ROM ‘very gratified by response’ to Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit
Written by Atara Beck   
Tuesday, 20 October 2009

TORONTO – Since the June 27 opening of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, more than 160,000 visitors have gone to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to view the display, which is “about ideas and values as much as artifacts and ideology,” said William Thorsell, the ROM’s CEO.

A week ago Saturday, the exhibit’s eight scrolls were replaced by eight others, on loan with 200 artifacts from the Israel Antiquities Authority. The exhibit, titled Dead Sea Scrolls: Words that Changed the World – complemented by full interpretations, translations and background information – includes items from the ROM’s own collections as well.

Also on display until Oct. 18 was the oldest known text of the Ten Commandments. The Nash Papyrus, discovered in Egypt, is in Hebrew and dates back to 150-100 BCE. Followed by the famous Hebrew Shema Yisrael prayer, many experts believe it may have been a piece used for prayer rather than a part of Deuteronomy.

At a media event the day before the public display of the new set of scrolls, Thorsell told the crowd he has been “very gratified by the response to the exhibit,” and that people have been spending considerable time going through it, “very slowly and thoughtfully.”

“This is an exciting set,” said curator Resa Levitt Cohen, adding that expectations for success have been set high by the first exhibit.

The Dead Sea Scrolls tend to be 1,900-2,300 years old and only 2 to 3 per cent are in Greek, she explained.

One of several interesting tidbits of information posted in the exhibit is the fact that the phrase “ten commandments” does not appear anywhere in the Hebrew bible. Rather, they are called debarim – statements.

The Tanenbaum lecture series was sold out in advance and people are advised to sign up early for the next set due to the strong response to these intellectual events. Commenting on Song of Songs: Music from Three Ancient Traditions – a recent Tafelmusik concert in conjunction with the exhibit, touching upon Judaism, Christianity and Islam – Thorsell said it was inspiring to see people from all three religious backgrounds singing together.

The depth of academic knowledge and leadership at the ROM is “our good fortune,” he said.

The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit closes on Jan. 3, 2010.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 28 October 2009 )