper Scroll | 3Q15 | Hebrew | Roman | Copper plaque mentioning buried treasures | [17] [19] | |
The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period. They were discovered over a period of 10 years, between 1946 and 1956, at the Qumran Caves near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, the Dead Sea Scrolls are considered to be a keystone in the history of archaeology with great historical, religious, and linguistic significance because they include the oldest surviving manuscripts of entire books later included in the biblical canons, along with extra-biblical and deuterocanonical manuscripts that preserve evidence of the diversity of religious thought in late Second Temple Judaism. At the same time, they cast new light on the emergence of Christianity and of Rabbinic Judaism. Almost all of the 15,000 scrolls and scroll fragments are held in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, located in the city of Jerusalem. The Israeli government's custody of the Dead Sea Scrolls is disputed by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority on territorial, legal, and humanitarian grounds — they were mostly discovered following the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank and were acquired by Israel after Jordan lost the 1967 Arab–Israeli War — whilst Israel's claims are primarily based on historical and religious grounds, given their significance in Jewish history and in the heritage of Judaism.
Emanuel Tov, is a Dutch–Israeli biblical scholar and linguist, emeritus J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been intimately involved with the Dead Sea Scrolls for many decades, and from 1991, he was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project.
4Q108 is a fragment containing a portion of the Song of Songs (3:7–8) in Hebrew. Fragments from three such scrolls were found in Cave 4 at Qumran. These, and 6Q6 from Cave 6, estimated from 2nd century BCE, comprise the total witness to the Song from the Dead Sea Scrolls, known so far.
4Q107 is a fragment of the Song of Songs in Hebrew found in Cave 4 at Qumran in the Judean Desert in Israel and which comprises part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. From the palaeography (script) on the fragment it has been identified as being early-Herodian, i.e. c.30 BCE-30 CE. The scribe responsible for 4Q107 did not write 4Q108 as there are differences in writing style. Also, the lacuna in the second column of 4Q107 does not provide enough space to accommodate 4Q108.
4Q106 is one large and three small fragments from three columns of a scroll containing portions of the Song of Songs in Hebrew. It is one of three scrolls found in Cave 4 at Qumran that have been reconstructed as copies of the Song of Songs. These, and 6Q6 from Cave 6, comprise the total witness to the Song from the Dead Sea Scrolls, known so far.
Discoveries in the Judaean Desert (DJD) is the official 40-volume publication that serves as the editio princeps for the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is published by Oxford University Press.
6Q6 is a small portion of a scroll from Cave 6 at Qumran, containing Song of Songs 1:1-7 in Hebrew. Together with three scroll portions found in Cave 4, they comprise the total witness to the Song from the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is dated to about 50 CE.
The manuscript 4Q120 is a Septuagint manuscript (LXX) of the biblical Book of Leviticus written on papyrus, found at Qumran. The Rahlfs-No. is 802. Paleographically it dates from the first century BCE. Currently the manuscript is housed in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.