PORTO, Portugal — In just two weeks, more than 3,000 visitors here viewed the Church's Dead Sea Manuscripts exhibit in the Alfandega do Porto building.
The international traveling exposition was presented May 12-26 in the Transportation and Communications Museum, as part of its European tour of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany and Denmark.
Dr. Paulo Morais, vice president of the Porto City Hall, and Carlos Britothe, president of the board of administration of the Museum Association, spoke of the cultural importance of this event in the city. The Rev. Geraldo, a recognized specialist on the Dead Sea Scrolls, also attended.
This event attracted visitors from south and north of the country, representatives of many religious groups, scholars of the subject as well as amateurs. The display also drew the interest of the media, including newspapers, radio stations and television. A TV program named "Caminhos," presented the exhibit in detail.
In addition to raising the Church's profile, the exhibit led to bridges of understanding being built promoting the good name and reputation of the Church.
This exposition is a result of a partnership between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at BYU, which contributed to several aspects of the project, such as the conservation and treatment of the scrolls as well as the analysis of the manuscript texts.
First discovered in 1947 in caves along the northwestern rim of the Dead Sea near the ancient site of Qumran, the Dead Sea Scrolls are the fragmentary remains of more than 800 biblical and non-biblical works dating from about 300 B.C. to A.D. 60. In the exposition were shown quality reproductions and some originals provided by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.