The Israel Antiquities Authority in late October opened access to all original fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, ending 40 years of exclusive control and controversy. Earlier this year two American professors recreated copies of previously unreleased texts by computer, after which the Huntington Library in California opened access to its exclusive copies (CT, Oct. 28, 1991, p. 42).
One scholar claims he has discovered information in the newly released fragments indicating a closer link between early Jews and Christians than previously suspected. Robert Eisenman, professor of religious studies at California State University, Long Beach, said five lines in the fragments speak of a Messiah hailing from the line of King David who “was pierced for our sins.” The phrase could indicate one of the earliest reports of Christ’s death by Jewish sympathizers, or it could show that the idea of a crucified Messiah existed before Christianity. Eisenman says his finding bolsters complaints of a scholarly monopoly on the scrolls. Other experts, however, have questioned Eisenman’s conclusions, which are based on only a small portion of text.
CHINA
Church Still Persecuted
Recent reports indicate that Communist leaders in China have intensified their persecution of Christians. At least 84 church leaders are under arrest, many suffering torture, according to reports by Christian Solidarity International (CSI), a Switzerland-based human-rights organization. “Numerous reports have indicated that Christians are being singled out, having been subjected to beatings, imprisonments, and heavy fines on account of such ‘crimes’ as holding ‘illegal’ gatherings, ‘maintaining contacts with overseas organizations,’ and for the ‘illegal distribution of Bibles,’ ” a CSI report states.
In mid-September, government forces reportedly raided a church of about 2,000, beating preachers and shocking them with cattle prods. While government officials recently released 73-year-old Roman Catholic bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang, after a two-month detention, some observers say such actions are a publicity front, in light of other recent arrests.
GREAT BRITAIN
To Shop, Or Not To Shop
While members of the European Community are considering proposals to ban working on Sunday, the chairman of one of Great Britain’s largest and most diversified retail groups vowed to keep breaking that country’s Sunday trade laws. Sir Simon Hornby, chairman of the WH Smiths AGM, which owns an array of retail chains, said the laws don’t make sense. And other companies are beginning to open on Sunday, reports the Church of England Newspaper.
The director of Keep Sunday Special, Michael Schluter, decried the British government’s failure to enforce Sunday trading laws. “Europe already keeps Sunday as a day of rest,” he said. “We believe the British government is the only one against keeping Sunday as a day of rest.”
Germany is spearheading a drive to outlaw working on Sunday, citing health and safety concerns. Holland, Denmark, and Belgium support such laws as well. According to reports, a European Community draft proposal for a law banning Sunday work was scheduled for vote on December 3. Passage of such a draft would be a strong sign that future approval of a final draft would be likely.
CAMBODIAN TREATY
Refugees Tyrannized
Cambodia is finally at peace, at least on paper. A long-sought treaty between warring factions was signed in late October, after decades of violence. Christian organizations have begun repatriating more than 300,000 Cambodian refugees from Thai border camps to their homeland. Under the peace treaty, the refugees are returning voluntarily.
Amid the positive signs, however, lurks the presence of the Khmer Rouge, masters of the infamous “killing fields” of Cambodia. Reports indicate that Khmer Rouge members openly control one of the refugee camps, known as Site 8, and are forcing those refugees to repatriate only to areas of Cambodia still under the group’s power. The presence of the terrrorist group has made missionaries cautious.
“Fully 80 percent of the Site 8 refugees do not want to live under Khmer Rouge control in Cambodia, but that seems irrelevant to the camp’s military masters,” says a report from the Christian and Missionary Alliance. “Their methods have changed little since the mid-1970s reign of terror that cost over a million lives of their countrymen.”
PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Briefly Noted
Granted: By the United Nations, “observer status” to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA). Observer status allows an MJAA representative to attend all open sessions of the UN General Assembly.
Named: Michael Green, by the archbishops of Canterbury and York, to lead a decade-long Anglican evangelistic effort. Green, a professor of New Testament and evangelism at Regent College in Vancouver, will collaborate with Michael Marshall, former bishop of Woolwich.
Dared: The Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, by a leading right-wing churchman, Andries Treumicht, to discipline him if the church feels his advocacy of racial separation is wrong. Many believe Treumicht’s challenge was calculated to drive a wedge between church progressives and conservatives.
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