Trip to the Dead
Sea Scrolls Exhibit

On March 15 and 16, 2005, the Department of Religious Studies sponsored a two-day trip to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Mobile's Gulf Coast Exploreum for students in Dr. Fassbeck's REL 346 class. For two weeks prior to the trip, the class had studied the Qumran site--home of this well-known archeological find.

Students attending the trip also participated in two-hour seminar graciously offered by Prof. Eric M. Meyers, of Duke University's Department of Religion--an expert on Second Temple Judaism.

Prof. Gabriele Fassbeck (center) along with (from left
to right): Ryan Garner, Justin Dearborn, Jennifer Goodman, and Brittni Jones. Between 2003 and 2005, Prof. Fassbeck has held the position of Visiting Assistant Professor, funded through the Department's Aronov Endowment.

Justin Dearborn (New College), Ryan Garner (Religious Studies), Jennifer Goodman (English), and Brittni Jones (History) kept Prof. Meyers busy with questions on to the intersection of text studies and archaeology, acquiring a vivid impression of the complexity of his trade and the fact that most answers generate new questions. Following the seminar, the students toured the Exploreum's exhibit, partly guided by Prof. Meyers, focussing on the way the artifacts were exhibited.

Some debate arose over a Mediterranean-style dinner in the museum courtyard, in the course of which participants were initiated into the exotic mysteries of "baklava."

Over 500 people attended Prof. Meyers' public lecture
that evening, in Mobile's Christ Episcopal Church,
the oldest Protestant Church in Alabama.

A fragment from the Enoch Scroll, dating to between 200-150 BCE; click the fragment to learn more about it.

The day ended with Prof. Meyers' lecture, "The Dead Sea Scrolls Controversies and Theories of Early Judaism and Christianity."

Jennifer Goodman and Ryan Garner , both of whom
have taken a variety of REL courses in the past.

Interested in learning more about the Dean Sea Scrolls? Try visiting here, here, or here.

Thanks to Betty Dickey for arranging this opportunity for our students--a trip funded through the Department's Aronov Endowment.

Prof. Eric Meyers, who is an expert on Second Temple Judaism, met with our students
and toured the exhibit with them, prior to delivering his public lecture that evening.

The trip was made possible by the Department's Aronov Endowment, which assisted the
students to travel to Mobile, use hotel space for their meeting with Prof. Meyers,
stay overnight, and attend the exhibit and that evening's public lecture.

A book-signing followed the lecture.