The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Significance For Understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity

by James C. VanderKam

The story of the discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls has become a part of Western lore. Who has not heard about the Bedouin shepherd who threw a rock into a cave, heard a crash, went in to explore, and found the scrolls? The story in that form may be accurate, but it turns out to be something of a simplification. As a matter of fact, much remains unknown about the exact circumstances under which those scrolls were discovered. The story of the discovery at first deals with just one cave; the other ten were located at later times.

Genres: Religion, History, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Judaism, Nonfiction, Christian

480 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2002

Reviews

[jcg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overall introduction to the scrolls, what they contain and the controversies surrounding them. A good place to gain background in preparation for further reading - however, this book should not be taken as the final authoritative word. Generally very readable and accessible to a non-technical audience. The world of the scrolls is very complex and the authors are to be commended for the breadth of the material covered. A more complete index would make the work more useful as a reference text, for example, key phrases such as 'sons of light' and 'son of God' are not included in the index.

The authors toe the party line in their interpretations of the scrolls. While they mention views divergent from those of "scholars", such views are dismissed. The authors state that they "have no desire to criticize" such viewpoints, although they describe them as "speculative, sensational and bizarre" - which sounds pretty critical.

The authors spend a couple of chapters on the relationship of the scrolls to Christianity, although they maintain the official stance of distancing the scrolls from Christianity. A case in point is fragment 4Q246 which contains the phrases "son of God" and "son of the Most High." A few paragraphs are devoted to this fragment, but there is no mention of the significance for Christianity, for here are phrases previously known only from the Gospels and thought to be unique to Jesus. 4Q246 is too small and too badly damaged to understand exactly what it means, but it shows that Jesus was not the only one to be regarded as a son of God.

In outlining the controversies about the scrolls, the authors pooh-pooh any suggestion of a conspiracy to suppress the scrolls, but just consider the above mentioned 4Q246. This 19 line fragment was given to J.T. Milik, a Catholic priest, for publication in 1958. Although he mentioned it in a lecture in 1972, he never published it. In 1992, after copies of photographs of the unpublished scrolls were made freely available, Milik gave his "permission" for the fragment to be published although the text was not fully published until 1996. That's 38 years after Milik received the fragment.

4Q246 was withheld for so long because it contains the phrases "Son of God" and "Son of the Most High". Some seem to feel the revelation that these titles were not unique to Jesus is a serious threat to Christianity, especially to the doctrines of the Catholic Church.

It appears as if at least one of the Dead Sea Scrolls was intentionally withheld from publication for nearly 40 years for doctrinal reasons and there could be others that suffered the same fate.

'The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls' presents viewpoints which those with vested interests want the general public to believe about the scrolls, not necessarily what the scrolls really mean. While a good overview-type introduction, this book should be approached skeptically.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure how to rate this book. The dead sea scrolls are very important in our understanding of the Old Testament and apocrypha. These scrolls and fragments are of great import to Jews and Christians alike. This book was written to describe the discovery of the many scrolls as well as describing their content along with what we know of their history as well as explaining what we don’t know. Some of the writing was quite technical, and some of that was a little difficult to follow since I am not a professional scholar. However, I was able to understand most of the book, and I found it to be very helpful in understanding the bounty of historical proof provided for the Bible, specifically the Old Testament. I can see how important these discoveries are in making sure we have accurate translations of the Old Testament. I definitely have a better understanding of what this discovery means for Christians like me, and I am glad to have this information. The authors are able to communicate their passion for studying the Dead Sea Scrolls, and that makes this book a joy to read. I especially appreciated two chapters dealing with extra biblical writings, in particular the book of Enoch.

[Steve DePangher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent survey!

I read this book while also watching the Great Courses class on the Dead Sea Scrolls taught by Gary Rendsburg which is also excellent. For some readers, the content may be challenging, but Vandekam's summaries and insights are worth it. In a marketplace of so much nonsense about the scrolls and their relationship to Judaism and Christianity, it is important that scholarly, sensible, well-written books are available.

[Paul Quick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a technical analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls co-written by two of the fifty researchers who translated and published them. This reader being a life-long Christian was astounded by how much I learned about the origins of familiar religious practices and stories.
We all learned about Moses long hike up Mt Sinai and then returning with the Ten Commandment Tablets about 40 days later. To commemorate this event the Jewish have a holiday called Shavuot. It is a time to renew the oath to honor the covenant with God. However, I did not know originally to break this oath was punishable by death (Blood oath). Moreover, the event back then was tightly bound to a grand feast where some of the bounty of the season first harvest is enjoyed. Perhaps the Golden Calf was a part of that feasting which would have been acceptable as long as they put the Covenant first.
Another thing we all do is read from the Bible but in those ancient days along the Dead Sea there was no Bible (i.e. Canon). Instead, there were hundreds of separate documents along with peshers (commentaries) on how to apply the lessons to be learned from them. The community was apparently clarifying key manuscripts by comparison, clearer language and amplifying or restatement sometimes with a brief expository.
The idea for producing a Bible was nurtured here - containing the laws for everyday living, the interpretations of great teachers (prophets...) and finally to give motivation to follow what was stated by providing warnings of end-days and judgment. It is a much superior way to cajole people to follow rules and guides than to immediately off them as one done at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

The book elaborates how the media written upon was preserved, restored and dated. For the reader who likes to know technical details there is an abundance of information here.

Also, the book goes into national issues, dueling interpretations, personal conflicts (who gets credit ...) and many other management issues.

This is a complex lively book and I recommend it to those who loved to be challenged by a good reading. However, for the reader who wants something light and entertaining this is not that cup of tea.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Chuck Yannacone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly deserves a 5 for scholarship, but I was reading for content. Clearly not the best book for this.

[Josh Fisher]

The DSS are interesting as a major textual discovery and for the context they provide for first century religion, but otherwise 😴. Gonna stop reading about this now

[Joel Haber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly dated by now, but the best primer on all core subjects related to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

[Roger Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful introduction. A bit dated with respect to new technology.

[Erneilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This encyclopedic summary of the state of Dead Sea Scroll scholarship is a great reference. It covers the history of their discovery and the work done by scholars for the last 60 year and gives a pretty good assessment of the current state of understanding. It's coverage of some of the controversies is balanced and fair.

[Michelle]

needs more in depth reading, more that I can get out of it with a library check out. Of all the books at the library dealing with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammuradi Library, this one seemed the best and the easiest to read or comprehend.

Added to wish list so I can peruse more thoroughly.

[Mary-Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly written, a introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls which is comprehensive and thorough. Very readable textbook style. I learned about the Masoretic text, the Septuagint, a few missing verses in the Bible, the Essenes, and background to understanding the Bible.

[Josh Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Objective analysis.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written look at the Dead Sea Scrolls