There is a common conception that if an ancient scribe made a mistake, the whole document was destroyed and the scribe began the work again. If this was true with any ancient texts, it certainly was not the case with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This example is certainly not isolated. One only need look at the DSS photographs, and finding examples is easy.

The following examples of corrections are from the Isaiah Scroll from Cave 1 (1QIsaA). Note the corrections in the margin and above the line.

Question: if you were a second scribe copying one of these texts a hundred years after the first scribe made the corrections, would you always be certain which column the sideways writing went with?

These examples serve to illustrate two things. First, the ancient scribes did make mistakes. Second, the ancient scribes were also interested in accuracy, and therefore corrected the text when they made mistakes.

8. TEXTUAL CRITICISM (TRYING TO GET BACK TO THE ORIGINAL TEXT)

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