Qumran Institute

The Groningen Qumran Institute, founded in 1961 by the late Professor Adam van der Woude, is unique in the Netherlands. It is the only research center where the study of ancient Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls is central.

International links

Internationally, Groningen plays an important role in the research into the Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient Judaism. The Qumran Institute is involved in editing leading scholarly publications (journals and monograph series). It plays a central role in the so called Groningen - Leuven - Oxford Network for Dead Sea Scrolls.

Understanding ancient Judaism

The Dead Sea Scrolls are highly important for understanding ancient Judaism in general. They are a bridge between the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament. The Dead Sea Scrolls date to the formative period of Judaism and Christianity. In addition to biblical manuscripts, many non-biblical manuscripts were found. Jews outside of the Qumran community also read these texts. The Dead Sea Scrolls thus throw new light on Jewish culture at large in antiquity.

Director: Prof. dr. Mladen Popović