BOOKS
Dead Sea Scrolls by
The Dead Sea Scrolls continue to fascinate readers from all walks of life. Ever since they were first discovered by a Bedouin shepherd in the Judean desert in 1947, they have been the subject of endless debate and speculation that continues to this day. It was not until as recently as 1991, when all 800 documents from eleven caves were finally available in translation, that numerous alternative theories were put forward about their authorship and their dating. The now famous Copper Scroll with its detailed list of supposed buried treasure is examined as are the theories surrounding it, such as thepossible connection with the lost treasure of the Knights Templar. Finally, the relevance of the DeadSea Scrolls to the New Testament and the messianic Jesus are explored.
Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls by 
The Dead Sea Scrolls by
Unraveling the controversies surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls Since they were first discovered in the caves at Qumran in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls have aroused more fascination--and more 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 and conspiracy theories to this day. John Collins tells the story of the bitter conflicts that have swirled around the scrolls since their startling discovery, and sheds light on their true significance for Jewish and Christian history. Collins vividly recounts how a Bedouin shepherd went searching for a lost goat and found the scrolls instead. He offers insight into debates over whether the Essenes were an authentic Jewish sect and explains why such questions are critical to our understanding of ancient Judaism and to Jewish identity. Collins explores whether the scrolls were indeed the property of an isolated, quasi-monastic community living at Qumran, or whether they more broadly reflect the Judaism of their time. And he unravels the impassioned disputes surrounding the scrolls and Christianity. Do they anticipate the early church? Do they undermine the credibility of the Christian faith? Collins also looks at attempts to "reclaim" the scrolls for Judaism after the full corpus became available in the 1990s, and at how the decades-long delay in publishing the scrolls gave rise to sensational claims and conspiracy theories.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Personages of Earliest Christianity by
Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? Paleographical dating has tended to downplay the Scrolls' importance and to distance them from the personages of earliest Christianity, but a carefully worked out theory based on radiocarbon dating and other tests connects Scroll allusions to personages and events in the period from 37 BC to AD 71 and suggests a new view on how and why the Romans crucified Jesus.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, a Full History by
Who discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls? When and where were they discovered? How were they saved? Who bought them and who paid for them? Who has them now and who owns them? Will more be discovered? Have all the scrolls been published? Are some still hidden away? Were there conspiracies to suppress some scrolls? Preceded by The Dead Sea Scrolls, A Short History, The Dead Sea Scrolls, A Full History, vol. 1, is the first of a projected two volumes offering a more complete account of the discovery of the scrolls and their history over the past 60 years since the first scrolls were discovered in a cave near the Dead Sea.
