Over the past 25 years, after decades of foot-dragging and obstruction by those with access to them, the vast majority of the texts found in the caves of Qumran have been examined and published. But as the scholar Martin Abegg points out in a discussion with his colleagues Peter Flint and Andrew Perrin, making the scrolls available for study is “simply the beginning of the conversation.” (Interview by Megan Sauter.)
The value of the scrolls . . . extends beyond academia. My work in this field rests on the unshakable conviction that the Dead Sea Scrolls are foundational to understanding the origins of Judaism and Christianity and are, therefore, part of the underlying fabric of contemporary Western culture. The Qumran finds provide exhilarating views of the past . . . as well as plug us into larger questions of relevance to theological and religious studies. Questions about wealth, poverty, ethics, identity formation, community dynamics, and gender, to name a few, are only recently being asked of the Dead Sea Scrolls. . . . To be honest, I think we have yet to realize the full significance of these finds.
Read more on Bible History Daily: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/dead-sea-scrolls-history-looking-back-on-the-last-75-years/