In 1947, in a cave near the Dead Sea, a Bedouin shepherd discovered jars containing biblical scrolls wrapped in linen. A nearby community called Qumran had once been populated by the Essenes, a culture of monk-like worshippers who probably created the scrolls between the second century B.C. and the first century A.D. They are older than any other surviving biblical manuscripts by about 1000 years.

Several fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls are currently on display at Union Station. The exhibit is the first in the Midwest, and only the sixth in the United States.

Psalms 135-136; photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

Before visitors enter, each person receives a walkie-talkie-like device. At each stop inside the exhibit, pressing the right combination of buttons yields a few minutes of audio (in your choice of English or Spanish) that describes the object in front of you and offers additional information beyond that offered by the plaque or sign.

The tour begins with a map of the Dead Sea area and an audio segment on modern Israel. Groups watch a five-minute video about the Scrolls in a crimson-draped room. After that point, visitors can set their own paces, browsing the exhibit as quickly or as slowly as they choose.

The first few stops consist of explanations of the discovery, treatment, and preservation of the scrolls. "There are a lot of scrolls. We certainly don't have them all here," says Madeline Pruitt, a volunteer. Indeed, according to the exhibit, there are a total of 100,000 fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls in existence, only half of which have currently been preserved.

Then comes a long stretch of information about Qumran, complete with a variety of artifacts used by the Essenes. The artifacts include inkwells, fragments of woven baskets, and a comb that was found with ancient lice on it. (The lice, much to the disappointment of an eager young visitor, had been removed.)

The room housing the actual scroll fragments is dimly lit, and the display boxes containing the scrolls themselves are periodically darkened in order to preserve the documents from light damage. Among those included are fragments of Genesis-Exodus, Isaiah (with commentary by the Essenes), Joshua, Job, and Psalms.

At the end of the exhibit is a series of Bibles, including an original Gutenberg Bible, a King James Bible, a Book of Hours from fifteenth-century France, and a copy of the Torah.

Along the entire path, a sense of gravity hangs over the observer, encouraged by Middle Eastern background music and strategic lighting. Regardless of visitors' religious beliefs (which the exhibit nimbly and admirably sidesteps), the rich history and enigmatic origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls provoke solemnity.

The exhibit is open through May 13. Tickets cost $19.95 apiece, $15.95 for Union Station members, and can be purchased at Union Station or by calling (816)460-2020.

Copyright 2007 Metropolitan Community College