The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Rating:
Summary: Good Intro to The Dead Sea Scrolls
Review: A great way to familiarize yourself with the Dead Sea Scrolls. I like the layout of the text, examining the scrolls cave by cave. Many beautiful color photos, almost a coffee-table book, but more than just a photo album. For those hesitating to purchase this book because of Davies' involvement, I would suggest that his minimalist views on the historicity of the Bible are not a factor in this book. My only complaint - more than once, documents/scrolls were mentioned in passing as if the reader should already know about them, then, a few pages/chapters later, the document was explained in detail. Coupled with "Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls", the reader would have a good introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, bountiful, but fragmented & a little unfocused
Review: First of all, let me state that this is a great book, beautifully illustrated, and chock-full of information about the Qumran scrolls. The problem, for me, is that it seems a little unfocused. As if someone said "Let's put together a book that is beautifully illustrated, with a lot of information about the Dead Sea Scrolls," but neglected to choose a theme, a direction, a message, a specific point of view.

The text lacks the continuity of thought that an introductory treatise should exhibit. It bounces around between introductory information, and technical information of interest to the scholar. The photos of the scrolls are exquisite, and the photos of the Qumran area are informative. Modern, researched illustrations clarify the contemporary world of the Qumran scrolls. But then, several medieval altarpiece-type paintings are thrown in, poorly researched by today's standards, and leaving one wondering why they're there.

The 'information-box' format is used throughout, and I always find these a little distracting. If you're following the main text, you can skip the info-boxes, and try to remember which ones you missed, so that you can go back and catch them later. Or you can interrupt your reading to check the box out, and then try to remember where you left off.

Furthermore, in an effort to be scholarly, some of the excitement that the scrolls should generate gets lost. And the print is tiny, and runs way over into the 'gutter,' making it uncomfortable and awkward to read.

Perhaps my bias stems from the fact that I am primarily interested in the scrolls from a Biblical persepective, and the bulk of the book is focused on analysis and speculation surrounding the non-biblical scrolls, which is as interesting as any sectarian church history, but not on a par with the history of the Bible's text.

Overall, an informative book well worth having, but not one that leaves you feeling fulfilled in your quest for an understanding of the importance and history of the scrolls.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, bountiful, but fragmented & a little unfocused
Review: First of all, let me state that this is a great book, beautifully illustrated, and chock-full of information about the Qumran scrolls. The problem, for me, is that it seems a little unfocused. As if someone said "Let's put together a book that is beautifully illustrated, with a lot of information about the Dead Sea Scrolls," but neglected to choose a theme, a direction, a message, a specific point of view.

The text lacks the continuity of thought that an introductory treatise should exhibit. It bounces around between introductory information, and technical information of interest to the scholar. The photos of the scrolls are exquisite, and the photos of the Qumran area are informative. Modern, researched illustrations clarify the contemporary world of the Qumran scrolls. But then, several medieval altarpiece-type paintings are thrown in, poorly researched by today's standards, and leaving one wondering why they're there.

The 'information-box' format is used throughout, and I always find these a little distracting. If you're following the main text, you can skip the info-boxes, and try to remember which ones you missed, so that you can go back and catch them later. Or you can interrupt your reading to check the box out, and then try to remember where you left off.

Furthermore, in an effort to be scholarly, some of the excitement that the scrolls should generate gets lost. And the print is tiny, and runs way over into the 'gutter,' making it uncomfortable and awkward to read.

Perhaps my bias stems from the fact that I am primarily interested in the scrolls from a Biblical persepective, and the bulk of the book is focused on analysis and speculation surrounding the non-biblical scrolls, which is as interesting as any sectarian church history, but not on a par with the history of the Bible's text.

Overall, an informative book well worth having, but not one that leaves you feeling fulfilled in your quest for an understanding of the importance and history of the scrolls.

Rating:
Summary: A Wide-Ranging Introduction to the Scrolls
Review: The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Bedouin at Khirbet Qumran in 1947 was one of the greatest archaeological finds in recorded history. Produced from circa 200 B.C. to circa 100 A.D., the Scrolls are a wealth of knowledge from the ancient Middle East during Biblical times. The convoluted story of their collection, translation and publication has taken over fifty years and filled dozens of volumes. To a noephyte student of the Scrolls this collection of literature can seem overwhelming. Many different threads of research weave the tapestry of the Scrolls' history, and adding to the confusion are the many publications which are filled with ill-advised conjecture, conspiracy theories, misguided research and the like. _The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls_ provides a starting point, a lens through which to view and organize this body of research material.

