Product Description

The Dead Sea Scrolls are again on exhibit, and thousands of people will journey to see them. But will these folks understand what they see? There are plenty of scholarly volumes on the Dead Sea Scrolls, full of indexes, footnotes, and jargon for those in the know. But what about the majority of the population -- nonspecialists who just want a basic understanding of what the Dead Sea Scrolls are and why they're so important? That's where this little book comes in.

David Noel Freedman and Pam Fox Kuhlken here offer an informed, inside look at these significant ancient texts. Full of humor and behind-the-scenes glimpses into research on the Scrolls, What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Do They Matter? is a fascinating, accessible guidebook -- perfect for any reader seeking a brief, quality introduction to this inscrutable subject.

Questions addressed run the gamut from general to paranoid to somewhat cynical. Here's a sampling:
- What are the Dead Sea Scrolls all about?
- Who wrote them, why, and in what languages?
- How do scholars reconstruct a biblical text?
- Have the Scrolls changed our understanding of any passages in the Bible?
- Do the Scrolls tell us when the world will end?
- How has technology improved our ability to study the Scrolls?
-How much would a Scroll fragment sell for on eBay today?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #232096 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 131 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780802844248
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
David Noel Freedman holds the Endowed Chair in Hebrew Biblical studies at the University of California in San Diego. He is the author or editor of numerous publications, including the Anchor Bible Project, the Eerdmans Critical Commentary, and the Bible in Its World Series and has been a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar for over fifty years.

Pam Fox Kuhlken is assistant professor of English at Arizona Western College and teaches in the graduate Creative Writing Program at Perelandra College.

Customer Reviews

Very Teachable material
Freedman and Kuhlken present a very teachable primer on the Dead Sea Scrolls. I have purchased half a dozen books on the Scrolls in preparation for an upcoming class I am teaching, and found this book to be unique in 1 way: it anticipates common questions regarding the Scrolls, and provides sound, concise answers.

While not the most detail-oriented of the books I purchased, it still contains lots of meat, and none of the sensationalist claims of other, less academic books. This book does not get too lost in the extra-canonical material, discussing mostly the Hebrew Bible material, and its implications and impact on western political and religious thought.

Highly recommended when purchased in conjunction with a copy of the DSS Bible, and perhaps Timothy H Lim's "The Dead Sea Scrolls: a very short introduction."

Dead Sea Scrolls for Dummies
I met the author in a parking lot one day. He mentioned the fact that he was involved with the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Museum. He also mentioned his book which I promptly ordered. Pretty interesting- if you are interested. I like the format of the book-questions and answers. If you truly want to learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls and want it explained in layman's terms, this book is for you!

Good style, meager content
This is an easily readable first introduction to the scrolls, clearly meant for the the layman with no previous knowledge, but with interest in the Bible and Christianity. This is perhaps the best book for a broad popular audience, keeping things simple and comprehensible. However, all those who have more than a fleeting interest are not served by this book. The book by and large represents scrolls scholarship of thirty or fourty years ago, and none of the texts published in the mean time is discussed by the author. The book bristles with small factual mistakes, which do not detract from the broad overall picture, but nonetheless should have been avoided. But the author also elaborates on things, such as the size of biblical scrolls as opposed to non-biblical ones, that have no basis in reality. The book pays attention to issues, such as the documentary hypothesis, and whether D and P are successive or contemporary, that are entirely irrelevant to the scrolls. The glossary at the end does not correspond to the content. Whereas Freedman argued that the Wicked Priest could not have been a Maccabee, but was Hananiah (Onias) II, the glossary simply states that he was probably one of the Maccabees. But ultimately, the author is not really interested in the scrolls: "the book is really closed on the Dead Sea Scrolls. There is not a whole lot more to learn ... By contrast, the work on the Hebrew Bible is endless: always more work, more analysis ..." Most other introductions do show what more there is to learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls, with regard to wisdom, halakhah, liturgy, mysticism.