Los Manuscritos Del Mar Muerto/ the Dead Sea Scrolls: Su Descubrimiento, Origen, Significado E Interpretacion / It's Discovery, Origin, Significance ... Jesus of Nazareth Library)

by Stephen Hodge

A principios de 1947, un pastor beduino encontro, en una cueva cercana a Khirbet Qumran a orillas del mar Muerto, una serie de manuscritos muy antiguos ocultos en una vasija. Posteriores expediciones arqueologicas en la zona hallaron muchos mas escritos en cuevas vecinas. Hoy, el conjunto de estos descubrimientos es conocido como "Los Rollos del Mar Muerto"....

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2001

Reviews

[Don Dealga · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this concise and tautly constructed work, Hodge provides an overview of the ' origin, meaning and significance' of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Hodge divides his book into four sections covering the scrolls' discovery, the historical background and context of the scrolls, the contents of the scrolls and finally a discussion of who may have produced and written the scrolls. The work provides a clear discursive path illuminating the 'story' of the scrolls with presentation and analysis of the historical, archaeological, linguistic, religious and forensic evidence pertaining to the discovery and interpretation of the scrolls material. Along the way I got to learn and consider various elements of the history of the region of modern day Israel-Palestine-Jordan where the scrolls were found, and of the various biblical accounts of the history and politics of the area and how these match up to the extant historical and archaeological data. For instance, Hodge discusses how from 129 BCE John Hyrcanus I, ruler of Judaea 'forcibly Judacized (p 53)' Idumaea and conquered Samaria destroying the Samartians' temple at Mt Gerizim, according to Hodge in his section of the book on the Historical Context of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I found this interesting given the popular notion of Judaism as a non-proselytizing faith. Although Hodge does point out that the Judaean conquests under Hyrcanus were motivated by political ambition and the desire to extend Judaean power rather than any religious fervour.
Hodge also highlights a key tension in the Jewish community running through the period the scrolls were produced in, a tension over the phenomenon of 'Hellenization' and resistance to that that generated some of the Jewish sectarian conflicts and disputes that surrounded the production and storage of the scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls have provoked large amounts of debate, controversy and polemic since their latter day discovery (starting in the 1940's) as they are employed by various actors and interests to try and advance different theories about the origins of Christianity, the development of Judaism, and about the history of eschatological and esoteric sects in the Dead Sea region. These controversies were further fuelled by the culture of opaqueness surrounding the early study of the scrolls material. Although in recent years, the study and preservation of the scrolls has thankfully attained a more scientific and professional level of care, the initial period following the unearthing of the scrolls was marked by ' dilettante approach to archaeology... and subject to ' disastrous stewardship' (p 159) with scholars smoking and drinking coffee as they examined the scrolls, material being examined & stored under direct sunlight, as well as access to the material being restricted to a limited number of favoured 'experts' and interpretation of the materials often subject to highly idiosyncratic personal views and flimsy 'theories' of certain scholars.
Hodge attempts to tell the stories of the scrolls enriched with full contextual details and background and succeeds admirably in marshaling and assessing the evidence of the various claims and interpretations swirling around the scrolls. In doing so with such skill and clarity, Hodge has given us an excellent and coherent account of the Dead Sea Scrolls story, and of the importance and meaning of the scrolls informed by the erudite historical, political and religious background presented.

[Gabriel Oviedo Gómez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bastante interesante el abordaje histórico y la contextualización que hace el autor sobre la época en la cual, presumiblemente, se escribieron los manuscritos y las épocas sobre las cuales hablan.

Asimismo, muestra interesantes teorías que se hacen sobre los diferentes grupos que fueron asentados en Qumrám, sin embargo el autor no termina de dar su propio criterio y se pierde un poco el sentido del libro.

Bueno como libro de referencia.

[Suze Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, well written and quite readable. The Spanish traducción I read, sadly, includes many mistakes and typos, but was still readable.

The author has a position on some groups of people, and lets his disregard be felt in a rather unprofessional manner, but that only makes it more fun to read, if you are not offended.

[Sergio ruocchio · Rating 3 out of 5]

ui famosi manoscritti di Qumran, che tanto scalpore creavano fino a poco fa, molto è stato scritto e non sempre tutto con la dovuta oggettività. Stephen Hodge, nel suo eccellente saggio, mostra la serietà del ricercatore equilibrato e passa in rassegna le diverse tappe che hanno costituito il ritrovamento di questi importantissimi documenti. Egli descrive l'iniziale difficile composizione, partendo da migliaia di frammenti; come si sono svolte le rispettive analisi, la lunga fase delle traduzioni ed il difficile lavoro che ha richiesto la delicata opera d'un ventennio da parte di esperti specialisti, fino alla conclusione delle diverse interpretazioni a cui giungono osservatori e studiosi distinti.
L'autore non esita a squalificare in pochi paragrafi teorie stravaganti, estreme e troppo sensazionaliste, ma riconosce che certe tesi di Robert Eisenman - per esempio - indicano coincidenze convergenti troppo impressionanti per non essere commentate; infatti, inducono davvero alla meditazione anche i più scettici.