VOA慢速英语--圣经博物馆的死海古卷里有5份确认是伪造的

Bible Museum Admits Some of its Dead Sea Scrolls² Are Fake

The Museum of the Bible opened in November 2017 in Washington, D.C. Even then, some questioned whether its collection of 16 Dead Sea Scrolls were real versions of the religious texts.

Now, the museum admits that at least five of its scroll¹ pieces are fake. A team of German researchers used technology to identify the false texts.

The announcement has serious effects for the Bible Museum and other Christian³ individuals and organizations.

Jeffrey Kloha is the chief curator for the Museum of the Bible. In a statement, he said that the findings are a chance to educate the public on the importance of making sure that rare biblical objects are real. He added that the museum was committed to being honest about the situation.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The scrolls are a collection of ancient Jewish religious texts. They were first discovered in the 1940s near the Dead Sea in what is now Israel. The documents are believed to date back to the first century, near the time Jesus was alive, some say. Researchers believe the total collection includes more than 9,000 documents and 50,000 pieces.

Most of the scrolls and pieces are closely controlled by the Israeli Antiquities⁴ Authority. But around 2002, new pieces began to appear on the market. Bible experts became concerned. They warned that these pieces were designed to appeal to American evangelical Christians⁵.

That appears to be exactly what happened. One religious school in Texas and an evangelical college in California reportedly paid millions of dollars to buy what they thought were pieces of the scrolls.

The Green family also bought pieces of the scrolls. The Greens are wealthy evangelical Christians and the main financial supporter of the Museum of the Bible. In the years before the museum opened, the family bought many ancient objects.

Now it appears the Greens mistakenly bought some not-so-ancient objects, too. Associated Press reporter Ashraf Khalil called the situation “a massive case of archaeological fraud.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in this Story

curator – n. a person who is in charge of the things in a museum

fake – n. not true or real

antiquities – n. objects from ancient times

evangelical – adj. of or relating to a Christian sect⁶ or group that stresses the authority of the Bible, the importance of believing that Jesus Christ saved you personally from sin or hell, and the preaching of these beliefs to other people

fraud – n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person

1 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

2 scrolls   

n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕

参考例句：

• Either turn it off or only pick up selected stuff like wands, rings and scrolls. 把他关掉然后只捡你需要的物品，像是魔杖(wand)，戒指(rings)和滚动条(scrolls)。 来自互联网
• Ancient scrolls were found in caves by the Dead Sea. 死海旁边的山洞里发现了古代的卷轴。 来自辞典例句

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

5 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

6 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。