Qumran Cave 4: X: The Prophets (Discoveries in the Judaean Desert) [Hardcover]

Eugene Ulrich (Author), Frank Moore Cross (Author), Russell E. Fuller (Author), Judith E. Sanderson (Author), the late Patrick W. Skehan (Author), Emanuel Tov (Author), Catherine M. Murphy (Contributor), Curt Niccum (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0198269374 | ISBN-13: 978-0198269373

This volume continues the publication of the series of biblical Dead Sea Scrolls that were discovered in Cave 4 at Qumran. It contains thirty-three manuscripts of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve Minor Prophets. These texts antedate by a millennium those that had previously held the title of the earliest surviving Hebrew biblical manuscripts. They document a pluriformity acceptable in the ancient biblical textual tradition before the text became standardized later in the Christian and Rabbinic period.

The Book of Isaiah was one of the most widely copied books at Qumran. 4QJerb displays the earlier edition of Jeremiah from which the Septuagint was translated, in contrast to the later edition in the Massoretic tradition. Superior textual variants from these manuscripts have been adopted in recent revised translations of the Bible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`the full editions are a most welcome addition to the now nearly complete series Discoveries in the Judaen Desert.' James R. Davila, The Catholic Biblical Quaterly, 62,2000.

`This volume meets the high standards of scholarship and production already established by the series as a whole. In the future, no one will be able to do serious work on these prophetic books without consulting DJD 15.' Robert A. Kugler, The Catholic Bibal Quarterly, 62,2000.

`In Ulrich's completed editions of these 18 copies of Isaiah there is a wealth of detailed new information which is judiciously presented ... this is another very welcome volume in the rapidly expanding Discoveries of the Judaean Desert series. Its editors and their helpers have worked meticulously for several years. Now the work on the more complete assessment of these materials can really start in earnest.' George J Brooke, Journal of Theological Studies 50:2 October 1999

`The volume is beautifully presented. The layout is clear and well spaced, and is supplemented by clear photographs of the extant fragments. The introductory comments and commentary are well constructed and informative, enabling the volume to be useful, even to scholars with no prior experience of reading scrolls. ... This volume represents the result of thorough and careful scholarship. The high standards of scholarship and presentation that are characteristic of the series are amply reflected in this volume ... it is an invaluable tool for scholars interested in text criticism of the prophets or in the history of the biblical text, and should remain the standard reference work on these scrolls for the forthcoming decades.' Edward D. Herbert, Journal of Semitic Studies

Eugene Ulrich, who has been associated with the study of the Qumran biblical manuscripts for many years, is to be congratulated on the ocmpletion of this fine volume. A true feast for text critics of the Hebrew Bible, all whom will appreciate the fact that Ulrich has not forgotten to provide an index of the biblical passages found on the fragments.

International Review of Biblical Studies

About the Author

Eugene Ulrich is at University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198269374
• ISBN-13: 978-0198269373
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,162,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)