The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography (Lives of Great Religious Books)

by John J. Collins

Publisher:

Princeton University Press

, 2013

Overview

Since they were first discovered in the caves at Qumran in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls have aroused more fascination—and controversy—than perhaps any other archaeological find. They appear to have been hidden in the Judean desert by the Essenes, a Jewish sect that existed around the time of Jesus, and they continue to inspire veneration to this day. In this concise and accessible book, John Collins tells the story of the scrolls and the bitter conflicts that have swirled around them since their startling discovery. He explores whether the scrolls were indeed the property of an isolated, quasi-monastic community or more broadly reflected the Judaism of their time. He unravels the impassioned disputes surrounding the scrolls and Christianity, and looks at attempts to “reclaim” the scrolls for Judaism after the full corpus became available in the 1990s. Collins also describes how the decades-long delay in publishing the scrolls gave rise to sensational claims and conspiracy theories.

Praise for The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography

One could scarcely imagine a better concise guide to the Scrolls.

—Robert Alter, London Review of Books

[Collins] brings clarity and acuity to a subject that has often attracted myth-makers and special pleaders.

—Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal

[Collins] rehearses all the various theories on the scrolls, separates the wheat from the chaff, and brings light to the darkness. This is not simply a digest. Collins takes our hand and guides us to oh-so-reasonable conclusions.

—Peter Stanford, The Independent

Product Details

• Title: The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography
• Author: John J. Collins
• Series: Lives of Great Religious Books
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Print Publication Date: 2013
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Resource ID: LLS:DDSSCRLLSBGRPHY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-06-17T21:14:45Z

About John J. Collins

John J. Collins is Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. His books include Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age; Apocalypse, Prophecy, and Pseudepigraphy: On Jewish Apocalyptic Literature; The Invention of Judaism: Torah and Jewish Identity from Deuteronomy to Paul; and, most recently, What Are Biblical Values? What the Bible Says on Key Ethical Issues. Collins serves as general editor of the Anchor Yale Bible and Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library. He is on the editorial board of the Journal for the Study of Judaism and Dead Sea Discoveries. Previously, he has served as President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association.