FORT WORTH?Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth is now home to portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls, thanks to a lead gift from a trustee that made their purchase possible, SWBTS President Paige Patterson announced Jan. 20 during a press conference.

In acquiring the scroll fragments, Southwestern becomes the third American institution to own pieces of the scrolls, joining the University of Chicago and Azusa Pacific University. The three scrolls now in the seminary’s possession are the world’s oldest copies of portions of Exodus 23, Leviticus 18 and Daniel 6.

Trustee Gary Loveless, founder and chief executive of Houston-based Square Mile Energy, presented the tiny artifacts, mounted and framed for preservation, to Patterson in Southwestern’s chapel service on Jan. 20.

Southwestern Seminary archaeology professor Steven Ortiz holds a pen made from a palm tree found in a cave along with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Along with the scrolls, SWBTS obtained a rare stylus made of palm frond, believed to be one of several in the world that were discovered with the scrolls and which may have been used in producing the scrolls.

20TH CENTURY’S GREATEST FIND
These scrolls are part of a larger body of biblical texts and other writings discovered in 1947 in a cave at Qumran on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in Israel. Portions of every Old Testament book but Esther have been found at Qumran.

Since their discovery, scholars have studied the Dead Sea Scrolls extensively with some calling them the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century.

Peter Flint, co-director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at Trinity Western University in British Columbia, underscored the importance of the find, stating, “We are dealing today with the greatest find of our times…. the Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest copies of the Bible in the world. They are more than 1,000 years older than anything we had before,” said Flint, alluding to the later-copied Masoretic text of the Hebrew scriptures.

Not only do the Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest extant copies of the Old Testament, Flint said they are the only surviving Hebrew scriptures from the Second Temple Period (536 B.C.-70 A.D.).

Nearly 10 years of excavation in the Qumran caves produced fragments from approximately 825 to 870 separate scrolls containing biblical manuscripts, biblical manuscripts with commentary, apocryphal manuscripts and extra-biblical literature.

The Dead Sea Scrolls have made a profound impact on biblical studies, especially in the area of scribal transmission.

“Any piece of the Dead Sea Scrolls is significant because it shows us what the state of the Hebrew text of the Bible was 2,000 years ago, which gives us a way to measure whether or not they’ve been faithfully transmitted over the last 2,000 years,” Weston Fields, executive director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation, said in a phone interview with the seminary. The Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation is an organization dedicated to the publication, conservation and preservation of the scrolls.

“And what they do tell us is that there has been very little change,” Fields said. “They show how faithfully the Bible has been transmitted.”

A SCHOLAR’S DREAM
The acquisition of these rare scrolls is a particular boon to Southwestern’s archaeology program.

Steven Ortiz, associate professor of biblical backgrounds and archaeology and director of SWBTS’ Charles Tandy Museum, said: “I couldn’t dream as an archaeologist of being able to handle these or even having access to them. As a young graduate student, you read about the Dead Sea Scrolls in all your textbooks, you dream about them, you recount the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Students in our program will also have that same type of discovery of not just reading about them in a textbook, but we have the actual scrolls.”

Ortiz said that in addition to serving as a teaching tool, he expects the scrolls will attract many scholars to Southwestern.

“There will be a flood of scholars coming here that will create a synergy for our students to sit at the feet of scholars in biblical studies, in Dead Sea Scrolls research, in biblical archaeology, and I’m looking forward to that time of engagement for our students and also for our faculty,” Ortiz said.

Amid all the excitement, Patterson showed particular enthusiasm over the acquisition of the Daniel scroll, which he said corroborates the book of Daniel’s claims about its authorship and date of writing?claims long discounted by secular scholars.

“It was clear that these were copies of copies of copies so that it established the certainty that Daniel was written when it claims to have been written,” Patterson said of the fragments of Daniel found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
Loveless and Patterson declined to reveal the price paid for the scrolls except to say that it was very large.

“This is the doing, primarily, of Mr. and Mrs. Loveless and their generosity and their interest in the project. The actual figures involved?I can just tell you that you could buy a suit or two with it,” Patterson said.

In explaining the rationale for his decision to help obtain the scrolls for Southwestern, Loveless expressed a desire to see the scrolls stored in a place where he was assured that their sacred nature would be respected.

“Although we can’t deny or ignore the historical or archaeological value of these fragments, it is most important to me and Stephanie that they are in the hands of those who will acknowledge and honor their Christian and Jewish heritage and significance. It is for that reason that there is no better institution than Southwestern in our opinion to secure these for the glory of God.”

The scrolls will be housed in a new library to be named for Loveless’ grandmother. The scrolls will be available for public viewing upon its completion, scheduled for May 2011.

?Keith Collier of Southwestern Seminary contributed to this report.

Afshin Ziafat speaks to collegiate and young adult leaders at the INTERSECT Conference.

