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The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Significance for Understanding the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity (2002) is a book by James C. VanderKam, and Peter W. Flint.

Abstract

"The Dead Sea Scrolls, found in caves near the Dead Sea fifteen miles east of Jerusalem from 1947 to 1956, include the oldest existing biblical manuscripts and the remarkable texts of the purist Jewish community at Qumran. The discovery of the scrolls has added dramatically to our understanding of the varieties of Judaism at the time of Jesus and the rise of Christianity, but has also prompted heated debate about the nature of these religions. As the monumental task of transcribing and translating the Dead Sea Scrolls is finally completed, people around the world are taking stock of the significance of these ancient documents. In this book, two of the world's leading experts on the scrolls reveal the complete and fascinating story in all its detail: the amazing discovery, the intense controversies, and the significant revelations ... Drawing together all the evidence, this timely book explores: The discovery and dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls; their relationship to the Hebrew Bible, Apocrypha, and New Testament; their messianic and apocalyptic messages; the identity, nature, and theology of the Qumran community; the nonbiblical scrolls; and controversies surrounding the scrolls. This comprehensive, guide provides an introduction to all aspects of the scrolls, including their teachings, the community that created them, the world of Judaism, the origins of Christianity, and our understanding of Jesus and the New Testament. Features photos of the original texts, the sites, and the scholars who deciphered them, and includes illustrative passages from the scrolls."--Publisher description

Editions

Published in San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002.

Translations

• El significado de los rollos del Mar Muerto (2010 VanderKam, Flint / Piquer, Torijano), book (Spanish ed.)

Contents

Foreword / Emanuel Tov Preface Part 1 - Discoveries, Dating, Archeology, and New Methods

• 1. The Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
• 2. Dating the Dead Sea Scrolls
• 3. Archeology of the Qumran Site
• 4. Technology and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Part 2 - The Dead Sea Scrolls and Scripture

• 5. The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Before the Scrolls
• 6. The Biblical Scrolls and the Text of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
• 7. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Canon of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
• 8. Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Part 3 - The Nonbiblical Scrolls and Their Message

• 9. A Survey of the Nonbiblical Scrolls
• 10. Identifying the Group Associated with Qumran
• 11. The Theology or Belief System of the Qumran Group
• 12. The Qumran Group Within Early Judaism
• 13. Biblical Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Part 4 - The Scrolls and the New Testament

• 14. Were New Testament Scrolls Found at Qumran?
• 15. Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Gospels and Qumran
• 16. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Other New Testament Books: Acts and the Letters
• 17. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Book of Revelation

Part 5 - Controversies About the Dead Sea Scrolls

• 18. Scroll Wars

Appendixes

• I. Index of Passages in the Biblical Scrolls from the Judean Desert
• II. Index of Passages from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in the Scrolls
• III. Quotations and Allusions in the Nonbiblical Scrolls
• IV Translations and Editions of the Dead Sea Scrolls

External links