Google posted the oldest biblical manuscripts in free access

Fragment of the Ten Commandments

A little over a year ago, Google helped put online five manuscripts of the Dead Sea scrolls (also known as Qumran manuscripts ), the oldest biblical manuscripts that currently exist. They were written over 2,000 years ago on pieces of parchment and papyrus.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, in conjunction with Google Israel launched the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, an online library of scrolls named after Leon Levy . The collection includes about 5,000 fragments of manuscripts in very good quality. The texts contain early copies of the Book of Deuteronomy (the fifth book of the Old Testament), which includes the 10 commandments, part of the chapter of the first book of Genesis, which describes the creation of the world and hundreds of more than two thousand years old texts that shed light on those times when Jesus lived and preached, as well as on the history of Judaism. All of them are provided with comments and additional information for ease of study.

Genesis fragment

Millions of users and scientists can help decipher and translate ancient texts, as well as details invisible to the naked eye. The site displays infrared and color images that are equal in quality to the original. Google provides hosting services for Google Storage and App Engine, as well as its Google Maps, YouTube and Google Image technologies.

Manuscripts were discovered 65 years ago in the caves of Qumran, in the caves of wadi Murabba'at (south of Qumran), in Khirbet Mirda (southwest of Qumran), as well as in several other caves of the Judean Desert and in Masad. A study of the manuscripts confirmed that at least some of them were written in the Qumran community.

You can see snapshots of manuscripts on the library website
www.deadseascrolls.org.il