Israeli experts announce discovery of more Dead Sea scrolls

Israeli archaeologists on Tuesday announced the discovery of dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text found in a desert cave and believed hidden during a Jewish revolt against

Rome nearly 1,900 years ago.

The fragments of parchment bear lines of Greek text from the books of Zechariah and Nahum and have been dated around the first century based on the writing style, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. They are the first new scrolls found in archaeological excavations in the desert south of Jerusalem in 60 years.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of Jewish texts found in desert caves in the West Bank near Qumran in the 1940s and 1950s, date from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D. They include the earliest known copies of biblical texts and documents outlining the beliefs of a little understood Jewish sect.

The roughly 80 new pieces are believed to belong to a set of parchment fragments found in a site in southern Israel known as the “Cave of Horror” — named for the 40 human skeletons found there during excavations in the 1960s, The pieces also bear a Greek rendition of the Twelve Minor Prophets, a book in the Hebrew Bible. The cave is in a remote canyon about 25 miles south of Jerusalem.

The artifacts were found during an operation in Israel and the occupied

West Bank conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority to find scrolls and other artifacts to prevent possible plundering. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war, and international law prohibits the removal of cultural property from occupied territory. The authority held a news conference Tuesday to unveil the discovery.

The fragments are believed to have been part of a scroll stashed away in the cave during the Bar Kochba Revolt, an armed Jewish uprising against Rome during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, between 132 and 136. Coins struck by rebels and arrowheads found in other caves in the region also hail from that period.

“We found a textual difference that has no parallel with any other manuscript, either in Hebrew or in Greek,” said Oren Ableman, a Dead

Sea Scroll researcher with the Israel Antiquities Authority. He referred to slight variations in the Greek rendering of the Hebrew original compared to the Septuagint — a translation of the Hebrew Bible to Greek made in Egypt in the third and second centuries B.C.

“When we think about the biblical text, we think about something very static. It wasn’t static. There are slight differences and some of those differences are important,” said Joe Uziel, head of the antiquities authority’s Dead Sea Scrolls unit. “Every little piece of information that we can add, we can understand a little bit better” how the Biblical text came into its traditional Hebrew form.

Yield 2 servings.

1-inch piece fresh ginger root grated to make 1 tablespoon 1 scallion

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1⁄2 tablespoon five-spice powder

1⁄2 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

⁄4 pound salmon fillet

3

Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with foil.

Peel ginger and grate. Cut scallion into 2 inch pieces. Add both to a food processor. Add1the lemon juice, five-spice powder and soy sauce. Process to make about ⁄4 cup paste.

Place salmon skin side up on the baking sheet. Broil 5 inches from the heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the broiler and turn salmon over. Spread the ginger mixture over the salmon and broil 2 minutes for a 1-inch fillet. Broil a minute longer for a thicker piece.

Divide between 2 dinner plates.

Per serving: 255 calories (39 percent from fat), 11.0 g fat (1.7 g saturated, 3.8 g monounsaturated), 96 mg cholesterol, 34.6 g protein, 2.7 g carbohydrates, 0.5 fiber, 202 mg sodium

Makes 6 servings

1 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt, divided 16 ounces linguine or spaghetti

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil on medium high; add 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup water. Return pasta with a few tablespoons of the water back to the pot. In a large skillet on medium, heat oil. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring frequently so as not to burn, 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of pasta water to skillet; cook, stirring 2 minutes to make a loose sauce. Add cooked pasta to skillet; mix together with tongs. Heat 1 minute. Remove from stove and add parsley, cheese and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Mix together one last time and serve. (Adapted from “Easy Everyday Mediterranean Cookbook,” Serena Ball, MSRD and Deanna SegraveDaly, RD; HMH.)

Per serving: 381 calories, 11 grams protein, 11 grams fat (27% calories from fat), 2 grams saturated fat, 58 grams carbohydrate, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 380 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Carb count: 4.