Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Faith: In Celebration of the Jubilee Year of the Discovery of Qumran Cave I (Faith And Scholarship Colloquies) [Paperback]

James H. Charlesworth (Author), Walter P. Weaver (Author)

Book Description

Series: Faith And Scholarship Colloquies | Publication Date: March 1, 1998

Interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls is unparalleled, and that interest often arises from their possible challenge to traditional Christian faith. Do the Dead Sea Scrolls hinder or undermine Christian faith? Why are the scrolls so significant for a better understanding of Christian origins? How and in what ways do these ancient Jewish scrolls alter or reshape Christian perceptions of Jesus and his earliest followers? What is the proper method for comparing these scrolls with the writings in the New Testament? How do the scrolls help us understand prophecy and messianic beliefs during the time Jesus taught in Galilee and Judea? Four leading biblical and Dead Sea Scrolls scholars here consider these questions. Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., discusses how to compare the scrolls and the New Testament; David Noel Freedman surveys the history of prophecy after the Maccabean revolt, as evidenced in the scrolls and in the life and teachings of Jesus and his followers; John J. Collins shares insights into Qumran messianism and the possible impact of the scrolls upon early Christian messianism; and James H. Charlesworth assesses how and in what ways the scrolls challenge and help shape Christian faith. James H. Charlesworth is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary and Director of the seminary's Dead Sea Scrolls Project. Walter P. Weaver is former Chair of the Humanities Division and Department of Religion and Philosophy at Florida Southern College, Lakeland.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Three essays by leading scholars Joseph Fitzmyer S.J., John J. Collins, and David Noel Freedman take up key dimensions of the Qumran writings the potentially illumine the New Testament. Fitzmyer provides a general methodological survey, discussing in clear terms how the Qumran materials throw light on the New Testament and cautioning against sensationalist conclusions. Collins discusses the notions of messianism at Qumran and its relationship to New Testament perspectives. Greedman considers prophecy as understood at Qumran and in the new Testament. The principal editor, Charlesworth, closes with a more popular reflection on the impact of the discoveries at Qumran for Christian faith. The nonspecialist in particular will find this a helpful volume." --The Bible Today (Bible Today, The )

"We are indebted to Fitzmyer for his help in enabling the lay reader to sort through the mountain of data and claims and to focus on that which is truly pertinent. Collins and Freedman then guide the reader through the texts pertaining to messianism and prophecy. And Charlesworth endeavors to speak to a variety of ways in which the scrolls relate to Christian teachings...This book provides some crucial and discriminating guidelines to the whole questions surrounding the relationship of the scrolls and the Christian faith." --Bible Collectors’ World, September 1998

"What could be more helpful than four basic speeches presented by an array of Christian scholars, each one in his own right an expert on the scrolls...as a preacher, I plan to recommend this book to those who ask about the scrolls. Scholars will enjoy overhearing what these genuine experts have to say..." -- Frank Bellizzi, reviewing for Restoration Quarterly (Restoration Quarterly )

"...in this book the reader will be rewarded with four stimulating essays and an update on the current thinking in DSS scholarship."--The Master's Seminary Journal (Master's Seminary Journal )

From the Back Cover

Interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls is unparalleled, and that interest often arises from their possible challenge to traditional Christian faith. Do the Dead Sea Scrolls hinder or undermine Christian faith? Why are the scrolls so significant for a better understanding of Christian origins? How and in what ways do these ancient Jewish scrolls alter or reshape Christian perceptions of Jesus and his earliest followers? What is the proper method for comparing these scrolls with the writings in the New Testament? How do the scrolls help us understand prophecy and messianic beliefs during the time Jesus taught in Galilee and Judea?

Four leading biblical and Dead Sea Scrolls scholars here consider these questions. Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., discusses how to compare the scrolls and the New Testament; David Noel Freedman surveys the history of prophecy after the Maccabean revolt, as evidenced in the scrolls and in the life and teachings of Jesus and his followers; John J. Collins shares insights into Qumran messianism and the possible impact of the scrolls upon early Christian messianism; and James H. Charlesworth assesses how and in what ways the scrolls challenge and help shape Christian faith.

James H. Charlesworth is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary and Director of the seminary's Dead Sea Scrolls Project.

Walter P. Weaver is former Chair of the Humanities Division and Department of Religion and Philosophy at Florida Southern College, Lakeland.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563382326
• ISBN-13: 978-1563382321
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,026,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brief expalantion of the Qumran discoveries!, August 21, 1999

By 

Ricardo Madeira (Portugal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Faith: In Celebration of the Jubilee Year of the Discovery of Qumran Cave I (Faith And Scholarship Colloquies) (Paperback)

A short presentation of the content and importance of discoveries in Qumran! This short book composed of 4 small essays written by Biblical scholars gives us a brief explanation of the importance of the Dead Sea scrolls discovered in Qumran both in our understanding of Christian and Jewish origins. These documents remain as the only and greatest evidence of 1st century's Palestinian Judaism and give us a better understanding of the birth of Christianity. The Christian ideas about a "Son of God", a mass of bread and wine, a final Apocalypse and some literary similarities in the interpretation of Old Testament prophecies are proof of a relation (although complicated) between Christians and Essenes. Also, the authors explain how the content of the scrolls leave rational Christian faith unaffected and that the sensational documents about "a dying Messiah" or "Mark's little apocalypse" may have been ill-interpreted by their translators. Still, I would have liked to read a more extensive explanation of these matters, because I believe that there still remains more to be said. For instance, James Charlesworth was quite brief in dismissing Allegro's ideas about Christian origins and I would like to have read a better discussion of this subject. This reading defied several of my thoughts and beliefs about the nature of the discoveries at Qumran and gave me a better view of their content and importance.

Carlos Madeira, 21st of August of 99