The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient manuscripts discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves near the Dead Sea in present-day Israel. These texts, dating from the third century BCE to the first century CE, include biblical manuscripts, sectarian writings, and other documents that provide insight into the beliefs and practices of the Jewish community at that time.
The scrolls are significant for biblical studies as they contain some of the oldest known copies of the Hebrew Bible. They have helped scholars understand the historical context of the Old Testament and the development of early Judaism, shedding light on the religious landscape before the emergence of Christianity.