Letter from Professor W. F. Albright, Containing His First Reaction to Images of the Great Isaiah Scroll

By: William F. Albright

Collection ID
PPR.010252
Type
Papers
Date
March 8, 1948
Geography
Baltimore, Maryland (United States)
Language
English
Medium
Ink on Paper
Dimensions
11.9 × 7 in. (30.3 × 18 cm)
Exhibit Location
On View in Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA

The original typed and signed letter by Professor William F. Albright (Johns Hopkins University) in which he reacts to the first images of the Great Isaiah Scroll. In the weeks prior, Professor John C. Trever photographed several Dead Sea Scrolls in Israel and airmailed images to Albright. This letter contains Albright’s first reaction to the Great Isaiah Scroll, referring to it as “the greatest [manuscript] discovery of modern times!” and “an absolutely incredible find!” Though it was an initial assessment, further studies supported Albright’s dating of the Great Isaiah Scroll to “around 100 B.C.”

Created on March 8, 1948, by Professor William F. Albright, Johns Hopkins University; Delivered to Professor John C. Trever while in Jerusalem;[1] By descent in 2006 to James E. Trever, New Mexico; Privately purchased in 2020 by Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] This letter returned to the United States with Trever.

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