Stepping Back in Time: Creating Scrolls Like the Essenes

Our second and third grade students recently stepped back in time as they explored the different Jewish groups that lived during the time of Jesus—such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and Essenes. To bring this history to life, the students pretended to be members of the Essene community and created their own scrolls, just as the Essenes once did. The Essenes wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest copies of Scripture that we currently have.

This hands-on activity helped students understand how deeply the Jewish people treasured God’s Word. The Essenes faithfully preserved Scripture by writing and storing these scrolls, many of which were discovered only about sixty years ago near the Dead Sea. By making their own scrolls, our students experienced—on a small scale—the reverence and dedication that surrounded the preservation of sacred texts in the time of Jesus.

Learning about the historical world of Jesus helps children see that our faith is rooted in real people, real places, and real events. When students discover how Scripture was preserved and passed down through generations, they begin to appreciate the incredible gift of God’s Word that we have today. Activities like this not only deepen their understanding of history, but also invite them to grow in gratitude for the faith that continues to guide the Church today.

A few of our 3rd grade students reciting the prayer: “Prince of Peace.”

“This is the true word of the Lord: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; authority rests upon His shoulder, and His name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”