Dead Sea Scrolls

This past long weekend, a few of us from the Bridge went down to the Pacific Science Centre in Seattle to "discover" the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was an eye-opening experience. Having recently studied the some of the biblical texts of the Pentateuch, this visit seemed to have that much more meaning. To be able to witness actual manuscripts reported to be about 2000 years old added a certain validity to the words I already knew to be true.

The serendipity and the metaphors of the entire experience took me by surprise. I went to the box office early to pick up tickets. When the office finally opened, I was greeted by Jesus -- yes, that was really his name! -- who promptly sold me the tickets. Upon entering the exhibit, I learned that the scrolls were actually discovered by a shepherd looking for his lost goat in a cave. He discovered the scrolls in jars of clay, one of which were on display. It sheds new light to Paul's letter to the Corinthians:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. " -- 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV

In addition to visiting the dead sea scrolls, we also met up with Karen's cousin Keane and his roommate. Shown here is a photo we took at Pallino Pastaria in University Village near where they live.