Phillip R. Davies, George J. Brooke and Phillip R. Callaway, three of the most respected scholars involved in the research and publication the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, have combined their expertise to create the most complete introduction to the Scrolls imaginable. Here "complete" does not mean that the authors have included the entire body of knowledge available regarding the Scrolls, but refers to the fact that they have introduced the reader to every facet of the story of the Scrolls' discovery, research and history. _The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls_ is an overview which introduces the reader to the many avenues of research regarding the Scrolls and provides an extensive "Further Reading" list to allow the reader to increase their knowledge in the areas of greatest interest to them, whether it be translation, archaeology, historical context, the meaning of the Scrolls to studies of Judaism and Christianity, etc.

With over 200 illustrations, numerous side bars, factfiles, timelines, etc., this book is a beautifully presented treatment of the Scrolls, and a must read for anyone interested in studying them. Organization is very much like that of a text book, breaking the subject matter into various sections rather than chapters, and reminds me of the various series that Time-Life used to publish. This is appropriate, since _The Complete World_ is a series which includes such titles as _The Complete Pyramids_, _The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt_, _The Complete World of Tutankhamun_ and _The Complete World of the Valley of the Kings_.

Rating:
Summary: An easy read by three top scholars
Review: The three authors on the latest book about the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the top in the field of archaeology. Together, they present careful evidence into the history and meaning of the manuscripts found in the Dead Sea. The book is easy to follow, starting with the finding of the scrolls, then moving into a historical backdrop of the world as it was in ancient times for the authors of the texts. An added advantage in this book is it lays out exactly where each scroll was found, the condition the text was in, and the background for the scroll being reviewed. A small section was devoted to the Copper Scroll, one of the biggest mysteries in all the scrolls found to date. This is an easy read with a comprehensive account of one of the most important archaeological finds in the past century

Rating:
Summary: An easy read by three top scholars
Review: The three authors on the latest book about the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the top in the field of archaeology. Together, they present careful evidence into the history and meaning of the manuscripts found in the Dead Sea. The book is easy to follow, starting with the finding of the scrolls, then moving into a historical backdrop of the world as it was in ancient times for the authors of the texts. An added advantage in this book is it lays out exactly where each scroll was found, the condition the text was in, and the background for the scroll being reviewed. A small section was devoted to the Copper Scroll, one of the biggest mysteries in all the scrolls found to date. This is an easy read with a comprehensive account of one of the most important archaeological finds in the past century

Rating:
Summary: The Dead Sea Scrolls - Where to Start
Review: Where does one start the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls? One would do well to start with copies of the texts. The biblical texts may be found in _The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible_ translated by Martin Abegg et al. The non-biblical texts which includes the sectarian texts, may be found in _The Dead Sea Scrolls_ translated by Michael Wise et al. (Incidentally there are no unpublished texts of any significance. These two volumes cover the field.)

Then one needs a book which explains where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found such as Jodi Magness' _The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scolls_. But as the starting point one needs _The Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls_.

Philip Davies, George Brooke, and Phillip Callaway have written a "complete" introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls. The first section of the book discusses the discovery of the scrolls, their editing, and their publication. The second section discusses the history of the time of the scrolls, including the sects of that time.

Perhaps the third section should have been divided into two. The third section begins with chapters on how to make a scroll, script styles, Carbon-14 dating of the scrolls, and how to reconstruct a scroll from fragments. (If one has never read of the techniques for scroll reconstruction, this chapter is a must.)

Next comes the bulk of the book. The most significant scrolls from each cave are discussed. Cave 1 had a number of the sectarian scrolls. Cave 4 had the largest number of scrolls. The scrolls from Caves 5 to 10 receive only two pages of attention despite the sensationalism surrounding the Greek scrolls found in Cave 7 (and see also page 190).

The fourth section of the book discusses the settlement of Qumran. (One should be sure to refer to Magness' _Archaeology_.) The fifth section discusses the meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I will leave these for the consideration of the reader.

Included in _Complete World_ are a list of the contents of Discoveries in the Judean Desert, a chart of paleographic Hebrew, a list of the scrolls by cave, etc. _Complete World_ is a feast of reading with the scrumptious photographs of a coffee table book. This book deserves more than a five star rating.