Abstract
An ancient scroll from the Pentaeuch was so burned by fire it was little more than lumps of charcoal. Archaeologists discovered the scroll in the 1970s when excavating a burned-down synagogue from AD 600, but it was impossible to unroll it without destroying the text. Until modern technology came to the rescue. Now in some ways it may rival the value of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scroll turned out to be the oldest copy of Leviticus ever found in a synagogue. Unlike the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were produced by an offshoot of Judaism, this was a copy of the Scriptures used by mainstream Jews. And its similarity to our modern text confirms the integrity of our copies.