The Dead Sea Scrolls

by Peter W. Flint

Overview

Contains new information about unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls with translations of key passages and recent discovery of the movement behind the Scrolls in their own words. See http://deadseascrolls.org/www/Site/thedss.php In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd stumbled upon a cave near the Dead Sea, a settlement now called Qumran, to the east of Jerusalem. This cave, along with the others located nearby, contained jars holding hundreds of scrolls and fragments of scrolls of texts both biblical and nonbiblical—in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The biblical scrolls would be the earliest evidence of the Hebrew Scriptures by hundreds of years; and the nonbiblical texts would shed dramatic light on one of the least-known periods of Jewish history. This find is the most important archaeological event in two thousand years of biblical studies. Online supplement, with indexes, discussion questions, Dead Sea Scrolls websites, and links to study tools, electronic resources, and photographs: http://www.abingdonacademic.com/dsscrolls

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630884215
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	03/18/2014
Series:	Core Biblical Studies
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Peter W. Flint held the Canada Research Chair in Dead Sea Scrolls Studies and was Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at Trinity Western University in British Columbia. He edited or co-edited almost thirty Dead Sea Scrolls for publication, including the Cave 1 Isaiah Scrolls, the Cave 4 Psalms Scrolls, and the translation, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible. He authored numerous books and articles and co-edited a major two-volume study collection (The Dead Sea Scrolls After Fifty Years).

Table of Contents

Abbreviations, Definitions, and Key Words viii

Ancient Groups and Figures xvi

Introduction: The Greatest Find of Our Times xx

1 The Discovery of the Scrolls in the Judean Desert 1

1 The First Cave at Qumran and Its Seven Scrolls 1

2 The Other Ten Qumran Caves and Their Scrolls 7

3 Dead Sea Scrolls from Other Sites in the Judean Desert 9

4 The Quest for Further Caves and Scrolls 9

2 Archaeology of the Qumran Site: The Caves, Buildings, and Cemeteries 11

1 Archaeology and the Qumran Caves 11

2 Archaeology of the Qumran Buildings 13

3 The Qumran Cemeteries 21

3 Dating the Scrolls Found at Qumran 28

1 Dating the Scrolls and the Qumran Site by Archaeology 28

2 Internal Datings in the Scrolls 29

3 Daring Dead Sea Scrolls Using Paleography 30

4 Radiocarbon Methods of Dating 31

4 The Bible Before the Scrolls 36

1 The Masoretic Text 36

2 The Samaritan Pentateuch 40

3 The Septuagint or Greek Bible 46

4 Other Versions (Translations) of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament 50

5 The Biblical Scrolls 52

1 The Pentateuch (or Torah) 52

2 The Historical Books 56

3 The Poetical Books 60

4 The Prophets 65

6 The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Biblical Text 73

1 Observations on the Biblical Scrolls 73

2 The Scrolls and the Text of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament 77

7 The Scrolls, the Apocrypha, and the Pseudepigrapha 82

1 The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha 82

2 Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in the Dead Sea Scrolls 83

8 The Shape and Contents of the Scriptures Used at Qumran 92

1 Hebrew Bible or Old Testament? 92

2 Ancient Evidence Outside the Scrolls Found at Qumran 95

3 Evidence from the Scrolls Found at Qumran 99

9 The Nonbiblical Scrolls 105

1 Rules 105

2 Legal Texts 108

3 Commentaries on Authoritative Texts 111

4 Poetic Texts, Calendars, Prayers, and Liturgies 114

5 Wisdom (Sapiential) Texts 120

6 Eschatological Texts 122

7 The Copper Scroll, Other Documentary Texts, and Nonsectarian Texts 125

10 The Movement Associated with Qumran: Not Pharisees or Sadducees, but Essenes 127

1 Were the Scrolls Found at Qumran Associated with the Pharisees? 128

2 Were the Scrolls Found at Qumran Associated with the Sadducees? 133

3 The Scrolls Found Near Qumran Were Associated with a Group of Essenes 137

4 Concluding Statement on the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes 151

5 History of the Essene Movement 152

11 Religious Thought and Practice Reflected in the Qumran Scrolls 164

1 Concept of God 164

2 Predeterminism (or Fate), the Two Ways, and the Supernatural Origins of Evil 165

3 One Overall Principle (Law) 167

4 Interpretation of Scripture 173

5 Experiencing God and the Divine 175

6 The End of Days and the Messiahs 177

12 The New Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls 183

1 The Scrolls and Early Christian Writings: New Testament Writings at Qumran? 184

2 Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls (the Gospels and the Scrolls) 185

3 The Scrolls and the Early Church: Acts, Paul, and the Other Letters 191

4 The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Book of Revelation 195

Bibliography 201

Editions, English Translations, and Computer Software 201

Books and Articles Mentioned in this Volume 203

Index of Modern Authors 207

Comment on the Website and Online Material 211

Online Supplement

abingdonacademic.com/dsscrolls

In Depth and Further Study:

Detailed Outline of Contents

Discussion Questions for Each Chapter

Images, Study Tools, Online Links:

Photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Study Tools and Electronic Resources

Links and Websites

Complete Indexes:

Index of Biblical Passages

Index of Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha

Index of Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Texts

Index of Other Ancient Writings

Index of Modern Authors (as in Printed Book)

Subject Index