ABSTRACT
Studying the fortress of Masada, set on top of a rocky massif to the southwest of the Dead Sea, fulfils two potential roles in religious education. Firstly the story of the Zealots’ last stand at Masada against the Romans in AD 73 is dramatic and moving, characterized as it is by extreme courage and single-mindedness and raises many questions among thoughtful people, including children, about the nature of religious commitment. Secondly, it reflects in a very vivid way the type of social and political conditions which provide the backcloth to the life and ministry of Jesus and to the gospels. The rock of Masada is a natural fortress dropping sheerly on all sides 1300 feet to the Dead Sea. The puzzling thing about the scroll is that it tells of the existence of treasure hidden in various parts of the countryside. Great mystery surrounds the entries on the copper scroll.
