The Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionized understandings of Hellenistic Judaism, the Hebrew Bible, and the time period of Jesus. But why? Why do they matter? How were they discovered? Who wrote them? This two-part lecture will consider where these writings originated and why, as writings of a small Dead Sea community, they have made such a major impact on scholarship.

Jason Hensley, PhD, is an award-winning author who lectures frequently in both scholarly settings and faith communities on the Bible, Biblical languages, Judaism and Christianity, and the Holocaust. His interests follow both history and Biblical studies, and he holds graduate degrees in both subjects. He is a fellow of the Michael LaPrade Holocaust Education Institute of the Anti-Defamation League, a member of Civic Spirit's teacher education cohort, and the award-winning author of 10 books. His work has been featured in The Huffington Post as well as the BBC, Breaking Israel News, Aish.com, the USC Shoah Foundation's website, and he has served as the historical advisor for a Holocaust documentary.