The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

June 30, 1997
The Dead Sea Scrolls have generated as much misinformation as information in the 50 years since a young Bedouin shepherd stumbled upon them in the hills of Judea. It is fortuitous, then, that this new edition is an English translation of all the existing Dead Sea Scrolls collected together in one volume. Vermes has been studying and translating the scrolls since their discovery in 1947, and his was among the earliest translations of the scrolls to be published. His goal in this volume is to "disclose the message of these ancient manuscripts about ancient Judaism and to a more limited extent about early Christianity." Vermes's account of the discovery of the scrolls and the events subsequent to the discovery, including political intrigue, makes for fascinating reading. His discussion of the Essene community, whom Vermes believes created the scrolls, the scrolls' meanings for early Christianity and other topics will be valuable to anyone looking for accurate summaries of the fascinating history of the discovery, translation and transmission of the scrolls. The translations of the Dead Sea Scrolls texts follow established scholarly divisions, e.g., "Hymns and Poems," "Calendars, Liturgies, and Prayers," "Apocalyptic Works" and "Wisdom Literature."