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Page 5
DEAD SEA SCROT I S
Relics offer new insight
into early Christianity
23 years ago we took a small step
S eeking the truth
can be muddled by
many factors. It is a
problem that plagues
the most important
archeological findings
of this century.
The Dead Sea
Scrolls are considered
by many in the academ
ic world as the most im
portant documents ever
discovered.
I found my research
into various documents
and historical finds fascinating and in
triguing because what they said did not
correlate with what the New Testament
had to say.
I have no intention to offend anyone,
but only to discuss what these documents
expose and show some of the similarities
in their findings.
The majority of the scrolls were dis
covered in various caves east of Jerusalem
near the shore of the Dead Sea in 1947.
Near the caves are the ruins of Khirbet
Qumran, where these scrolls were sup
posedly written. The scrolls were mainly
written in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic
languages.
In Michael Baigent and Richard
Leigh's "The Dead Sea Scrolls Decep
tion," they discussed the various prob
lems hindering the translation and release
of information from the scrolls.
Limited access
From the beginning, a small interna
tional team of scholars was established to
translate and interpret what the scrolls
said, creating antagonism among scholars
around the world who want access to the
documents.
In over 40 years, only 20 percent of the
scrolls have been published. The interna
tional team has been slow to publish and
release information about the documents.
Dr. Garland Cannon, a professor of
English and linguistics at Texas A&M,
said the difficulty of translation could re
sult in mistakes in interpretation.
"There are tremendous probabilities
of errors because of all of the archeology,
linguistic history, and other factors that
go so far back that very few people know
about," Cannon said. "Ultimately, they
(scholars) have axes to grind, a theory in
mind of how language develops."
Yet, on September 22, 1991, the Hunt
ington Library in California announced
that it would make all of its unpublished
photographs of the scrolls available to
any interested scholar. Of course, the in
ternational team was infuriated by the
act, saying it was "theft of scholarly
work."
Ironically, the majority of the team
that has or is still working on the scrolls
never did any any of the legwork. They
hired many Bedouins to excavate the
caves. Unfortunately, this resulted in
many of the scrolls being sold on the
black market, never to be revealed to
scholars.
New interpretations
With the access to copies of the scrolls.
Professor Robert Eisenman, the foremost
expert in biblical archaeology and schol
arship, and other scholars revealed differ
ent interpretations of the scrolls. "The
Dead Sea Scrolls Deception" exposes
many of these different interpretations
compared to the rigid orthodox interpre
tation by the international team.
The international team's understand
ing and interpretation of the scrolls can
summarized as follows: The documents
date prior to the Christian era; they are
the work of a single, reclusive, unortho
dox sect of Judaism; the community of
Qumran was destroyed around 70 A.D.;
the beliefs of the Qumran community
were totally different from Christianity;
and although John the Baptist was very
close to the teachings of the Qumran com
munity, he was not an actual Christian,
but a precursor.
IVtail
-
California dreamin
Hey Ags, can you believe it is less
than one month until our first football
game? It seems like only yesterday we
were standing pretty tall in the Cotton
Bowl against FSU. Although we ran out
of time against the 'noles, at least it wasn't
as bad as t.u. in the Cotton Bowl the pre
vious year.
Anyway, on Aug. 26 we will be play
ing the Cardinals of Stanford in the
Pigskin Classic in Anaheim, Calif. I'm
sure most of you remember what hap
pened the last time we played in Califor
nia. Just ask Ty Detmer and the rest of
B.Y.U. who thought we were not enough
competition for them. I hope a lot of you
are planning to go out and help support
our team and show those people in Cali
fornia what school spirit and tradition is.
As a native Californian, I can attest to the
fact that they don't have any spirit (kind
Yet "The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception"
refutes many of the international team's
views. One good example is the scrolls'
mention of a Messiah referred to as the
"Teacher of Righteousness," similar to
Christian doctrine.
Another example is the scrolls' ideas
and concepts, which are similar to those
of the "early Church." In Jesus' (peace be
upon him) famous Sermon on the Mount,
he says, "Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth." The scrolls also
mention this when they refer to the Qum
ran community as the "congregation of
the meek."
Yet the most controversial aspect of
the scrolls is the explanation of the apos
tle Paul.
They accuse Paul of creating the
whole aspect of a divine son of God; in
order to compete with the other idols and
gods of the period, Paul had to invent the
whole idea of the divinity of Jesus.
The Gnostic Gospels
This evidence of false godhood
brought me to my second source. Elaine
Pagels' award-winning translation of
"The Gnostic Gospels" also refutes the di
vinity of Jesus.
The Gnostic Gospels consist of 1,500-
year-old Coptic translations of more an
cient manuscripts. The gospels were
found in December of 1945 near the town
of Naj Hammadi in southern Egypt.
Gnosis is a belief in insight or an intu
itive process of knowing oneself. The
Gnostic sect is and was considered a
heretical group by many Christians. It is
not surprising because of what the Gnos
tics believe.
The Gnostic creed stresses that "self-
knowledge is knowledge of God; the self
and the divine are identical."
