Dead Sea Scrolls
Appears in Episode: The SEELE organization possess vast amounts of wealth, and perhaps because of their origins as a religious organization, they often funded investigations into the relics of their own faith. Among these, something was excavated that marked a significant turning point for both SEELE and humankind: the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are scriptures written by the First Ancestor Civilization, a manual regarding the Seed of Life (Progenitor Entity) and the usage of the Lance of Longinus security device, possibly while applying a scheme at the time of use to a religious group's own doctrines. They are written prophecy, in so far as they remain active even in the current day according to a design of the past.
Until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, SEELE had only fragments of knowledge about the scrolls' contents and existence, but never imagined the scrolls might actually exist, contain meaningful prophecies, and remain in near-perfect condition. They were sent to headquarters promptly, upon which the actual truth was skewed and immediately covered up. The parts of little consequence, were later released to the public.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a critical part of Evangelion lore, and are in the possession of the SEELE organization which uses them as reference to manufacture humanity's artificial evolution via the Human Instrumentality Project.
In reality, the Dead Sea Scrolls were excavated between 1947 and 1956 from the Qumran Caves on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, a lake in Israel. They contained roughly 850 documents, including the Old Testament and other religious texts not found within the Bible. The scrolls are of great religious and historical significance, as they are the only such remaining documents dating before 100 A.D.
For years there were rumors that the Vatican was hiding parts of its contents, but in 2001 the entire manuscript was published. The majority of the scrolls are now housed in Israel (eight manuscripts at the Shrine of the Book and all others at the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem). There are also some texts in Jordan and Europe.
Based partially on Neon Genesis Evangelion 2 for PlayStation 2
Analysis
- Origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls
The most common theory at the time of the series (the theory the series is based on) is that the Dead Sea Scrolls were compiled and preserved by a secluded Judaic sect called the Essenes that flourished in the area of the Qumran Caves between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D. The Essenes were believed to have been largely destroyed by Roman legions in 68 A.D. as part of the Roman effort to take back Judea.
- SEELE Descendants of Essenes?
While few facts are known about the SEELE organization, it has been suggested that they may be descendants of the Essenes. This would indeed make SEELE one of the oldest surviving organizations in the world, as well as make the Human Instrumentality Project a 2000-year endeavor.