Dead Sea Scrolls

Ascetic disciples, rules for Essenes, various hierarchies for priests and prophets in a community to distinguish themselves from what they perceived to be the corrupt Hasmonean dynasty and later Herodian dynasty and the Sadducees. These scrolls contain many apocalyptic visions and strict values. The written language found in these Dead Sea Scrolls include Torah, and Prophets, and Ketuvim in three language scripts: Hebrew (Paleo-Hebrew and Aramaic-Hebrew) and Greek. Hebrew: The dominant language for Torah scrolls and other biblical books.
Aramaic: Several Aramaic texts are present, including translations of biblical books (e.g., Job) and today considered non-canonical works (e.g., 1 Enoch, Tobit, Genesis Apocryphon).
Greek: Fragments of the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) were found, specifically parts of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
Context: The Scrolls date from roughly the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD. The presence of these languages highlights a diverse literary culture where Hebrew was used for scripture, Aramaic for popular literature, and Greek for interaction with the Hellenistic world. The Dead Sea Scrolls do not represent a single, fixed canon (standard for liturgical use), but rather a library of diverse texts from the Second Temple period (c. 3rd century BC—1st century AD). They include early copies of almost all Hebrew Bible books (except Esther), alongside Apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, and sectarian writings, suggesting a wider, more fluid definition of "scripture" than later, closed canons.