The Dead Sea Scrolls: Questions and Responses for Latter-Day Saints

by Donald W. Parry, Stephen D. Ricks

Since their initial discovery in 1947, the ancient scrolls found in caves near the Dead Sea have stirred public curiosity. For Latter-day Saints, whose scriptural tradition speaks of sacred records to come forth in the last days, the Dead Sea Scrolls naturally give rise to questions such

Are there references to Christ or Christianity in the scrolls?
Do the scrolls contain scripture missing from the Bible?
Is the plan of salvation attested in the scrolls?
Do the scrolls refer to Joseph Smith or other latter-day figures?

The Dead Sea Questions and Responses for Latter-day Saints, succinctly deals with these and other questions on topics of particular interest to LDS readers. These topics are based on actual questions that Latter-day Saints have asked the authors as they have taught classes at Brigham Young University, shared their research at professional symposia, and spoken in other settings.

Genres: Lds, Religion, History

93 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Donald W. Parry, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Dead Sea Scrolls at Brigham Young University, is married to Camille Mills, from Las Vegas, Nevada; they have six children. He has served as a member of the International Team of Translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls since 1994. He has authored or edited thirty-three books, ten of which pertain to the scrolls and five deal with the writings of Isaiah. Parry has also published articles in journals, festschrifts, conference proceedings, and encyclopedias. He is also a member of several other professional organizations, including the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, Groningen, The Netherlands, Society for Biblical Literature, Atlanta, Georgia, and the National Association of Professors of Hebrew, Madison, Wisconsin. Parry presently serves as a member of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation Board of Trustees.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I copied a few things that struck my fancy.

Which translation should I read?
With few exceptions, we have used the translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Geza Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (New York: Penguin, 1997), which is responsibly prepared, accepted by the scholarly community, and readily available in libraries and bookstores. Scroll translations included in our book were drawn from Vermes’s work unless otherwise noted. (Preface)

Q 28:
Recently two fine English translations of the nonbiblical scrolls have been published: Geza Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (New York: Penguin, 1997), and Florentino García Martínez, The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English (2nd ed., Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1994). Designed and priced for the lay reader, both volumes are priced under $30.

Q44:
Furthermore, the Qumran community did not share with the Christians beliefs in the plan of salvation, aspects of church organization, priesthood offices, the Second Coming, a living prophet, the bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands, the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues, other gifts of revelation and of the Spirit, and numerous other doctrines that were part of the early Christian church and that are now part of the Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Q58. Do the scrolls contain previously unknown religious writings?
Many of the writings represented among the Dead Sea Scrolls were unknown before the scrolls’ discovery in the years 1947 through 1956. These writings include legal texts (Temple Scroll, Community Rule, Some Observances of the Law [4QMMT]), hymns and poems (Thanksgiving Hymns, Apocryphal Psalms, Noncanonical Psalms), calendrical texts (Phases of the Moon, Calendars of Priestly Courses, Zodiacal Calendar with a Brontologion), biblical commentaries (Commentary on Micah, Commentary on Habakkuk, Commentary on Psalms), apocryphal works (Prayer of Enosh and Enoch, Elisha Apocryphon, Joshua Apocryphon), biblically related or based works (New Jerusalem, Prayer of Nabonidus, Words of Moses, Book of Noah, Ages of the Creation), prayers and liturgical works (Liturgical Work, Purification Ritual, Blessings, Benedictions, Prayers for Festivals), and other miscellaneous texts.
These texts provide significant information regarding the Hebrew and Aramaic languages, how some Jews worshipped during the centuries before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, and the religious views of the Jews of the Qumran community.

70. Where can I learn more about the scrolls?
We have prepared a suggested reading list of articles and books on the Dead Sea Scrolls. The list includes studies by Latter-day Saint scholars, English translations of the scrolls, and general studies.

[Christian Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know very much about the Dead Sea Scrolls. They weren't quite as interesting as I thought they would be but still worth knowing about.