STEUBENVILLE, OHIO— The greatest archeological discovery of the 20th century gave the world the Dead Sea Scrolls. Now, Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, a new video series, explores the history and mysteries of the scrolls and what they reveal about Jesus Christ and the sacraments—and why they matter to believers and non-believers today.

In the eight-part series, biblical scholar Dr. John Bergsma and Franciscan University of Steubenville president Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, discuss the scrolls and the insights they give into the Essenes, a radical Jewish community that lived in the centuries just before and during the life of Jesus, and their influence on early Christianity.

“Many people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls but don’t understand why they are so important,” said Father Pivonka. “The writings in the scrolls are like a window, like peeking through a little keyhole, for fresh insights into St. John the Baptist, St. John the Apostle, the Blessed Mother, and into the life and times of Jesus.”

First discovered in caves in 1946 by Bedouin shepherds in the region near the Dead Sea, the 1,000 scrolls eventually uncovered proved to be the Essenes’ library and some of the oldest sacred documents ever found of Judaism.

“About one-quarter of the scrolls were books of the Bible, including a complete copy of the Book of Isaiah in the original language,” said Bergsma, a professor of theology at Franciscan University. “The scrolls shed light on all kinds of details in the Gospel narratives, such as many curious features of John the Baptist’s person and ministry, and the particulars of Jesus’ words and deeds at the Last Supper.”

Marriage, celibacy, Holy Orders, the Mass and the Eucharist, even connections between the writings of St. Paul and the scrolls are examined in this fascinating series.

Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls is available now free of charge at Franciscan University of Steubenville’s YouTube channel and The Ministry of the Wild Goose. The DVD of the entire series is available for $24.99 from the Franciscan University Bookstore.

Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls was produced by Franciscan University of Steubenville, in association with The Ministry of the Wild Goose and is based on the book Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity, written by Dr. John Bergsma.