| -Geisler, Norman. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian
Apologetics. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 189.
(short excerpt)
The Dead Sea Scrolls, dating between 135BC and 135AD, provide an important
contribution toward the reliability of the Old Testament Hebrew text, as
well as the earliest copies of parts of the Old Testament books and even
whole books. This is important in showing that the predictive prophecies
of the Old Testament were indeed made centuries before they were literally
fulfilled. Furthermore, the Dead Sea Scrolls provide possible support for
the New Testament. They may contain the earliest known fragments of the New
Testament, and they definately contain references to messianic beliefs similar
to those taught in the New Testament. |
