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What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Dead Sea Scrolls are leather scrolls (rolled pieces of material upon which words or symbols are inscribed) that were discovered in caves near the Dead Sea in northwestern Palestine by two Bedouin (a nomadic tribe) shepherds in 1947. Written sometime during the first century B.C. and the first half of the first century A.D., the Dead Sea Scrolls survived the ages because they were wrapped in linen cloths and stored in earthen jars sealed with tar. Archaeologists (scientists who study the remains of ancient cultures) discovered some 300 other caves in the vicinity; twelve of them contained more scrolls. Ten complete scrolls and numerous fragments written in Hebrew and Aramaic appear to have been compiled by a group of religious believers called the Essenes. While some of the texts refer specifically to the history and activities of the Essenes, others contain books of the entire Hebrew Bible...

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1. Mythology
   1. How are religions classified?
   2. What is mythology?
2. Eastern Faiths
   1. What is Buddhism?
   2. What are the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism?
   3. Who is the Dalai Lama?
   4. What is the controversy over Tibet?
   5. What is Zen Buddhism?
   6. What is Hinduism?
   7. What is karma?
   8. What is Shinto?
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   10. Who wrote the Koran?
   11. What are the two main groups of Islam?
   12. What are Islam's Five Pillars of Faith?
   13. Why is Mecca a holy city for Muslims?
3. Judaism And Christianity
   1. When was the Bible written?
   2. What is the difference between the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament?
   3. What are the divisions of the Hebrew Bible?
   4. What is a prophet?
   5. What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
   6. What was the Exodus from Egypt?
   7. What were the Ten Plagues?
   8. Did Moses really stutter?
   9. What are the Ten Commandments?
   10. Who was Jesus of Nazareth?
   11. Why were the religious leaders angered by Jesus of Nazareth?
   12. Are apostles the same as disciples?
   13. What are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
   14. Why do Jews, Christians, and Muslims all claim Palestine as their Holy Land?
   15. What is Golgotha?
   16. What was an infidel?
   17. What were the Crusades and how did they change Europe?
   18. How does the Roman Catholic Church choose who will be the pope and how many popes have there been?
   19. What caused the East-West Schism in the Catholic Church?
   20. Why was the Bible translated into English?
   21. What was the Reformation?
   22. Why were Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses so important?
   23. What was the Peace of Augsburg?
   24. What was the Counter Reformation?
   25. Who are the Jesuits?
   26. Who were the Puritans?
   27. What was the Great Awakening?
   28. What is the Protestant ethic?
   29. What are the criteria for sainthood?
   30. Will Mother Teresa be sainted?

1. Crusades