A journey through time: The Dead Sea Scrolls
PROVIDENCE – Arts Emanu-El has kicked off its 5774 (2013/2014) season of offerings with an invitation to the entire community to participate in an exciting and authoritative exploration of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The October program, offered to the public by Arts Emanu-El at Temple Emanu-El, the conservative synagogue in Providence, got off to a stimulating start with a free lectures by world-renowned scholar Dr. Joan Branham. It will be followed by a second lecture, by Dr. Michael Satlow, and a charter bus trip to the special antiquities and Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Science.
On Sunday, Oct. 20, from 9:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., those who take the bus trip will be treated to an intense and informative exhibit that puts Dead Sea Scroll fragments into their historical and physical contexts. Some of the scroll fragments in the exhibit have never before been displayed in North America. These are exhibited alongside other important antiquities, including a three ton stone from Jerusalem’s Western Wall, limestone capitals from the first temple period (1000 – 586 B.C.E.) and other artifacts from ancient Israel.
To enrich the experience for attendees, Arts Emanu-El and the Koffler-Bornstein Institute of Jewish Studies have jointly sponsored the two lectures by outstanding speakers who provide authoritative historical context and preview the scroll’s texts. The first lecture, held on Oct. 8 at Temple Emanu-El – “Jerusalem and Qumran at the Time of the Dead Sea Scrolls” – was presented by Dr. Joan Branham, Professor and Chair of Art and Art History, Providence College, who teaches courses in late-antique and medieval art and architecture, and who is a specialist on the iconography of late-antique synagogues and churches. In her illustrated talk, Dr. Branham walked the audience through the ruins of Qumran and first-century Jerusalem to gain an understanding of the physical and religious context of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as to understand the people who lived there and Qumran’s relationship with Jerusalem.
The second lecture – “What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Do They Matter?” – will be given by Dr. Michael Satlow, Professor of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies, Program in Judaic Studies and Department of Religious Studies, Brown University. Dr. Satlow specializes in Early Judaism. His latest book explains “How the Bible Became Holy” (Yale U Press, forthcoming). His talk will address why the scrolls have attracted an extraordinary amount of attention, and will give an overview of the scrolls that will serve as an excellent preview for seeing the actual fragments. This free lecture is on Tuesday evening, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m., in the Temple Emanu-El vestry.
The lectures are free and open to the public and, while attendees are not obligated to go on the museum trip, they have been urged to attend the lectures in order to enhance their own enjoyment of this remarkable exhibit.
The tour price to the Boston Museum of Science is $55 and includes round trip coach fare, all entry fees and museum audio tour guide. The schedule will allow time for lunch at the museum café and exploration of other museum exhibits.
To purchase tickets and to see the full array of Arts Emanu-El programs for this year go to teprov.org/arts_emanu-el. You may also purchase tickets by dropping off, or mailing, a check to Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence, RI 02906 or by calling the Temple office at 331–1616.
Sam Shamoon is co-chair of the Arts Emanu-El Committee and can be reached at
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