The Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit

Friday morning/afternoon, my parents and I were fortunate to check out the exhibit at the Science Museum of MN of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I've been fascinated by the Dead Sea Scrolls for over eight years now. If there's a show on them, I'm watching it. I have numerous books on them.

So when we were looking for our small trip idea, I saw that they were on display, and my parents were also interested in seeing them. My poor parents, over the years I have made them go to see so many historical exhibits and sites, lol.

The exhibit starts with all sorts of artifacts from Qumran (where the caves where the scrolls were discovered) and also other places like Masada. All sorts of things, like oil lamps and pottery and fabric. The exhibit also went into whether the settlement at Qumran was religious or secular or maybe both. Fascinating.

Then...the scrolls.

The first one I saw was bits from the book of Isaiah, chapter 54. Here's a picture of it:



Translation: "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen they stakes."

My first reaction: ok, really? I wait how long to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the first one I see talks about a barren woman? We are not amused.

Then as I looked at it and smushed my hands and face against the glass, I started really taking in what I was seeing.

This scroll is over 2,000 years old.

It mentions barren women.

I became deeply humbled, almost to the point of tears.

Here in front of me is an ancient scroll that records the heartache of infertility.

My pain has been around for years. For decades. For centuries.

2,000 years.

Time faded between me and the scroll.

I felt connected to every woman who has ever known infertility. Until that scroll, I had pretty much only thought of it only in present day context. Selfishly in present day context. In my own situation, through my own eyes.

That scroll opened my eyes to all of time.

I saw, for the first time, how fortunate I am. My social status or lively hood does not depend on whether or not I have kids or a large family. I have many options available to me if I want to become a mother. I also can choose not to be a mother. My lack of uterus is a part of me, but it will not define me--I have more to offer. Nothing is expected of me just because I am a female.

I am also fortunate because I have the Internet to connect to other women who are experiencing the same feelings and pain as I am. E-mails, blogs, message boards, chats--we are all connected. I have psychiatrists, therapists, and medications to help me cope.

How strong these women must have been 2,000 years ago who had access to none of what I have, who only had God to turn to. And what happened if they began to lose their faith, as I have, when wondering why this has happened to them? Would they be alone, truly alone?

My eyes watered for my infertility sisters in centuries past who were not as fortunate as I. How I admired them.

I pulled myself away from the display before I started crying.