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EYAL BARTOV / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

SEARCHING FOR EZRA. The Dead Sea Scrolls are considered by many to be the most significant archaeological discovery of the 20th century. Dating from the third century B.C.E. to the first century C.E., they represent the earliest collection of biblical manuscripts. Not only do they illuminate the biblical world, but they also shed light on the composition of biblical texts. Here, a researcher examines one of the Psalm scrolls in the Israel Museum. Although some fragments of the Book of Ezra have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ezra’s story—his role in reinstating Jewish law after the exile—is not preserved in the scrolls.