"The Gnostic Gospels" and "The Dead
Sea Scrolls Deception" led me to a third
source: "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," by
Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Hen
ry Lincoln. This book brought out aspects
about the life of Jesus that are shocking.
The blood of Christ
Over a century ago, documents were
found in southern France that reveal the
secret and supposedly true meaning of
the Holy Grail.
These parchments, in addition to sev
eral other sources, hint at the fact that Je
sus may have been married and fathered
several children. In addition, they suggest
Jesus's family sought refuge in southern
France and married into royalty, yet, for
some unknown reason, the Church tried
to eradicate the bloodline.
The authors conclude that the 'blood
of Jesus,' as stated in the New Testament,
means the actual bloodline of Jesus. This
conclusion is totally outrageous to many
people, but the writers bring up several
strong arguments to support their hy
pothesis.
For example, it would have been very
unusual for any man living during that
time not to have been married. Further
more, the New Testament states that Jesus
had the title of a high-ranking rabbi. It
could be applied in broad terms or be a
self-given title, but some argue that Jesus
underwent formal training. Judaic law at
that time explicitly stated that an unmar
ried man could not be a rabbi.
These are all interesting points. Some
may be considered true while others can
be thrown out the window.
Share the burden
However, the Dead Sea Scrolls and
the Gnostic Gospels must be studied care
fully. The burden cannot be allowed to
rest on the shoulders of just a few schol
ars. The responsibility rests on every
qualified scholar who can contribute to
the translation. Interpretation must be left
to the people who seek to know and un
derstand these historical finds.
Ben-Musa is a junior history and journal
ism major and a columnist for The Battalion.
Call
of like t.u.).
For those who can't make it, the spirit
will be strong wherever you are. This
will be the start of a great season of beat-
in' the hell outta everyone! Whoop!
Kevin Strawbridge '93
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Letters may be brought to The Battalion at
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"Those who came
before us made certain
that this country rode
the first waves of the
industrial revolution,
the first waves of mod
ern invention and the
first wave of nuclear
power. And this gener
ation does not intend to
founder in the back
wash of the coming age
of space. We mean to
he a part of it. We mean
to lead it."
— President John F. Kennedy
Rice Stadium, September 12,1962.
T wo weeks ago, the media's atten
tion focused on the presidential
race, war in Yugoslavia and many
other important currant events. But it
appears the media let an important date
slip past our curious eyes and ears.
Twenty-three years ago, July 20,
1969, was the day astronaut Neil Arm
strong became the first human to set
foot on the moon.
As an enthusiastic eight year old, I
can recall the excitement of watching
the crew of Apollo 11, astronauts Neil
Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and
Michael Collins, catapulted through the
Earth's protective atmosphere atop the
mighty Saturn V rocket, traveling 42
miles in two and one-half minutes with
7.5 million pounds of thrust behind
them.
As the rocket barreled through lay
ers of gases, the first stage shut down
and was released, and the second stage
kicked in. With another million pounds
of thrust lasting six minutes, the Apollo
11 spacecraft was over 100 miles above
the Earth.
The final burst needed for earth's or
bit was 17,500 miles per hour and was
supplied by the third stage rocket's
A year in review is
my specialty, or
at least it better
be by now, after pro
ducing and editing an
848-page yearbook.
Over the course of the
past school year. I've re
viewed everything from
"Swan Lake" to Muster.
And through my deal
ings, I've interacted with many different
people and situations that I never expect
ed to encounter at this stage in my life.
The experiences I've gained from the
grueling responsibility of producing a
yearbook have led me to take a good look
at my morals, my inner strength, my out
look on life, and people in general. These
experiences have helped me to appreciate
small but important things such as in
tegrity, commitment and trust.
Throughout the course of the year.
I've learned that trust is something that
isn't taken lightly. Giving and keeping
your word is vital. And when the going
gets tough, the so called tough get going
— right out the door.
I've learned not to judge people before
before I know them, to value those who
stand by through good and bad, and that
mom and dad are always there with a
smile and words of encouragement. And
I've learned to depend on myself.
Short in length, but immense in mean
ing, depend is a word easily definable
and easily uttered, but too often misused.
As a student leader, I have people
who depend on me daily for various rea
sons, and I in return am dependent on
others. If one side or the other doesn't
225,000 pounds of thrust. With Apollo
11 now in orbit, Houston control was
preparing for lunar trajectory.
The Apollo 11 crew spent one and
one half circuits in Earth's orbit. Then
mission control gave the thumbs-up and
Apollo 11 boosted at 25,000 mph toward
the moon.
On July 19, the command ship
Columbia, fired the large rocket engine
on the service modular to brake into lu
nar orbit 69 miles above the moon.
The next day, astronauts Armstrong
and Aldrin entered the lunar module
while Michael Collins stayed with the
command ship. At the proper time, the
two ships separated, sending Arm
strong and Aldrin into a lunar orbit as
close as 50,000 feet above the lunar sur
face.
