The Dead Sea Scrolls

As scholars now pore over the finally completed publication of what remains of the Dead Sea Scrolls--5 to 10 percent of what was once close to 900 scrolls--the controversies surrounding them only deepen. Who found them? Who wrote them? How did this seemingly small Qumran sect relate to the rest of Second Temple Judaism, and what specifically did they believe? Most significantly, how do those beliefs affect current Judaism and Christianity? With strong positions to defend on all of these issues, Professor Schiffman's presentation is lively and energetic but polemic in tone. So much debate surrounds the scrolls that nobody involved in their study escapes being tarred by the controversy. To his credit, the good professor labors hard to maintain balance and show the strengths of each position. P.E.F. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine