The Scepter and the Star (Anchor Bible Reference) [Hardcover]

John Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995 | Series: Anchor Bible Reference

The first and only book to explore the concept of  the Messiah in light of the radical new evidence  just discovered in the recently released Dead Sea  Scrolls. Recent figures in the news, such as the  self-proclaimed messiah David Koresh of the Branch  Davidians, and the prophetic Orthodox Rabbi  Menachem Schneerson, are confounding reminders of the  forceful vitality of messianism in the modern world.  They are also sobering indicators that  contemporary society needs to take seriously and understand  the messianic mind set. In The Scepter  And The Star, biblical scholar John J.  Collins unearths the seeds of messianic thought in  the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other ancient  literature.Many of Collins's conclusions hinge on  his recent discovery of profoundly important  material in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1991, nearly fifty  years after they were originally folind, the  entire collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls was finally  released to the public. Collins was one of the  first scholars to examine the scrolls and realized  that they contained enormously significant messianic  texts. The Scepter And The Star  Will be the first scholarly work to explore fully  the impact this new evidence has on our  understanding of Jewish apocalypticism and messianism. In  addition, Collins examines the crucial links and  similarities between Jewish and Christian models of  the messiah. How did Jewish communities, living in  the turbulent century before the birth of Christ,  envision the end of time? Did Jewish messianic  figures influence the development of the Christian  Messiah? Here, in careful detail and cogerit,  accessible analysis, Collins explains the birth of  messianic thought and its repercussions for Jews and  Christians alike in ancient--as well as  modern-times.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this fascinating survey, Collins traces the history and development of the idea of messiah from its earliest appearances in the Hebrew Bible to its culmination in the Judaism and Christianity of the first century c.e. Collins examines biblical and extrabiblical texts to explore the great variety of mantles, from eschatological prophet to Son of Man to Son of God, that messianic figures have worn. In his readings of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Collins discovers, contrary to traditional readings, that the messiah of that community is identified more with a teacher of righteousness than with an apocalyptic prophet who will lead the forces of light in the final battle against the forces of darkness. In addition, the Judaic belief in both a priestly messiah and a kingly (Davidic) messiah in the first century c.e. militates, Collins believes, against any easy identification of Jesus solely as Davidic. Finally, the author argues that careful study of the Scrolls may yet yield the common ground out of which the messianic ideas of Judaism and Christianity developed. Marked by judicious and accessible readings of primary texts, Collins's work is a significant contribution to Doubleday's outstanding biblical reference series.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

With the flurry of publications about the Dead Sea Scrolls over the past few years, much has been made of the significance of the scrolls for the study of Judaism and early Christianity. Collins's book is one of the first to examine a major theological subject in light of the newly released Qumran materials. Drawing on the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), the apocrypha, the pseudepigrapha, and especially the Dead Sea Scrolls, Collins explores messianic expectations in Judaism during the century prior to the Christian era. He identifies four messianic paradigms-king, prophet, priest, and heavenly messiah or Son of Man-rather than a single, all-encompassing concept. In the final chapter, Collins draws attention to the ways Jesus was seen to fit these messianic paradigms as well as the ways he would seem to deviate from or further develop them. Recommended for all academic religious studies collections, as well as larger public libraries.
Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Birmingham
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Anchor Bible; 1st edition (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385474571
• ISBN-13: 978-0385474573
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,067,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an in-depth study of a complex problem, December 28, 2000

By 

benjamin (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scepter and the Star (Anchor Bible Reference) (Hardcover)

The Scepter and the Star by John Joseph Collins is an in-depth study of the complex problem of messianism and the varied messianic expectation(s) and speculation(s) during the time of Second Temple Judaism. The subtitle of the book, "The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature" is important because Collins does not restrict his study to the Dead Sea Scrolls. He goes through the Pseudepigrapha (a large, open-ended collection of biblically-related and biblically-dependant literature that is not a part of the Bible), the Apocrypha, the Hebrew Bible/Tanak/Old Testament and the messianic ideas contained within those works. Collins also deals with Jesus and the New Testament in this work, although it is on the side that these discussions take place.

Collins' knowledge of the Hebrew Bible is extensive on both theological and historical levels. His knowledge is also useful because in the Hebrew Bible are the roots of the problems with messianic interpretation - the scriptures themselves. Once Collins places particular scriptures in their historical context, he then goes on to show their influence(s) and interpretation(s) in various post- and extra-biblical works of literature. We find a pre-existent, heavenly messiah, a priestly messiah, a kingly messiah, and a militant messiah in the works Collins analyzes. At least one messiah was expected and possibly and two, depending on who wrote the work. Collins also deals with the history of the word "messiah" and its various uses in the Hebrew Bible.

In reading the book, the reader will gain some insights as to how and why the writers of the New Testament understood Jesus the way that they did, but the goal of the book is not to connect these works to Jesus. The book is, in many ways, a survey of the messianic thought during and before Jesus' time.

This book is not an introduction by any means. It is an in-depth study; some previous knowledge of the Scrolls, the Pseudepigrapha, and Second Temple history will be useful to the reader. A glossary would have been nice and helpful and would have opened the doors for less knowledgeable readers to read and understand the book. Overall, this is an excellect read. However, previous knowledge will enable - and perhaps even be necessary - for reader to grasp the many insights in Collins' work.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!!!, August 20, 2000

By 

Susan L Alfson (Ridgecrest, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scepter and the Star (Anchor Bible Reference) (Hardcover)

The Scepter and the Star is an excellent and indepth study of the controversy between Judaism and Christianity. In this book we find substantial support for the reasons that many Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah. The Jews were looking for two Messiahs- not one. There is scriptural support, which is well documented by John Collins that points to two Messiah figures of the Apocalypse. Collins also references Dead Sea Scroll material that specifically points out two figures- a Davidic and a Priestly Messiah . This book explains how two diverse religions came and stayed- Judaism and Christianity- over these differences. It shows how the Bible was more than a religious book, but a history book as well. This is an excellent, well written book that should get people to look again at the Bible and perhaps read it with insight instead of letting others TELL you what it says!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second Temple Messianism, June 11, 2005

By 

A. J. Valasek (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scepter and the Star (Anchor Bible Reference) (Hardcover)

This is a well researched, scholarly book that examines the messianic movements of the second temple period. It basically examines the various phrases (e.g. son of man) associated with the messiah(s) that were expected throughout this period. It certainly was written from a research standpoint to be used for research and not intented as a casual reading.

This book gives a fair review of the various expectations such as a warrior type messiah, a suffering servant, as well as some lesser known movements such as the two messiah movement and even the Christianized returning messiah dogma.

For the most part, the author is not identifying the messiah as any particular individual, but is trying to provide a broad scope look at the many movements and possible reasons as to how they developed and evolved from one type to another.

Drawing heavily upon the Dead Sea Scrolls, the author examines the various Bible texts that imply messianism and attempts to place these messiahs in their proper context. I believe that any serious student of this period would do well to have a copy of this book handy as it should prove to be a well used and well cited text as the research and debate about messianism thrives and grows.