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Other items on display at the London exhibition, which organisers are calling "the world's greatest collection of Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy books", include the first ever complete printed Mishna, a 14th century bible from Lisbon, Portugal and a 13th century Talmud.
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LONDON (EJP)---A never before exhibited fragment of the famous Dead Sea scrolls is among some of the oldest and rarest copies of religious Jewish texts on display in a unique exhibition opened at the British library last week.
The piece, which was acquired in 1952 by French Professor Jean Starcky, sits alongside dozens of extremely rare Christian and Muslim texts in the exhibition entitled Sacred – Discover what we share.
The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco were amongst the attendees at Thursday’s official opening of the exhibition, seen as an important illustration of the close ties between the three faiths, despite their disputes.
Rare scroll
Most of the famous Dead Seas Scrolls, which were discovered in southern Israel in 1947 and date back close to 2,000 years, are on display at the Shrine of the Book, a special exhibition room built specifically for them at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
But this particular fragment, which includes part of the Psalms and dates from the year 50, was held privately and never shown publicly until this week.
Other items on display at the exhibition, which organisers are calling "the world’s greatest collection of Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy books", include the first ever complete printed Mishna, a 14th century bible from Lisbon, Portugal and a 13th century Talmud.
The page of Mishna, a book of authoritative Jewish law as compiled by early rabbis text, was printed in Naples in 1492 by Joshua Solomon Soncino.
It deals with the laws regarding forbidden mixtures of species in agriculture, breeding and clothing and forms part of Zera’im (Seeds), one of the six divisions or orders of the Mishna. Added to the text is Moses Maimonides’s commentary translated from the original Arabic.
Side by side
Graham Shaw, the lead curator, was delighted to see the exhibition finally open after years of planning, and spoke of the importance of displaying the Jewish, Muslim and Christian pieces side by side.
"We were determined not to create faith zones, but to show these wonderful manuscripts side by side, and demonstrate how much we share - not least that these are three faiths founded on sacred texts, books of revelation," he said.
As well as the physical exhibition, a number of events and discussions will be held around it.
These include Sacred Ways, an afternoon of free art experiences inspired by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths to be held in the Piazza of the British Library on Monday May 6.
The Piazza will be transformed, with a programme of outdoor performances, workshops, food, crafts, installations and displays reflecting on sacred places, journeys and traditions.