FIRST-EVER VIRTUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
In this period of coronavirus in which public gatherings are not possible, the Israel Antiquities Authority is pleased to invite the public to participate in the first-ever international conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls taking place May 17 – May 20, 2020.
More than three dozen scholars from around the world will gather online to share new research and discoveries on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the public is invited to participate from the comfort of home. Registration is required for each day and capacity is limited.
Hear from scholars and experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority, University of Haifa, Yeshiva University, University of Manchester, Hebrew University, Yale University, University of Nebraska, University of Groningen, Bar Ilan University, Brite Divinity School, Catholic University of America, University of Maryland, University of Birmingham, New York University, University of Vienna, McMaster University, University of North Carolina, University of Toronto, Oxford University, University of Notre Dame, Uppsala University, University of Kansas, and Universität Göttingen.
Please note that some lectures may assume a background in Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship.
Session topics include: Canon and Authority; Archaeology, Realia and Science; Interpreting Dead Sea Scrolls Texts; Science, Technology and the Scrolls; Ideology and Theology; Qumran and the Sect; Hebrew Bible and its Interpretation; Cave 11 and the Temple Scroll; Law and Liturgy
This virtual conference is presented free to the public by the Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority in collaboration with NYU, Global Network for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies & the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies.
DAY 1: Sunday, May 17 (REGISTRATION LINK FOR DAY 1 BELOW)
1:00-2:30 PM EDT: Plenary Session
Chair and Opening Remarks - Alex Jassen, New York University
Welcome- Emily Master, Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority &
Joe Uziel, Curator and Head of the Dead Sea Scrolls Unit
Contributions of the Israel Antiquities Authority to the Preservation and Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls - Pnina Shor, Israel Antiquities Authority
Where are We in the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls? - Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University
2:30-3:00 PM EDT: Break
3:30-5:00 PM EDT: Canon and Authority
Before the Canon - The Role of Extra-biblical Literature in Second Temple Judaism - Armin Lange, University of Vienna
The Canon and the Canonical Process: The Evidence of the Scrolls - Eugene Ulrich, University of Notre Dame
Scribes as Authors in the Dead Sea Scrolls - Molly Zahn, University of Kansas
DAY 2: Monday, May 18 (REGISTRATION LINK FOR DAY 2 BELOW)
9:00-11:00 AM EDT: Archaeology, Realia and Science
New Archaeological Investigations of Qumran Cave 3Q - Marcello Fidanzio, Faculty of Theology, Lugano
Inkwells residues as a Pre-screening Tool for Characterizing DSS Ink - Ilit Cohen-Ofri, Israel Antiquities Authority
Essenes at Masada - Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina
Trade and Manufacture at Qumran, with Special Attention to the Inscriptions - Sidnie White Crawford, University of Nebraska
11:00-11:30 AM EDT: BREAK
11:30 AM-12:30 PM EDT: Mimetic Performance in Ancient Judaism
Mimetic and Literary Performance in Ancient Judaism - Hindy Najman, Oxford University
Mimetic and Scribal Performance in Ancient Judaism - Eibert Tigchelaar, KU Leuven
12:30-1:00 PM EDT: BREAK
1:00-3:00 PM EDT: Interpreting Dead Sea Scrolls Texts
Jubilees and the Visions of Amram - James C. VanderKam, University of Notre Dame
Deciphering Fragments: Tefillin or an Amulet? - Ariel Feldman, Brite Divinity School
Reimagining Israel: The Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls and Judaism in the Hellenistic Period - Daniel Machiela, McMaster University
Digital Exploration of the Dead Sea Scrolls with Scripta Qumranica Electronica - Bronson Brown-deVost, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
DAY 3: Tuesday, May 19 (REGISTRATION LINK FOR DAY 3 BELOW)
9:00-10:30 AM EDT: Science, Technology and the Scrolls
Researching the DSS with Imaging Technologies - Orit Rosengarten, Israel Antiquities Authority
Modern Forgeries: The Scientific Analysis of Dead Sea Scroll Fragments in the Museum of the Bible Collection - Colette Loll, Art Fraud Insights, LLC
The Hands that Wrote the Bible. Digital Palaeography of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Identifying and Dating Manuscripts - Mladen Popović and Maruf Dhali, University of Groningen
10:30-11:00AM EDT: BREAK
11:00 AM-12:30 PM EDT: Ideology and Theology
Virtue Signaling in the Dead Sea Scrolls - Charlotte Hempel, University of Birmingham
Metaphysics of Financial Relations in Qumran Wisdom - Jonathan Ben-Dov, Haifa University
Patterns of Prayer in the Dead Sea Scrolls - George Brooke, University of Manchester
12:30-1:00 PM EDT: BREAK
1:00-3:00 PM EDT: Qumran and the Sect
Women in the Sectarian Texts from Qumran - Esther Chazon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Reconstructing the Life and Message of Jesus - Cecilia Wassén, Uppsala University
Why NOT the Essenes: How to Talk about the Dead Sea Sectarians - Maxine Grossman, University of Maryland
The Sectarian Movement and Qumran - John Collins, Yale University
DAY 4: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 (REGISTRATION LINK FOR DAY 4 BELOW)
9:00-11:00 AM EDT: Hebrew Bible and it Interpretation
The Many Faces of the Bible in the Dead Sea Scrolls - Emanuel Tov, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Reworked Pentateuch and Genesis Apocryphon: Close or Distant Relatives? - Moshe Bernstein, Yeshiva University
"2300 Evenings and Mornings” (Dan 8:13-14) Recalculated according to the Damascus Document - Michael Segal, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Perfect Marriage in the Genesis Apocryphon - Esther Eshel, Bar-Ilan University
11:00-11:30 AM EDT: BREAK
11:30 AM-1:00 PM EDT: Cave 11 and the Temple Scroll
Treasures from a Small Box: Recently Discovered Fragments from Cave 11 - Oren Ableman, Israel Antiquities Authority
The Hydra-headed Mysteries of the Temple Scroll - Andrew D. Gross, Catholic University of America
The Utopian Temple Plan of the Temple Scroll - Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University
1:00-1:30 PM EDT: BREAK
1:30-3:00 PM EDT: Law and Liturgy
What Was Given on Mt. Sinai? - Cana Werman, Ben-Gurion University
Law and Order in the Dead Sea Scrolls - Sarianna Metso, University of Toronto
The Early Study of Jewish Law in the Damascus Document - Alex Jassen, New York University
3:00-3:30 Close of Conference and Thanks
Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University &
Emily Master, Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority
For any questions about the schedule or registration process, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
