The Copper Scroll: Overview, Text and Translation

by Al Wolters

The first fascicle of The Qumran A Hebrew-English Edition was published in 1996 to mark the fortieth anniversary of the opening in Manchester of the most intriguing but curiously neglected of the Qumran scrolls. This ancient treasure list, inscribed on thin copper plates in the colloquial Hebrew of the first century of our era, remains a puzzle. Once dismissed as a fictional composition, it is now generally held to indicate the hiding places of a genuine hoard. But whose? Are the treasures those of the Jerusalem temple? Or of the Essenes? Or are they Zealot booty? And what is the connection of this scroll to the other Qumran manuscripts? This new edition offers in parallel columns a fresh edition of the Hebrew (and Greek) text of the Copper Scroll together with an English translation and an introductory essay. Also featured are eight colour photographs of the Copper Scroll, taken by John Allegro before, during and after the opening of the scroll.

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Shelley Neese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Al Wolters primarily offers his new English translation of the Copper Scroll text. According to Wolters, the Copper Scroll is clearly connected to Second Temple treasure. This book is very short and primarily academic.