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285th out of 461 books
—
706 voters
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation
From a new generation of Dead Sea Scrolls scholars comes this landmark work. Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. and Edward Cook bring the long-inaccessible ancient scrolls of Qumran vividly to life, translating and deciphering virtually every legible portion of the fragmented scrolls, with startling results. For the first time since their discovery, this historic volume revea...more
Paperback, 528 pages
Published
January 1st 1999
by HarperOne
(first published 1962)
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Sep 14, 2012
David Sarkies
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Biblical and Archeology Students
Shelves:
history
I suspect that Vermes is probably the foremost expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls since it seems that every book about it is either written, or edited, by him, but then that is simply an observation that I have made. For those not familiar with these ancient documents, they were found hidden in a cave by the Dead Sea in about 1947 by a young shepherd and they have been classified as one of the most significant archeological finds of the last century. Basically they are a collection of scrolls writt...more
This is a superb introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls. No, Vermes does not translate every scrap of text (and some of the more fragmentary texts are available in fuller translations in other English editions), nor does he include the biblical scrolls (with the exception of a few books that are part of Catholic, Orthodox, and Ethiopic canons), but his selection is otherwise extremely thorough, even focusing on textual variants. Many people probably find the various hymns, psalms, apocryphons, com...more
Picked up this little ripper of a primary source (at least as primary as you can get in english) for a scant $12! Have only read bits and pieces before so it's nice to get a larger collection. It should be mentioned that this is by no means complete. In fact, my edition is an earlier one than this printed in 1973 that has even less. No Book of Enoch and no Gospel of Thomas in either. I may be mistaken but I had thought that these texts were discovered in the same complex, along with a complete v...more
Mar 30, 2011
Charis
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
spirituality-religion
This was something that I bought when I had decided I wanted to read my way through things like this, and then by the time it came round to actually reading it I didn't feel quite as enthused. BUT, although it certainly wasn't "reading for pleasure" for me, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it wasn't as difficult to read or as boring as I was anticipating. Bits of it are in fact really fascinating! Definitely an insight into how the Bible was interpreted in its original format long ago...more
It's hard not to want to rate something like this very high as the fact that we even have any of this preserved is absolutely amazing. Much of this work is fragmented but the information given at the start of each book really helps you know where it came from and what is known about the text. Interesting to note that Gilgamesh is mentioned in one of the works. Its amazing what history/tradition gets carried into each age. I think reading something like this makes you wonder exactly what made eac...more
Some of the work took time and meditation to understand but the "War Scroll" is as good a mystery that you will ever read. It often sounds like science fiction but may also reflect happenings in a former civilization. Gaza Vermes is both an excellent writer and, in this case, interpreter.
I give up. I am almost OCD about finishing things I start, but this is changing as I grow older and time is speeding up as it runs out. I give an extra star for the first 50 pages. It was interesting to see the science and technology in placing these scrolls together and the logic involved in piecing it together. And the history is fascinating when put in context of how much importance we put on this tribe of people today and how little we really know about them. But once the history and the sci...more
As for the scrolls themselves, I have no conclusions to offer other than they really shed light on the apocalyptic form of Judaism in this era, out of which it seems Christianity emerged to a large degree. As for Vermes' compilation and contribution it is excellent.
Not as cool as I was expecting. I had really high expectations though.
This wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Still a good resource.
in the documents I've made it through so far, this is really helpful read in framing and understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls and their relevance to understanding the scriptures. Good enough that I'll read the whole thing, even the part that I have not been assigned. . .
The authors do a fantastic job of framing each part of the scroll for the readers, and give you a sense of what is really happening in this community, and why you should care. It's a long read, but worth it if you are spending time...more
The authors do a fantastic job of framing each part of the scroll for the readers, and give you a sense of what is really happening in this community, and why you should care. It's a long read, but worth it if you are spending time...more
I can't be sure it was this version.
Thanksgiving hymn. Yup
A lot more rules and restrictions but completely worth the read. Thoroughly translated by experts in the field. It should be on your "to read" list if you want to have a true understanding of what early Judaism was like and to have any serious discussion about early Christianity. The only thing about this version is that if you’re going to reference from it then becomes rather tricky. One paragraph with only three lines will be sited as "1" and the next paragraph will be sited as "15" so be care...more
There's not much to say about this. They are what they are. If you're interested in ancient apocryphal scriptures, then this is a great interesting read. If you have a hard time muddling through the Old Testament, then this is probably not what you're looking for.
