As a preliminary step the ‘Scrolls Committee’ was formed with the agreement of the State of Israel Archaeological Council. The members of the committee were Professor Shemaryahu Talmon and the late Professor Jonah Greenfield, both of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Mr. Magen Broshi, the director of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum. Joining them were Professor Emmanuel Tov, who was appointed editor-in-chief and Mrs. Ayala Sussman who acted as the committee’s secretary. The Scrolls Committee convened on more than seventy occasions during which various matters were discussed and decided pertaining to the scrolls and particularly to their publication. The committee’s work was carried out in a cordial atmosphere and decisions were arrived at by agreement. It was refreshing to behold the group of experts dedicating their time and skills to solving this intricate problem. Without the devoted and efficient work of the Scrolls Committee, it would have been impossible to finish the publication project. As mentioned, the Antiquities Authority attended to three matters:
1. The conservation of the scrolls. With the assistance of experts from around the world and from Israel, an advanced method of treatment was developed and agreed upon and the Antiquities Authority established a unique laboratory for this that provided a suitable answer to the problem.
2. An attempt to locate additional scrolls. The project was predicated on the assumption that other scrolls exist that have yet to be located and they merited searching for. This operation was primarily carried out by the Antiquities Authority and the Archaeological Staff Officer of Judea and Samaria, under the direction of Dr. Yitzhak Magen. Eight years ago “Operation Scroll” was conducted in which hundreds of caves were surveyed and dozens were excavated, and the archaeological excavations at Qumran were renewed.
3. The scrolls publication. This was the most complex and complicated aspect of the project. With the appointment of the Scrolls Committee the status of the documents publication and the scientific publication rights held by the different scholars became clear. Following this a publication plan was conceived that was based on increasing the number of researchers and establishing a timetable for their work. In fact, some one hundred scholars chosen for their abilities, participated. The Scrolls Committee maintained the right to transfer material, whose publication was behind schedule, to other researchers. It was agreed to continue publishing the entire series, and the question of perusing material being studied by other scholars prior to its final publication was solved. The selection of Professor Emmanuel Tov as editor-in-chief proved to be most successful. Thanks to his erudition, his ability and his diligent and methodical work, we can celebrate the accomplishment of the completed task.
