Eerdmans Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls (7 vols.)

by James C. VanderKam; James R. Davila; John J. Collins; Brent A. Strawn

and

4 more

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 1998–2012

Overview

When a group of Bedouin shepherds first stumbled upon the Dead Sea Scrolls in a group of caves, they hung them on tent poles and sold them for a few dollars each. The Scrolls source and substance now realized, they are among the most important manuscripts for our knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, Apocrypha, and the history of Judaica. The Eerdmans Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls offers reliable scholarship on a range of issues from how the Scrolls impact modern biblical exegesis, to current debates on the Scrolls’ illumination of Second Temple Judaism. In addition to the valuable scholarly work from experts like John J. Collins and James C. VanderKam, this collection includes a layman’s crash course in the Scrolls’ substance and significance from Pam Fox Kuhlken and Noel Freedman.

In the Logos editions, these valuable volumes are enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Bolster your study of the Scrolls by cross-referencing and comparing with an extensive library of Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship. Take your study with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Illuminates modern debates on Jewish culture and history revealed in the Scrolls
• Examines how the Scrolls impact biblical exegesis
• Includes layman’s crash course on the Dead Sea Scrolls’ substance and significance

Product Details

• Title: Eerdmans Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls (7 vols.)
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Volumes: 7
• Pages: 1,867

Individual Overviews

Liturgical Works

• Author: James R. Davila
• Series: Eerdmans Commentaries on the Dead Sea Scrolls (ECDSS)
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 350

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Among the invaluable manuscripts of the Dead Sea Scrolls are fragments of liturgical texts relevant to the ritual life of Jews around beginning of the first century AD. These fascinating writings include prayers for annual festivals, a covenant renewal liturgy, a mystical liturgy for sabbath sacrifices, a grace ceremony for mourners, daily and weekly prayers, liturgies of purification, and perhaps even a wedding ceremony.

The book begins with a general introduction to the Qumran library and Jewish liturgical traditions. Davila then provides an introduction, translation, notes on the original Hebrew, and line-by-line commentary for each of the Qumran liturgical works. Davila's excellent translation work combines overlapping fragmentary manuscripts into a single, smoothly flowing text, and his commentary includes numerous fresh insights and observations on these writings. Giving full attention to parallel texts found in the Hebrew Bible and other Jewish and Christian writings through late antiquity, Davila firmly situates the Qumran liturgical works in their historical context in Second Temple Judaism and discusses their significance as background to the Jewish liturgy, Jewish mysticism, and Christian origins.

Davila, one of the leading international experts on the Dead Sea Scrolls, translates and in part reconstructs the very fragmentary corpus of texts that specialists have decided to classify as ‘liturgical.’. . . The distinctive feature of the present volume is the detailed, line-by-line commentary which summarizes, supplements, and frequently corrects earlier research. Davila has set a high standard for the series of which the present book happens to be the first installment.

—Internationale Zeitschriftenshau für Bibelwissenshaft und Grenzgebiete

The great strength of the work is found in the commentary section, where Davila provides extensive references to biblical, Rabbinic, Christian and Hekhalot literature. It is a significant resource for scholars and students interested in understanding the Qumran liturgical texts in their historical and literary context.

—Religious Studies Review

James R. Davila is professor of early Jewish studies at the University of St. Andrews

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible

• Author: James C. VanderKam
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 202

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The substantial value of the Dead Sea Scrolls for biblical studies is well known. However, it can be difficult to remain on the cutting edge of Scrolls scholarship. In this volume leading expert James C. VanderKam offers detailed summaries of significant ways in which the Scrolls can enrich study of the Bible. Each chapter brings readers up to date with the latest pivotal developments, focusing on relevant information from the Scrolls and expounding their significance for biblical studies. This rich compendium from a distinguished scholar is essential reading for all who work at understanding biblical texts and their contexts within the ancient world.

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible is a Frank Moore Cross Award winner and was presented by the American School of Oriental Research.

James C. VanderKam is John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the international team responsible for preserving and translating the Dead Sea Scrolls. His previous books include The Dead Sea Scrolls Today and An Introduction to Early Judaism.

Beyond the Essene Hypothesis: The Parting of the Ways between Qumran and Enochic Judaism

• Author: Gabriele Boccaccini
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 252

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In Beyond the Essene Hypothesis, respected scholar Gabriele Boccaccini offers readers a new and challenging view of the ideology of the Qumran sect—the community closely related to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Boccaccini moves beyond the Essene hypothesis and posits a unique relationship between what he terms “Enochic Judaism” and the group traditionally known as the Essenes.

Building his case on what the ancient records tell us about the Essenes and a systematic analysis of the documents found at Qumran, Boccaccini argues that the literature reveals the core of an ancient and distinct variety of Second Temple Judaism. Tracing the development of this tradition, Boccaccini shows that the Essene community at Qumran was really the offspring of the Enochic party, which in turn contributed to the birth of parties led by John the Baptist and Jesus. Convincingly argued, this work will surely spark fresh debate in the discussion on the Qumran community and their famous writings.

