Binding: Paperback Published: 2004-11-30 ISBN: 0140449523 Availability:
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ISBN13: 9780140449525
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The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judean desert between 1947 and 1956 was one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time. Hidden in the caves at Qumran by the Essenes, a Jewish sect in existence before and during the time of Jesus, the Scrolls have transformed our understanding of the Hebrew Bible, early Judaism, and the origins of Christianity. This fully revised edition of the classic English translation by Geza Vermes, the world's leading scholar on the subject, offers an astonishing look into the organization, customs, and beliefs of the community at Qumran. Enhanced by much previously unpublished material and a new preface, this will remain the authoritative translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls for years to come.
It's been 50 years since a Bedouin youth named Muhammed edh-Dhub went looking for a stray sheep and instead found the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the intervening decades, the scrolls have been enveloped in a storm of controversy and bitter conflict: the scholars entrusted with translating and editing the texts sat on many of them instead, creating suspicions that escalated to conspiracy theories about supposed cover-ups of sensitive, even damaging material. Geza Vermes, a former professor of Jewish studies at Oxford and a noted authority on the scrolls, marks the 50th anniversary of Muhammed edh-Dhub's find with his book The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English; the title, however, is misleading, for the collection of documents is by no means complete.
Vermes has left out the copies of Hebrew scriptures that are available elsewhere, instead focusing on the sectarian writings of the Essene community at Qumran and the intertestemental texts, and these are indeed complete translations. Vermes has also included an overview of five decades of research on the scrolls and a thumbnail sketch of the Qumran community's history and religion. For anyone interested in biblical history, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English is a worthwhile read.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Great Book!:
Recieved it in a timely manner, and was in the exact condition as described by the seller.
Excellent introduction to the Dead Sea Scrools:
A detailed, objective 90-page introduction to this book is worth its price alone. A comprehensive overview of the discovery of the scrolls, the entangled and protracted process of their translation, archelogical findings, supposititions on the practices and beliefs of the Qumran sect are among its offerings. Then add the comprehensive translations of the scrolls themselves, and you have an invaluable historical resource highlighting the diversity of late Second Temple Judaism. Ernie Hines
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Still uncomprehensive translations but.:
This is amongst the better buys for tanslations of the scrolls. It leaves a stop - gap of information, and fills with a authors assumptions. But as a compiled sum of the whole, it is a good buy.
An excellent introduction to an important ancient society:
Ancient scrolls were found near the Dead Sea in Israel during the years 1947 through 1956 that were written or collected by an ancient Essene community. The scrolls were hidden by the group to protect them from the Romans who were invading Israel and who were destroying the land and its possessions. The people and their land were butchered and destroyed in the year 67. Their documents throw new light upon Judaism and Christianity during the first century. The noted scholar Geza Vermes offers his... more info