With the final descent firing — the
longest rocket blast to date, lasting
twelve minutes — the Eagle landed in
the Sea of Tranquility at 3:17 p.m., Sun
day, July 20,1969.
"Houston, Tranquility base. The Ea
gle has landed," was Armstrong's fa
mous radio transmission as the vehicle
touched down on the moon's surface.
This was the beginning of the crew's 22-
hour stay.
After a few hours of system checks,
it was now time for Armstrong to pre
pare for his historical but dangerous
stroll on the moon.
With the dangers in mind, Arm
strong descended down the module's
ladder and took the first step onto the
moon at 10:56 p.m., July 20,1969.
With his jump to the lunar surface
came Armstrong's famous words,
"That's one small step for man, one gi
ant leap for mankind." This was an ex
citing event in American history.
While on the moon, Armstrong and
Aldrin completed many tasks, including
measuring the solar wind, seismometer
and laser reflector experiments, gather
ing a box of lunar rocks and 20 pounds
uphold its end, others are affected, and I
take the heat, regardless. After one too
many incidents of blistering fires, I have
come to the conclusion that I have to look
to myself for the answers, because the
other side is often the tough that leave
right when those fires get out of control.
Just where the other side ventures off
to, I still haven't figured out. But one
thing I have come across, as a result of be
ing left to sweat things out, is the impor
tance of holding true to a commitment. A
simple concept, but hard for some to in
still and understand — a promise is a
promise, isn't it?
Back when I was in second grade, Va
lerie D'Asto was my soul mate. We spent
every waking hour together and made ev
ery commitment to each other that little
girls make, including the "blood brother"
pact, except we were "soul sisters." Over
the years we have kept in touch, due to
my persistence, until recently when Va
lerie got married, or at least I think she
did. I really don't know, because I wasn't
officially invited to the wedding.
Although she lives in Nevada, I
would have thought that an invitation or
a phone call would have come with the
good news. I guess our pact died with
Valerie's lack of commitment. But then I
knew all along that she could not be
counted on to hold her word.
The point I'm trying to make, is that
I've found that people too often fail to
hold their word. My question is, why
then do they give it? A simple yes or no
answer in the beginning would "certainly
mean a lot stress, anger and hurt. If peo
ple say they will do something and don't
do it, isn't that a reflection on the rest of
of core samples. Both astronauts ap
peared to have no difficulty walking or
hopping in the light lunar gravity.
The next day, Armstrong and Aldrin
departed the moon's surface leaving a
few terrestrial toys behind. Two of the
most famous items left were the Ameri
can flag symbolizing the territorial mark
that laid monumental claim to the
moon's surface and a plaque with Presi
dent Kennedy's message to extraterres
trial space travelers, "We came in peace
for all mankind."
The trip back took three days and on
July 24, 1969, Columbia's nose capsule,
with its precious cargo, fell through
Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 mph. And
at 11:50 p.m., Americans were comfort
ed to view the three astronauts safely
splash down in the icy Pacific waters,
successfully completing this historic
mission.
The space program was only a
dream of President John F. Kennedy
when he announced the plans for the
landing of the first man on the moon.
May 25,1961.
Man has always been ! ascinated
with space travel, from Mercury's first
orbital flight to the experience of watch
ing Neil Armstrong make initial contact
with the moon's surface.
Unfortunately as time passes, the
first moon walk is now buried under
many other space triumphs accom
plished by our country's NASA pro
gram. But this baby-boomer will never
forget man's first step on Earth's natural
satellite.
This column is dedicated to the three
Apollo astronauts, Edwin White,
Roger Chaffe and Virgil Grisson, who
lost their lives in a tragic flash fire dur
ing a routine test. God bless these men
of space.
Greco is a freshman general studies ma
jor and a columnist for The Battalion.
for yourself
their life? Are they always going to run
from commitment, or just try to breeze
through it?
I guess that's something they must de
cide for themselves, but in the meantime,
I thank them for their errors. Those mis
takes have strengthened me in more ways
than they have hurt me.
A close and dear friend of mine. Pen
ny De Los Santos, who always has been a
role model and inspiration for me, once
gave me some advice that I look to when
things get grim. She told me to spend
time with individuals who are optimistic,
who. inspire me, and who allow me to
dream. You see. Penny is a dreamer, an
achiever, and a teacher. Everyone she
meets she affects with her charisma and
love of life. Through her words and eyes,
I have learned to set long-term and short
term goals and to work toward those with
undying determination. I've learned
through Penny to do it for myself.
This year I have devoutly followed
Penny's advice to reach what has now be
come a short-term goal, finishing the
yearbook. Through the help of some
close and devoted friends, the book is go
ing to finalize — soon.
Without the advice and help of my
friends and family, I would not have
made it through the year. And without
the strength that I have found within my
self, I would not be where I am now.
You have to do it for yourself.
Sweeney is a senior journalism major and
editor of the 1992 Aggieland.
Anas
Ben>Musa
-
Paul
Greco
To complete a task, do it
GUEST
COLUMN
Kelly
Sweeney