Afshin Ziafat challenged collegiate leaders to pursue Christ in every aspect of their lives during the INTERSECT collegiate leaders retreat Jan. 14-16 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. More than 400 collegiate and young adult ministry leaders gathered at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention event to plan and prepare for 2010 and beyond. The attendees were given leadership development sessions with Aubrey Malphurs and spiritual challenges from Ziafat.

Lance Crowell director of collegiate and young adult ministries said, “It was a great success. We want to connect and build with this first INTERSECT and I believe we really were able to help our leaders. Our events are geared to be catalytic, in the sense that we want this to stir some things up in these leaders and focus them in a direction for 2010 and beyond.” Crowell also said “there is such a need for reaching young adults for the gospel across the state with over 1.3 million college students in Texas alone. This is one small step in developing leaders to make a real difference with collegiate and young adults in Texas.”

During the event the young adult leadership took up an offering to help with the tragedy in Haiti, raising nearly $2,100 to benefit the work with which the SBC and the SBTC are helping.

TYLER–Authorities responded to two additional church fires in East Texas on Jan. 20, bringing to nine the number of suspected arsons to churches in the region since Jan. 1.

Investigators from the National Response Team (NRT) of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with ATF special agents from Tyler, are working with state and local authorities in seeking clues to the string of blazes in Van Zandt, Henderson, and Smith counties. An ATF news release said the team has experience working the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the 9/11 Pentagon attack.

James Suggs (left), deputy fire marshal in Tyler, and Pastor David Mahfood discuss the Jan. 16 burning of Tyland Baptist Church in Tyler. A $10,000 reward has been offered by federal investigators for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons responsible for the recent church burnings. Although the burning of Tyland Baptist has not been officially ruled arson, another church in Tyler also burned on the same night. A total of nine East Texas churches have burned since Jan. 1.

According to the Associated Press, a fire at the Bethesda House of Prayer in Lindale, north of Tyler, Texas, was contained early on Jan. 20. The same morning, firefighters fought a blaze inside the chapel of the Fellowship of Prairie Creek Church in rural Smith County near Lindale, news reports said. Smith County is about 100 miles east of Dallas.

Also, federal investigators have upped their reward from $5,000 to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fires. Anyone with information may contact the Tyler, Texas ATF office at 903-590-1475.

The weekend of Jan. 16-17, arsonists apparently struck the Tyland Baptist Church and the First Church of Christ, Scientist, both in Tyler. Tyland was the third Southern Baptist church to burn in the rash of fires.

On Jan. 12, Lake Athens Baptist Church in Athens, about 65 miles southeast of Dallas, was one of two churches in that town heavily damaged by what investigators believe were arson fires set in the early morning hours. The week before that, another church near Athens was apparently torched.

In Van Zandt County, located between Athens and Tyler, arson is also suspected in two fires set in early January, one at the Little Hope Baptist Church in Canton on New Year’s Day and another at nearby Martin’s Mill.

Authorities first suspected burglary as a motive at the Athens churches, said Athens Assistant Police Chief Rodney Williams, but the investigation is ongoing.

Tyland Baptist Church Pastor David E. Mahfood told the Southern Baptist TEXAN: “I was sick when I heard about it. I was up here with several church members, watching it burn. I never thought it would happen to us. I am frustrated, angry, sad, but hopeful, very hopeful, that this will turn out for good for our church.

“Thankfully no one was injured, but we lost records, all of my files, journals, books. I had just put my diploma from Southwestern on the wall five days ago after graduating in December. We had worship service the next day at Asbury Methodist Church, right across the street. We’ve had dozens of offers to hold church at their facilities, but we have just made an agreement with Willowbrook Baptist Church to meet there.”

In the fire’s aftermath, Mahfood preached from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, which states, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed,” and Psalm 136, which has the recurring refrain of “His mercy endures forever.” They also sang “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and “It is Well with My Soul,” he said.

“This has taught us that all you need is God’s Word, all this is good and helpful,” he said, pointing to the burned remains of the church, but all we need is God and His Word. But still, we have some charter members here at the church, memories of those who have been married, baptized, funeral services held here, a lot of memories in this building.”

Tyland Baptist Church began in the early 1960s and has 140 members on the roll, and about 120 attend service.

The Tyler religious community offered condolences and support as congregational leaders met to discuss security and other issues.

“We’ve always had good security at Marvin,” John Robbins, pastor of Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler, whose church just recently completed a remodeling project, told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “But we’ve hired more security already to keep (the church building) safe 24 hours until this perpetrator is caught.”

Rabbi Neal Katz of Tyler’s Congregation Beth El told the paper the Jewish community has been “a target” for centuries.

“That gives us certain empathy for others being victimized,” Katz said. “When people are violated in one place, that affects all of us.”

John Green, pastor of Lake Athens Baptist Church in Athens, said that despite an estimated $500,000 damage to its auditorium in the Jan. 12 fire. “Our hearts are full and our spirits are encouraged. We believe God is going to bring something good out of this.”

An ATF news release said the NRT team has experience working the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and 9/11 Pentagon attack.