The People of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Writings, Beliefs and Practices

by Julio Trebolle Barrera

This book, written jointly by two distinguished Qumran scholars, attempts to provide answers to some important questions that have been discussed recently in media reports on the Dead Sea Scrolls, such have certain manuscripts been suppressed?; do the manuscripts question substantial aspects of the Jewish and Christian traditions?; do the roots of Early Christianity derive from the Essene movement?; and more.
This volume offers solid and up-to-date information on the literary heritage, the social organization and the religious beliefs of the Qumran community and its links with Early Christianity. It gives the reader an opportunity to look behind the scenes of the research of the Dead Sea texts and the ongoing scholarly debate on the origins of the Essene movement and the Qumran sect.

270 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Director del Instituto Universitario de Ciencias de las Religiones de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, es Profesor Titular del Departamento de Estudios Hebreos y Arameos de la misma Universidad. Miembro del Comité Internacional de edición de los Manuscritos del Mar Muerto, ha centrado su investigación sobre Qumrán y sobre crítica textual y literaria de la Biblia. Es autor de varios libros, entre ellos "La Biblia judía y la Biblia cristiana" (Madrid, 1993).

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of a series of essays by Martinez and Barrera, both members of the International Team of Editors of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The essays are current through 1993, their date of publication, dealing with a number of the controversies which have exercised the scholarly world. Special attention is given to a defense of official Dead Sea scholarship, accused by many in the popular media of the time for being secretive and possessive.

Dating the holographs to the period ca. 200 BCE to 68 CE, the authors emphasize their virtually unique importance in informing us about the intertestamental period from which arose both rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. Interestingly, dividing biblical recensions into Masoretic, Samaritan, and LXX families, the authors note how in many cases the Qumran holographs, the oldest of the lot, support the Samaritan and/or LXX versions over the Masoretic!

I've read a number of books about the Dead Sea Scrolls, several of them works criticized herein as being tendentious. I should have started with material like this, as Martinez and Barrera represent something approaching the scholarly consensus, a consensus with believes the scrolls to be the products of an Essenic sect resident at Qumran prior to the First Roman War, a sect with no clearly demonstrable connections with personages associated with Jesus in the Christian Scriptures.

NB: This is not a light read. One is expected to be familiar with the period and the Testaments.