A Reassessment of Damage Patterns in the Greek Minor Prophets Scroll (8ḤevXIIgr)

This article reassesses and interprets several abnormal damage patterns in the Greek Minor Prophets Scroll from Naḥal Ḥever (8ḤevXIIgr). While this important scroll revolutionised our understanding of the textual history of the Greek and Hebrew Bibles, some of its mysterious damage patterns remarkably remain unresolved. In this article, therefore, I propose a simple solution that explains these abnormal diagonal patterns. My interpretation of this analysis then confirms – against a recent suggestion – that the book of Micah followed Jonah in the scroll. These patterns also allow measurement of the scroll’s circumference at certain points and with that its length and possible contents. This reassessment lends weight to the claim that the scroll might not have contained all of the Minor Prophets. This is important for the history and transmission of the Minor Prophets as a collection and the fate of the scroll itself.