I really enjoyed it and I thought the authors did a great job of putting things in context in an honest, "we really don't know much for sure about any of this" kind of way.
I really enjoyed it and I thought the authors did a great job of putting things in context in an honest, "we really don't know much for sure about any of this" kind of way.
This was a great read, took a long time but was well worth it. Too often we talk about a subject or book but never have read it ourselves. The Dead Sea Scrolls fits in this catagory. People talk about rather than respond to the text themselves. There is a general introduction and then there is a short intro before each text. One sees the similarities and the differences with the Biblical text. It was a good discipline to finish this book.
This version gives an easily understood introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls, and does a nice job of talking about the archaeological details, and setting the Scrolls in their historical context.
I'm not sure anyone would want to read the entire Scrolls cover to cover, but if you're interested in first century Judaism or Christianity, they do help give you a feel for the cultural and social climate of the times.
I'm not sure anyone would want to read the entire Scrolls cover to cover, but if you're interested in first century Judaism or Christianity, they do help give you a feel for the cultural and social climate of the times.
Mar 14, 2012
Denise
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
religion-myth-superstition,
non-fiction
The day that I finished reading this book, Discover Magazine ran an article announcing that the digitized scrolls and translations will be online soon.
Well organized, easy to navigate, and a helpful introduction. Further research elsewhere is needed for anyone interested in alternate proposals regarding scroll authorship. Overall, dry reading. Recommended for those interested in Second Temple Judaism.
Well organized, easy to navigate, and a helpful introduction. Further research elsewhere is needed for anyone interested in alternate proposals regarding scroll authorship. Overall, dry reading. Recommended for those interested in Second Temple Judaism.
It is had to rate a book like this. It was interesting. I was grateful for all comments made by Vermes. Much of the book was a little like reading Leviticus. The Thanksgiving Hymns were enjoyable. I do like giving thanks. A of the text was to fragments for me to catch the vision of what was truly meant.
Oct 20, 2008
Todd Alexander
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Only someone with prior knowledge of this topic.
Recommended to Todd by:
No one
As a whole, I thought the book was quite dry. I was, kinda, sorta, maybe, waiting for the book to end at times. My favorite parts included a modests history of the Pharacees and Sadducees. I also appreciated the explanation of how John Macabee's line took charge of temple responsibilities.
Oct 29, 2008
James
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those interested in extra-biblical writings, scholars of near-eastern studies.
Good stuff, but formatted for the scholar and not the typical reader. The books are in fragments, and thus there are many parts missing in them. While there is some expert conjecture implemented to reconstruct words and sentences, even this is highly limited.
More like a reference book. I didn't read all the scroll translations , but I can see how having this handy can be useful. I think a newer book on the scrolls would be helpful since this ones a little dated now!
Wah, baru tahu ada buku ini. Benar-benar buku yang sangat berguna untuk mengetahui berbagai latar belakang Injil.
Clearest reference I have read for the DSS to date. Mostly for research but if you want a copy of the information contained, this is a great book to get.
Very interesting, but very long. A lot of the scrolls can be found on the internet now, but it's nice to have a hard copy in case the net goes boom.
The Prayer of Enosh and Enoch (4Q369) page 511
The Book of Enoch (4Q201-2, 204-12) and the book of Giants (1Q23-4, 2Q26, 4Q203, 530-33, 6Q8)
The Book of Enoch (4Q201-2, 204-12) and the book of Giants (1Q23-4, 2Q26, 4Q203, 530-33, 6Q8)
Jun 07, 2007
Mark Delabarre
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History buffs
VERY dry but ultimately interesting book about, well, the dead sea scrolls! Especially interesting after the hoopla surrounding the DaVinci Code.
Important literature for understanding the beginnings of Christianity - or Christianity in its Jewish context.
Use as a reference tool. Very helpful for seeing some of the ideas in Second Temple Judaism near the time of the NT.
Boy, the Dead Sea Scrolls are boring. At least I got it as a bargain ebook. Authors introductionary commentary is ok
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Sep 14, 2012 09:15pm