International Association for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls

International Association for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Name	International Association for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Formation	1990s
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Jerusalem
Region served	International
Membership	Scholars, institutions
Leader title	President
Leader name	Leading scholars

International Association for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls is an international learned society devoted to the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Second Temple Judaism, and related texts. The association brings together scholars from institutions such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Yale University to coordinate research, conferences, and publications on the scrolls discovered at Qumran and other sites near the Dead Sea. Its remit covers relationships with manuscript traditions including the Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and Samaritan Pentateuch and engages scholars working on figures such as Flavius Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, Paul the Apostle, and Herod the Great.

History

The association was established in the late 20th century against the backdrop of renewed access to the scrolls after high-profile disputes involving the Israel Antiquities Authority, the École Biblique, and publication controversies surrounding the editorial team led by John Strugnell and Emil Schürer. Early meetings featured participants from University of Chicago, Princeton University, Brown University, and University of Pennsylvania who debated provenance questions tied to sites like Wadi Murabba'at and Nahal Hever and the role of collectors such as Kando family. The group's formation paralleled developments in textual studies exemplified by editions from George Margoliouth, Frank Moore Cross, James VanderKam, and Emanuel Tov, and followed landmark finds associated with Eleazar Sukenik and Yigael Yadin. Its history intersects with events including museum exhibits at institutions like the Israel Museum, legal disputes involving Oxford University Press, and international outreach to museums such as the British Museum and Louvre.

Organization and Membership

Governance is typically modeled on learned societies such as the British Academy and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, with an executive committee, regional representatives, and standing committees for publications, ethics, and outreach. Members include professors from Princeton Theological Seminary, Duke University, University of Toronto, University of Chicago Divinity School, and curators from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Palestine Exploration Fund. Membership categories parallel those of the Royal Society and Academia Europaea and include fellows nominated by committees featuring scholars like Michael Wise, Géza Vermes, Louis Finkelstein, and Roland de Vaux-era scholars. Institutional affiliates comprise libraries such as the Bodleian Library, archives like the Vatican Library, and research centers including the Institute for Advanced Study.

Activities and Conferences

The association organizes biennial and annual conferences modeled on gatherings such as the SBL Annual Meeting, International Congress of Classical Studies, and World Congress of Jewish Studies. Topics address paleography, carbon-14 dating used at Los Alamos National Laboratory style facilities, multispectral imaging projects similar to work by NASA, and conservation protocols used by the Metropolitan Museum of Art conservation department. Past sessions have convened at venues like Trinity College Dublin, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and St. Andrews University, featuring keynote lectures by scholars associated with École Pratique des Hautes Études, Hebrew Union College, and The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.

Publications and Research Initiatives

The association sponsors monographs and edited volumes that complement series such as the Discoveries in the Judaean Desert and journals like the Journal of Biblical Literature, Dead Sea Discoveries, Revue de Qumran, and Vetus Testamentum. It supports digital initiatives modeled on projects at the British Library, the Israel Museum digitization program, and corpora such as the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum. Research initiatives include paleographic dating studies, philological analyses in the tradition of Wilhelm Gesenius and Arthur Samuel Peake, and comparative studies relating the scrolls to texts attributed to Apocrypha authors and Pseudepigrapha writers. The association has facilitated critical editions, concordances, and open-access repositories inspired by Perseus Project and Digital Dead Sea Scrolls efforts.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Partnerships extend to universities like University of Vienna, research institutes such as the Max Planck Society, libraries including the National Library of Israel, and museums like the American Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority exhibits. The association collaborates with technical partners for imaging and conservation—laboratories at Cornell University, teams from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for imaging—and legal and ethical consultations with bodies such as UNESCO when provenance or repatriation issues arise. It has worked with publishers including Brill, Oxford University Press, and Cambridge University Press on series and conference proceedings.

Impact and Reception

The association has influenced scholarship on Second Temple Judaism, reshaped debates about the origins of rabbinic texts associated with Mishnah traditions, and contributed to studies of early Christianity and Pharisees-Sadducees sectarianism. Its conferences and publications have been cited by scholars at Yeshiva University, Jewish Theological Seminary, and secular institutions, affecting museum curation, classroom curricula at University of Notre Dame, and media portrayals in outlets that have consulted experts from BBC and National Geographic. Reception among scholars ranges from acclaim for fostering international cooperation akin to the International Association for Classical Studies to criticism over access and editorial policy reminiscent of earlier controversies involving the scrolls.

Category:Dead Sea Scrolls Category:Learned societies