According to a new study in the journal PLOS One entitled, “Dating Ancient Manuscripts Using Radiocarbon and AI-Based Writing Style Analysis,” a third of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) manuscripts tested were composed earlier than initially thought. The research team created an artificial intelligence program, named “Enoch,” that was trained to predict dates based on the handwriting style features of the manuscripts and carbon-14 results. These dates were then compared with the dates traditionally assigned to the scrolls based on paleography. Thirty DSS manuscripts were initially tested, with twenty-six providing valid results. In one-third of the samples (9 out of 26), the dates provided by Enoch and radiocarbon dating were earlier than the proposed palaeographic dates. This includes DSS manuscripts such as 4Q2 (Genesis), 4Q27 (Numbers), and 4Q30 (Deuteronomy). The results for 4Q114 (Daniel) pose a problem for scholars who date the composition of Daniel to ca. 160 BC, since the radiocarbon dates indicate 4Q114 was likely composed earlier (ca. 230–160 BC). The fact that the book of Daniel was copied, circulated, and accepted as canonical already in the second or third century BC suggests an even earlier composition date.
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