Biblical Interpretation at Qumran (Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature Series)

by Matthias Henze

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2005

Overview

The Dead Sea Scrolls are an invaluable source of information about Jewish biblical interpretation in antiquity. This volume by preeminent scholars in the field examines central aspects of scriptural interpretation as it was practiced at Qumran and discusses their implications for understanding the biblical tradition. While many of the forms of biblical interpretation found in the Scrolls have parallels elsewhere in Jewish literature, other kinds are original to the Scrolls and were unknown prior to the discovery of the caves.

These chapters explore examples of biblical interpretation unique to Qumran, including legal exegesis and the Pesher. Readers will also find discussion of such fascinating subjects as the "rewritten Bible," views on the creation of humanity, the "Pseudo-Ezekiel" texts, the pesharim, and the prophet David.

Contributors

• Moshe J. Bernstein
• Shani Berrin
• Monica Brady
• George J. Brooke
• John J. Collins
• Peter W. Flint
• Matthias Henze
• Shlomo A. Koyfman
• Michael Segal
• James C. VanderKam

Praise for the Print Edition

"Matthias Henze deserves congratulations for producing one of the first books to study biblical interpretation in light of the new understanding of the Bible. Our oldest evidence—the Dead Sea Scrolls—demonstrates that the Scriptures were pluriform and dynamically growing at the origins of Christianity and rabbinic Judaism. Each essay is an illumination in itself by a leading scholar who has specialized in that topic. The collection is a series of gems offering a richer and more accurate understanding of biblical interpretation in this crucial period.

—Eugene Ulrich

Product Details

• Title: Biblical Interpretation at Qumran
• Editor: Matthias Henze
• Series: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature
• Publisher: W. B. Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 307

About Matthias Henze

Matthias Henze holds the Watt J. and Lilly G. Jackson Chair in Biblical Studies and is founding director of the Jewish studies program at Rice University. He is also the editor of Biblical Interpretations at Qumran and the author of The Syriac Apocalypse of Daniel and The Madness of King Nebuchadnezzar: The Ancient Near Eastern Origins and Early History of Interpretation of Daniel 4.