Along with the recent revival of interest in the DSS have come renewed questions and theories about the community that owned them. Boccaccini’s Beyond the Essene Hypothesis is a model attempt to advance beyond previous hypotheses by combining strong methodology with clear reasoning. . . . Though the nature of the evidence prevents his conclusions from being certain, Boccaccini does an admirable job of sifting and sorting historical descriptions and manuscript evidence to construct a persuasive theory of the development of an Enochic/Essene mainstream religious group from which the community at Qumran may have derived. His book will repay careful consideration.

—Dead Sea Discoveries

Penetrating and lucidly presented analysis.

—The Jerusalem Post

Gabriele Boccaccini is professor of Second Temple Judaism and Christian origins at the University of Michigan and director of the Enoch Seminar, a biennial international conferences on the Enoch literature.

Beyond the Qumran Community: The Sectarian Movement of the Dead Sea Scrolls

• Author: John J. Collins
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 278

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The full publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls necessitates fresh analysis, and Beyond the Qumran Community does just that. In this text, John J. Collins reaches a surprising conclusion: the sect described in the Dead Sea Scrolls developed later than usually supposed and was never confined to the site of Qumran. Collins deconstructs the Qumran community and shows that the sectarian documents actually come from a text spread throughout the land. He first examines the Community Rule (Yahad), and then considers the Teacher of Righteousness, a pivotal figure in the Essene movement. Collins argues that he was probably active in the first century BC rather than in the Maccabean era. After examining the available evidence, Collins concludes that it is overwhelmingly likely that the site of Qumran housed merely a single settlement of a widespread movement.

Well known and deeply respected for his work in the Dead Sea Scrolls, John Collins has written another great book that breaks new ground and advances the discussion of the Essenes and the Qumran community in many important ways. Displaying mastery of the primary and secondary literatures, Beyond the Qumran Community gives the sometimes contentious debate a balanced and nuanced perspective. It is a wonderful achievement and must reading for all who are interested in the Scrolls and the Jewish people at the turn of the era.

—Craig A. Evans

In Beyond the Qumran Community John Collins offers a stimulating examination of the nature of the communities (plural) reflected in the texts found in the Qumran caves. This book is characterized by the clarity, thoroughness, and disciplined reasoning that one expects from Collins and is highly recommended.

—James C. VanderKam

John J. Collins is Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School and has served as president of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association. His many books include Beyond the Qumran Community, King and Messiah as Son of God, The Bible after Babel, and The Apocalyptic Imagination.

The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 2nd ed.

• Author: John J. Collins
• Edition: 2nd
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 320

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In The Scepter and the Star John J. Collins offers an up-to-date review of Jewish messianic expectations around the time of Jesus, in light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Collins breaks these expectations into three categories: Davidic, priestly, and prophetic. Based on a small number of prophetic oracles and reflected in the various titles and names assigned to the messiah, the Davidic model holds a clear expectation that the messiah figure would play a militant role. In sectarian circles, the priestly model was far more prominent. Jesus of Nazareth, however, showed more resemblance to the prophetic messiah during his historical career, identified as the Davidic “Son of Man” primarily after his death.

A must-read for anyone interested in the early history of Judaism and the development of nascent Christianity.

—Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University

John J. Collins is Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School and has served as president of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association. His many books include Beyond the Qumran Community, King and Messiah as Son of God, The Bible after Babel, and The Apocalyptic Imagination.

Qumran Studies: New Approaches, New Questions

• Editors: Michael Thomas Davis and Brent A. Strawn
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 324

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Dead Sea Scrolls have undeniably revolutionized scholarly understanding on a number of fronts. This revolution has been ongoing for over 50 years, showing no signs of letting up—especially now as full publication of the Scrolls is complete. With their full publication, the important work of interpretation and analysis can continue with a rethinking of earlier analyses in light of the full evidence. This volume makes a signal scholarly contribution toward that end.

Michael Thomas Davis is adjunct professor at Rider University and managing editor of the Princeton Theological Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project.

Brent A. Strawn is associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew Bible at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He is the author of What Is Stronger Than a Lion?: Leonine Image and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Do They Matter?

• Authors: Pam Fox Kuhlken and David Noel Freedman
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 141

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Scholarly volumes on the Dead Sea Scrolls, full of indexes, footnotes, and technical jargon abound. However, in this volume, Pam Fox Kuhlken and David Noel Freedman provide an overview of the substance and significance of the Scrolls for the non-specialist. Kuhlken and Freedman’s work is well-informed and reliable while remaining charmingly candid, as they run an interrogatory gamut from the general, to the paranoid, to the somewhat cynical.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Do They Matter? won the San Diego Book Award for History in 2008.

Pam Fox Kuhlken teaches Bible as literature at San Diego State University and is co-founder of Perelandra College, LaMesa, California, where she teaches critical theory in the graduate creative writing program.

David Noel Freedman (1922–2008) was a prolific and influential Bible and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar. For many years he held the Endowed Chair in Hebrew Biblical Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He wrote hundreds of books and was the editor-in-chief of Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.