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Remember, it’s never too early or too late to register for a class, even after it’s begun. You can always catch up with any sessions you may have missed by watching the video recordings of previous sessions. The time remaining before the first class session is below, so register now, stop hesitating and get to it!

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Offered:

as in-person classes, live-streamed Zoom sessions and video recordings.

  • • Term 4 (Oct-Nov) this year, pending sufficient enrolment.

  • • This course is offered as an in-person course in Hamilton, New Zealand, live-streamed via Zoom if you live elsewhere, and as video recordings of the live sessions if you cannot attend the regularly scheduled class.

Date & Time:

Begins Mon 13 October 2025, 7:30-9:00pm

  • • Our 2025 Term 4 HIS310 course begins on Monday 13 October 2025 from 7:30-9:00pm and meets for 6 consecutive weekly sessions. The last session meets on Monday 17 Nov 2025.

  • • If you live outside of New Zealand and wish to Zoom in to our live class sessions, check the nearest local Time Zone equivalent below:

Time Zone equivalents:

for live-streaming Zoom Sessions from New Zealand. If your Time Zone doesn't suit our live-streamed class, you can also access our courses by watching the live-recorded sessions that are posted to the course webpage each week, usually within 1-2 days.

  • Honolulu, Hawai’i: begins Sun 12 Oct 2025, 8:30-10:00pm

  • US Pacific: begins Sun 12 Oct 2025, 11:30pm-1:00am

  • London, UK: begins Mon 13 Oct 2025, 07:30-9:00am

  • New Delhi, India: begins Mon 13 Oct 2025, 12:00-1:30pm

  • Bangkok, Thailand: begins Mon 13 Oct 2025, 1:30-3:00am

  • Singapore & Shanghai: begins Mon 13 Oct 2025, 2:30-4:00pm

  • Tokyo, Japan: begins Mon 13 Oct 2025, 3:30-5:00pm

  • Sydney, Australia: begins Mon 13 Oct 2025, 5:30-7:00pm

Description:

HIS310: “The Dead Sea Scrolls”

  • • Ever since their discovery in the 1940s the Dead Sea Scrolls have generated massive amounts of scholarly controversy. Even those outside the field of Biblical Studies tend to be vaguely aware of academic scandals, Religiously motivated cover-ups and conspiracy theories. So what is it about the “most significant archaeological discovery of the 20th century” that has created so much controversy? This course focuses on the historical and archaeological significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and examines the discovery, scholarship and ongoing controversies associated with their publication.

Course curriculum

New material is posted weekly throughout the duration of the course. Video recordings and PDFs from each session are posted here approximately 1-2 days after each class.

    1. EarthDiverse Course Information

    2. EarthDiverse Zoom instructions

    3. Dead Sea Scrolls Handout Timeline 2023 PDF

    4. 2023 Term 1 - Dead Sea Scrolls images 1-100

    5. 2023 Term 1 - Dead Sea Scrolls images 101-175

    1. The Discovery and Publication Controversy of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1947-1956

    1. Discovery and Publication: 1956-1967

    1. The 1991 Revolution

    1. The Essenes

    2. Handout: Three Classical Witnesses on the Essenes

    1. The Archaeology of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Additional course info:

  • Videos and PDF content of class presentations are uploaded weekly after each live session
  • Begins Monday 13 October 2025
  • NZ time: Mondays 7:30-9:00pm

Meet our Instructor

History Instructor Dr Dennis Green, PhD

Dennis holds a PhD from the University of Waikato, and is a graduate of the Oxford Center for Postgraduate Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He lectured for 16 years for the University of Waikato’s Religious Studies Department. He has special interests in the Archaeology and Anthropology of the southern Levant, Iron Age Israelite history and the Second Temple Period of Jewish history. Apart from ongoing research, he is employed doing archaeological excavations in the greater Waikato area.

Location:

This is a hybrid class with both in-person sessions and live-streamed via Zoom

Our in-person classes are held at the EarthDiverse classrooms in Hillcrest, Hamilton New Zealand. There is plenty of on-street parking available.

Distance Learning:

This course has distance-learning options for those unable to attend the live class sessions in Hamilton. Students have three options for attending our courses once they have registered:

• Attend in-person classes in our Hamilton classrooms at the regularly scheduled day and time.

• Attend our live on-line classroom sessions via Zoom at the regular scheduled day and time.

• Watch the live-recorded class sessions at your leisure, at a time, day and place more suited to your schedule.

Distance-Learning options:

Live Zoom sessions and Video-Recordings

  • • Our courses offer distance learning options: Live-streamed Hamilton classes are available via free Zoom software for those living anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Live-streaming allows you to participate fully in your own learning, ask questions of the instructor and participate fully in the same way as if you were in the physical classroom.

  • • Those unable to attend the scheduled date and time of the actual class sessions, or those who need to miss a class or two due to previous engagements or unexpected illness, can watch any or all of the live-recorded video sessions on their computers, laptops, tablets or mobile devices and study at their own pace and in their own time.

  • • Detailed instructions on how to access our distance learning components are available on the course webpage once you complete your registration and can sign in with your EarthDiverse account. There are no additional fees for this service. However, distance learners will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with a good quality web-camera (tablet devices and mobile phones can also access our live-streamed classes), a built-in microphone (most modern laptops have built-in microphones) or a headset with a microphone. You will also need to download and install the free Zoom software on your computer or device. Those accessing the video recordings will be able to do so with a simple web browser on any device.

Pricing options

• All prices are in New Zealand dollars and include GST.

• Unwaged includes students, seniors, retirees and unemployed.

• Prices remain the same regardless of your chosen method for accessing this course.

• Please note that If you live in the US or Canada, an additional tax may be applied as per local tax regulations.

Notes:

Those who cannot make the class meeting day and time via live Zoom sessions may consider accessing this course through the weekly recorded video sessions. Class videos are usually posted within 1-2 days of each live class session and are available for your own personal learning on a day and time of your choosing.

• This course has no assignments, quizzes, tests or exams.

• You will not need to purchase any additional course materials.

• All classes encourage questions and group discussion.

• PDFs of class presentations and video recordings of each session are posted 1-2 days after each session for the duration of the course. You are most welcome to come, sit back, relax, take part in and enjoy the discussions!

• If you’re attending in-person, course fees include tea/coffee/snack at each session. Help yourself! If you’re Zooming from home feel free to get yourself a cuppa and join your instructor and classmates!

• There are no refunds for missed classes. If you miss a class, you can watch the video recording!

• Please email or text your teachers if you are unable to attend any specific class session.

• Guests of registered participants are welcome to attend a single session without registering.

• If, however, this course is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment please note that your registration fee will either be refunded in full or you may select to receive a course credit. Your choice!

• Certificates of Completion for any particular Term Course or Series are available for Professional Development purposes upon request at the end of each Term or Series.

Materials:

All materials are included in the course fees. These are developed by our instructors and distributed as PDF files on the course webpage.

• Course materials are provided to all registered students as digital materials made available to you on the course webpage for download (accessible after registration). There is no need to purchase any additional textbooks for this course, although you may choose to do so to supplement your learning.

• You will only require a pen or pencil, a notebook for taking your own class notes, and a loose-leaf binder.

• Any handouts given to the class by the instructor are also posted to the class webpage on your dashboard as a PDF file available for download and printing at home.

Prerequisites:

A keen desire to learn the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls from an expert in the field.

  • There are no prerequisites for this course.

  • Open to those aged 12 years and above.