Antiochus IV makes the book a capital crime

Antiochus IV makes owning the book a capital crime — yet copies older than the decree survive, later found at Qumran.

In plain words

Antiochus IV makes owning the book a crime punishable by death, yet copies older than his decree survive and are later found in the caves at Qumran: the shortest distance between a state and the text it fears.

The mechanism

ENCLOSURE BY FORCE — the shortest distance between a state and the text it fears

How it was checked

• EvidenceT6 PHYSICAL / MANUSCRIPT; Status: COMMITTED; a capture
• Letter eraTHE PROPHETS AND THE ROAD 776 BC to 4 BC
• Plate — One of the Qumran caves where Dead Sea Scrolls were found · CC BY 2.0 · source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qumran_caves_1504_(509724995).jpg
• SourcesSECULAR RECORD + ARCHAEOLOGY