The Dead Sea Scrolls

by Millar Burrows

An account of archeological finds Edmund Wilson called "without any question the most precious discoveries of their kind since the texts of the Greek & Latin classics brought to light in the Renaissance."
Preface
A Word to the Wise
Discoveries & discussions
The first discoveries
Alarms & excursions
Later discoveries
The age of the manuscripts
The evidence of archeology & paleography
The evidence of text & language
The dates of composition
Historical allusions in the Habakkuk commentary (2 parts)
Identifications of persons & events
Historical allusions in the other documents
Ideas, vocabulary & literary relations
The community of Qumran
Origin, history & organization
Beliefs
Identification
The importance of the Dead Sea scrolls
Contributions to textual criticism, historical grammar etc.
Contributions to the study of Judaism & Christianity
Translations
The Damascus document
The Habakkuk commentary
The manual of discipline
from The war of the sons of light with the sons of darkness
from the Thanksgiving psalms
Bibliography

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies

435 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Millar Burrows was one of the first scholars involved in the assembly and analysis of the scrolls found by the Dead Sea in 1947-48. This book is a popular exposition of what exactly was found and what they appear to represent as of 1955. I read it as a check on some of the claims made by Robert Eisenman in his James the Brother of Jesus.

As promised, this is a highly readable text which should be of interest to anyone familiar with the Judeo-Christian canon(s). Others, already familiar with the scrolls, may be interested in Burrows' account of their discovery and acquisition as well as in his own, personal evaluation of their import.

There was, and remains, much debate on when the scrolls were stashed away, by whom and for what purpose, particularly given the possibility that that may have occurred as late at ca. 70 CE, during the first Roman War. Burrows, to his credit, goes to some length to represent the entire range of scholarly opinion while not withholding his own.

[James Violand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very captivating book. The suspense involved in finding, buying and publishing the fragments found by the Bedouin in the desert abutting the Dead Sea is intense. This is the first book concerning the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. Written before the discovery became politicized, it is very objective.

[Pedro Carvalho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tudo o que você precisa saber sobre esse livro é que ele abre falando sobre o cuidado que o autor tomou para que ele fosse acessível para o leitor médio e sobre o quão revolucionária é a descoberta dos documentos do mar morto, só para que no penúltimo capítulo ele fale que o livro até então não é de nenhum interesse para um leigo, e que o principal valor dos documentos é servir negativamente de contraste para valorizarmos mais as sagradas escrituras.
Ele entra em detalhe excruciante sobre teorias que ele próprio nega e sobre assuntos tão irrelevantes ao conteúdo, datação e identificação dos textos quanto a recepção jornalística às descobertas arqueológicas antes delas poderem ser analisadas. É uma leitura árida e longa que apresenta resultados inconclusivos e agora ultrapassados sobre um assunto fascinante que o próprio autor despe de qualquer valor ou interesse histórico.
Ainda assim, o detalhe da discussão acadêmica é impressionante, e muito do que me frustra no livro se deve ao fato dele se destinar a uma leitura menos casual do que a minha.

[βαβυλών · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being 65 years old, thus lacking quite a bit of more recent information, this is still a relevant resource for the context surrounding the various sects that existed around the beginning of the 1st century. I especially found the comparison between apocalyptic Jewish beliefs and Zoroastrianism interesting.

[Bridgettearlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent discussion of how the scrolls were pieced together and how they were translated. A delight for anyone who loves the nuts and bolts of language, but would be dry reading for many others.

[Cws]

296.1

[Covenant Presbyterian Springfield Ohio]

Call Number: 220.93 BUR

Donated in memory of Estella W. SPINING and Susie SPINING TUTTLE.

Available.