Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty today announced that the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will present the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, one of the most important exhibitions in the Museum’s history, from Saturday, June 27, 2009 until Sunday, January 3, 2010. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for ROM visitors to view these historical treasures, the subject of great scholarly and public interest, as well as heated debate and controversy, since their discovery over 60 years ago. A collaboration of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the ROM, Dead Sea Scrolls, the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of these materials ever assembled in Canada, will be on display in the ROM’s Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall on level B2 in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.
Premier McGuinty said, “I want to congratulate the ROM for bringing this compelling exhibition to Toronto. It is a great opportunity for visitors and it will attract people to the city from all over North America. That's good for the ROM, it's good for Toronto and good for the economy."
Premier McGuinty also introduced the three co-chairs of the Dead Sea Scrolls Community Advisory Panel: Mohammad Al Zaibak, Co-founder, President and CEO of Canadian Development and Marketing Corporation CDMC and CDM Information Inc.; Tony Gagliano, CEO of St. Joseph’s Media; and Jonas Prince, Chairman of Realstar Group. The Advisory Panel brings together a diverse group of influential community leaders to assist in forming partnerships, advise the ROM on exhibition programming, and identify sources of sponsorship.
William Thorsell, ROM Director & CEO, told the gathering, “The ROM is elated to work with this diverse community group to present these highly significant writings. ROM visitors of all faiths,religions and backgrounds will be inspired by the words written 2,000 years ago. These are foundation documents for several great traditions. What a magnificent opportunity to explore their place in human history."
Premier McGuinty and Mr. Thorsell were joined by special guests, including Consul General of Israel Amir R. Gissin; Ontario Minister of Culture Aileen Carroll; Head of the Department for the Treatment and Conservation of Artifacts at the Israel Antiquities Authority Pnina Shor; and Dead Sea Scrolls guest curator, Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn.
Dr. Levitt Kohn, an alumna of both York University and University of Toronto and Director of the Jewish Studies program at the San Diego State University, commented, “This exhibition is an exceptionally unique opportunity for a Canadian audience to view some of the world’s most important documents and artifacts, all in the same space. Among the scrolls are some of the oldest discovered texts of the Hebrew Bible—texts that have had an enormous influence on western culture. These scrolls shed light on the life, faith and culture of ancient Judea at the dawn of Judaism and Christianity.” Dr. Levitt Kohn was the curator of the enormously successful Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Natural History in 2007.
Background
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by Bedouin goat-herders and by archaeologists between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea. The scrolls, written between 250 BCE and 68 CE, had remained hidden in the caves for some 2000 years. More than 100,000 fragments were uncovered and pieced into over 900 separate texts. Among these are the earliest known texts of the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). In addition to the biblical manuscripts, sectarian texts were discovered reflecting a wide variety of literary genres including religious legal writings, prayers and compositions predicting the coming of an apocalypse. The scrolls provide a rare glimpse into a culture that played a crucial role in the transition from the ancient religion of the Bible to Judaism and Christianity.
Exhibition
The ROM will display 16 authentic Dead Sea Scrolls during the six month engagement—eight different scrolls for each three-month period—including fragments from the books of Genesis, Deuteronomy and Psalms as well as the sectarian Community Rule, War Scroll and Messianic Apocalypse. Five fragments, never before publicly displayed, are being conserved especially for the ROM. All scrolls will be presented with full interpretations, translations and background information.
Also showcased will be artifacts from Khirbet Qumran, the ancient site closest to where the scrolls were discovered, in addition to unique pieces from Jerusalem during the period of the Second Temple. Visitors will learn about the fascinating discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, their academic and biblical significance, as well as the period in history in which they were written. Objects from the ROM’s own collections will complement the display, providing additional context to life in ancient Judea almost 2,000 years ago.
Programming
Throughout the ROM’s engagement of Dead Sea Scrolls, visitors can expect inspiring programming to complement their exhibition experience, including a Distinguished Lecturer Series. The series will feature an array of internationally respected scholars on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Second Temple period. Among the confirmed lecturers to date are Dr. Emanuel Tov, the J. L. Magnes Professor of the Bible, at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University and, since 1990, editor-in-chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project; Dr. Yuval Peleg, IAA Archaeologist and co-director of the most recent excavations at Qumran; and Dr. Dan Bahat, Professor at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel and adjunct Professor at University of Toronto, a former chief archaeologist of the city of Jerusalem. Additional lecturers as well as details on other Dead Sea Scrolls programming are to be announced in the coming months.