Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: The History of Judaism, the Background of Christianity, the Lost Library of QumranThis in-depth examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls reveals their true heart: a missing link between ancient and modern Judaism. Because the Dead Sea Scrolls include the earliest known manuscripts of the Bible as well as Jewish documents composed just after the Hebrew biblical period, they contain a gold mine of information about the history of Judaism and the early roots and background of Christianity. Schiffman refocuses the controversy from who controls access to the Scrolls today to what the Scrolls tell us about the past. He challenges the prevailing notion of earlier Scrolls scholars that the Dead Sea Scrolls were proto-Christian, demonstrating instead their thorough-going Jewish character and their importance for understanding the history of Judaism. Schiffman shows us that the Scrolls library in the Dead Sea caves was gathered by a breakaway priestly sect that left Jerusalem in the aftermath of the Maccabean revolt. They were angry that their fellow Sadducees in the Temple were content to accommodate themselves to the victorious Hasmonaean rulers who had embraced the views of the Pharisees - forerunners of the talmudic rabbis. This loyal opposition, a band of pious Sadducee priests, retreated to the desert, taking up residence at Qumran. From this group, the Dead Sea sect developed. In addition to its own writings, the sect gathered the texts of related groups, placing them in its library along with numerous biblical and apocryphal texts. Those other works, some previously known, others unknown, were preserved here in the original Hebrew or Aramaic. Numerous prayer texts, either from the Dead Sea sect or other Jewish groups, were also preserved. Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrollsputs into perspective the triumph of rabbinic Judaism after the Jewish military defeat by Rome. Readers will appreciate this lost chapter of Judaism, not only for its historical insights, but also for its parallels with modern Judaism on such issues as religious pluralism, sectarianism, Jewish identity, and spiritual questing. Finally, Schiffman maintains that a true understanding of the Scrolls can improve relations between today's Jewish and Christian communities. Across the centuries, the Scrolls speak to us about our common roots, showing precisely how Christianity emerged from currents in ancient Judaism - currents that were much more widespread in that period than we previously imagined. |
Contents
PART I | 1 |
Manuscript Finds in the Judaean Desert | 5 |
Scholars Scrolls and Scandals | 21 |
Copyright | |
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Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: The History of Judaism, the Background of ... Lawrence H. Schiffman No preview available - 1995 |
Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: The History of Judaism, the Background of ... Lawrence H. Schiffman No preview available - 1995 |
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according ancient angels apocryphal Aramaic Archaeology Bar Kokhba Ben Sira Bible biblical text Book calendar canonical century B.C.E. chapter Christianity corpus covenant Dead Sea Scrolls Dead Sea sect described Deuteronomy discussed divine documents edited End of Days Enoch eschatological Essenes found at Qumran God's Greek Halakhah Halakhic Letter Hasmonaean period Hellenism Hellenistic holy impurity interpretation Isaiah Israel Antiquities Authority Jerusalem Jewish law Jews Josephus Jubilees Judaism king later literature liturgy manuscripts Masada Masoretic material messianic Milik nations non-Jews passage Pesharim Pesher Pesher Habakkuk Pharisees prayer priestly prophets Psalms Scroll Qimron Qumran sect Qumran sectarian rabbinic refers revolt ritual purity role Roman Rule Sabbath sacrifice Sadducean Sadducees Schiffman scholars Second Temple period sect's sectarian Sectarian Law Septuagint Sira sources Strugnell talmudic Teacher of Righteousness tefillin Temple Scroll Testament Thanksgiving Hymns tion Torah tradition translation War Scroll Wicked Priest wisdom Yadin Zadokite Fragments