Dead Sea Scrolls expert to speak in Chapel Hill

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A talk by a pioneer of Dead Sea Scrolls research marks the start of a series of events sponsored by a North Carolina university. Geza Vermes is the emeritus professor of Jewish studies at Oxford University. He will discuss the Dead Sea Scrolls and their contribution to the study of ancient Judaism and early Christianity. The discussion is part of a series sponsored by the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina. Vermes will speak Monday evening at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education. He was one of the first scholars to examine the Dead Sea Scrolls after their discovery in 1947, and he authored their the standard translation into English. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)