The Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. These ancient manuscripts date from approximately the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE and include biblical texts, non-biblical writings, and other Jewish literature.
These scrolls are invaluable. They contain the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible texts, predating previously known copies by over a thousand years, and allow scholars to trace textual transmission and variants. The non-biblical materials provide unprecedented insight into Second Temple Judaism, revealing the diversity of Jewish thought and practice during this formative period. The Scrolls illuminate the religious landscape that gave birth to both rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. The Scrolls also reveal apocalyptic beliefs, messianic expectations, and communal practices that help contextualize the emergence of numerous traditions.
Studying and discussing the Dead Sea Scrolls will enhance our understanding of biblical interpretation, the development of Jewish law, the historical Jesus, our knowledge of ancient Judaism, and the evolution of Jewish and Christian traditions.
Our core book is JC VanderKam and P Flint, The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls . . . , a popular, readable, informative, comprehensive and well-regarded book that received an award for Best Book of the Year by the Biblical Archeology Society.
Week 1. Chapter 1: Discovery of the Scrolls ; Chapter 2: Dating the Scrolls
Week 2. Chapter 3: Archaeology of the Qumran Site ; Chapter 4: Technology in Scrolls Research
Week 3. Chapter 5:The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament before the Scrolls ; Chapter 6: The Biblical Scrolls and the text of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Week 4. Chapter 7: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Text of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament ; Chapter 8: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Week 5. Chapter 9: A Survey of the Non-Biblical Scrolls ; Chapter 10: Identifying the Group Associated with Qumran
Week 6. Chapter 11: The Theology or Belief System of The Qumran Group ; Chapter 12: The Qumran Group within Early Judaism
Week 7. Chapter 13: Biblical Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls ; Chapter 14: Were New Testament Scrolls Found at Qumran?
Week 8. Chapter 15: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Gospels and Qumran ; Chapter 16: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Other New Testament Books: Acts and the Letters
Week 9. Chapter 17: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Book of Revelation ; Chapter 18: Scroll Wars
James C. VanderKam and Peter Flint, The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Significance for Understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity, HarperOne, ISBN 0-06-068465-8 (pbk.), 2002, available from Amazon (Kindle about $15 & paperback about $21) and from www.archive.org (no charge).
Optional: Ada Yardeni, Understanding the Alphabet of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Tyndale House Publishers, ‎ISBN 978-9652208583 (pbk.), 2015 , 48 pp, Available from Amazon (about $20).