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Where were the scrolls made, and by whom were they collected?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·4 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: a sectarian community living at Qumran collected and partly copied the libraryAhead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Four answers have been proposed. A sectarian community living at Qumran collected and partly copied the library. leads, with evidence 1 for: partly supported by its tests. Three are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet.

Why it matters

The scrolls' meaning as evidence for Judaism of the period depends on whether they are one sect's library or a cross-section of Judaean books⁠[1]⁠[2].

Answers 4

Evidence: 1 for
Most likely
Evidence: 1 for
Most likely
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for
Still possible

History

  1. Golb puts forward: the scrolls are the libraries of Jerusalem hidden during the revolt against Rome; Qumran was not their home.
  2. Anava et al. puts forward: the library is mixed; part was produced at Qumran and part brought in from elsewhere.
  3. Anava et al.: dNA shows divergent Jeremiah versions on skins that point to origins outside Qumran and patterns that reflect…For: The scrolls are the libraries of Jerusalem hidden during the revolt against Rome; Qumran was not their home.
  4. Anava et al.: genetic sorting supports some scrolls having been brought to the caves from elsewhere.For: The library is mixed; part was produced at Qumran and part brought in from elsewhere.
  5. Magness puts forward: a sectarian community living at Qumran collected and partly copied the library.
  6. Magness: the standard archaeological account interprets the site as a sectarian settlement linked to the caves.For: A sectarian community living at Qumran collected and partly copied the library.
  7. Asked on this site
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