The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English [Paperback]

Martin G. Abegg (Author), Peter Flint (Author), Eugene Ulrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 2002

From the dramatic find in the caves of Qumran, the world's most ancient version of the Bible allows us to read the scriptures as they were in the time of Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English is the first full English translation of the Hebrew scriptures used by the Essene sect at Qumran. (The Essenes, along with the Pharisees and Saducees, were among the three most influential Jewish groups of their time [150 B.C. to 68 A.D.]). Between 1947 and 1956, in 11 caves overlooking the Dead Sea, more than 800 manuscripts of two types were found. The first are called "biblical"--because they contain material that was later canonized in the Hebrew Bible; the second are called "non-Biblical"--because they contain poetry, rules for holy living, and imaginative, midrashic interpretations that are unique to the community that produced them.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible comprises the biblical manuscripts, including many new Psalms, Apocryphal books, and previously unknown readings of Deuteronomy and Isaiah (which appear to have been among the most important books of the Bible to this group of Essenes). The translation of each book is preceded by an introduction that describes the text's importance to the Essenes, their distinctive interpretations of the text, and suggestions of how historical and political events may have shaped these interpretations. Translators Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint, and Eugene Ulrich have loaded this volume with scholarly notes and commentary, but their interpretations are formatted in a way that does not impede the general reader's enjoyment of the book. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible breathes new life into scripture by delving into the earliest source material yet discovered. It is a crucial work to reckon with for anyone interested in Jewish life around the time of Jesus. --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“All those who want to know what the Bible really says will want this book. They will sing, ‘Hallelujah!’” (Southwestern Journal of Theology )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (October 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060600640
• ISBN-13: 978-0060600648
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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76 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All things old are new again..., May 23, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English (Hardcover)

The Dead Sea Scrolls may well be the most important archaeological discovery of the twentieth century; it is certainly among the top discoveries in any case. It has shed important light on one of the most influential and formative documents of the world, namely the collection of writings which we have come to know as the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament. A thousand years older than the next-oldest copies we have of these documents, this treasure trove has delighted, tantalised, and irritated scholars, clerics, and other interested parties since their chance discover some half-century ago.

`Preserving parts of all but one biblical book, the scrolls confirm that the text of the Old Testament as it has been handed down through the ages is largely correct. Yet, they also reveal numerous important differences.'

(Do you know which book is not included? For the answer, see the bottom of this article.)

This book presents material from all 220 of the biblical scrolls (there are hundreds of other scrolls that were not biblical, i.e., not copies of biblical texts). These were newly translated by Eugene Ulrich, Peter Flint, and Martin Abegg, who hold important positions in the continuing research and scholarship about the scrolls. These editors have also added commentary to help illuminate further the textual variations between the scrolls and the texts we have today.

`At the time of Jesus and rabbi Hillel--the origins of Christianity and rabbinic Judaism--there was, and there was not, a 'Bible'. This critical period, and the nature of the Bible in that period, have been freshly illuminated by the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls. There was a Bible in the sense that there were certain sacred books widely recognised by Jews as foundational to their religion and supremely authoritative for religious practice. There was not, however, a Bible in the sense that the leaders of the general Jewish community had specifically considered, debated, and definitively decided the full range of which books were supremely and permanently authoritative and which ones--no matter how sublime, useful, or beloved--were not.'

The editors first discuss what a Bible is, and what constitutes the arrangements, order, and contents -- the Jewish Tanakh and the Protestant Old Testament contain the same materials, arranged differently; the Catholic Old Testament follows the same order as the Protestant but has other books (in whole or part), which hearkens back to early biblical development and whether the scriptures follow rabbinical council decisions or the Septuagint.

The text is heavily annotated, with verse numbers, explanatory notes, gaps and fuzzy sections due to scroll problems, variant readings, and footnote annotations which include scroll identification (cave, scroll number, book, etc.) and ancient biblical texts (Masoretic text, Septuagint, and Samaritan pentateuch).

This is an incredibly useful text for those who are interested in what information the Dead Sea Scrolls have to bear on the actual text of the Bible. Here for the first time is a collection of the biblical scrolls laid out in the traditional Biblical order, which enables the average reader as well as the scholar and cleric to follow the texts with ease.

To answer the question above, the missing book among the biblical scrolls is the book of Esther. Why would Esther be missing? The editors give some possibilities:

`First, the fact that the festival of Purim was a later addition, not mentioned in the Books of Moses, might have caused the Dead Sea Scrolls community to reject the book. Second, the mere fact that the story concerns the marriage of Esther--a Jew--to a Persian king was likely repugnant to the group's conservative sensibilities. Third, the book itself makes no mention of God whatsoever. Finally, the emphasis on retaliation in the final chapters of Esther is contrary to the teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls.'

A truly fascinating and useful text.

97 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Translations of the Oldest Biblical Texts on your bookshelf, November 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English (Hardcover)

This book is a must for anyone interested in the Bible. This is the first and only complete English translation of the important Biblical texts found at Qumran. These texts date back a 1000 years earlier than the ones used for most English Bible Translations. Now you can read what some Biblical texts said at the time of Jesus. Some of these texts date to 200 BC/BCE. Abegg, Ulrich and Flint have done an excellent job producing a book that will allow the lay person access to these important texts. Any one who takes the Bible seriously should have this on their self. The layout is easy to follow and the footnotes are handy for anyone needing to compare variant ancient readings. In addition to the books found in the Hebrew Bible, some other texts that were held in high regard at Qumran are in the book.Read for yourself what the Bible said 2000 years ago.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource, September 9, 2001

By 

William G. Dauster (Kensington, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English (Hardcover)

In most books on the Dead Sea Scrolls (like the classic The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Penguin Classics)), one has to wade through much cultic discussion to find the materials related to the Bible. This book, in contrast, collects the Bible information from the Dead Sea Scrolls in an extremely useful format for the Bible study or Torah study student. Differences with the conventional Masoretic text are displayed in italic. The reader can then easily find the changes in the Bible text from the Dead Sea Scrolls version and learn how the Bible has grown. This is a great reference book.