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HOW THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS CAN CHANGE OUR VIEW OF HISTORY —
AND HOW THEY CANNOT.
In 1947. a huge collection of ancient manuscripts was lound in remote caves near Khirbet
Qumran on the edge of the Dead Sea. These manuscripts. numbering nearly e.ght hundred.
have radically altered the way scholars view both the Judaic world in the centuries Adin0 up
to the time ot Christ. and the Bible itself, Written by the Ournran Essenes, a devout Jewish
sect. the Scrolls illuminate the world into which Jesus was born. and place the growth of
Christianity in its historical context.
The result is complex and fascinating: Campbell CutS through sensationalist conspiracy
theories to give an incisive, and at times startling. portrait of the Scrolls themselves. the
sea scnous
impact of amazing discovery on our understanding ot religion in ancient Palestine. the
status of the Bible in the last two centuries before the birth ot Christ and these remarkable
documents' enduring significance. Authoritative and accessible. Jonathan Campbell's book
gives an incomparable overview tor the uninitiated general reader ot the importance ot the
Dead Sea Scrolls.
'In Deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jonathan Campbell, an established expert on Qumran.
has written for students and the general reader a clear, well researched, balanced and highly
informative account the discovery 01 the Scrolls, the debates surrounding them. and their
significance lor a better understanding 01 ancient Judaism and the beginnings ot Christianity. '
protessor Geza Vermes, author 01 The Dead Sea Scrolls in English
HISTORY'REUGION
Cover Dead Sea detail Ot
ISBN 0
JK
0799>
9 780006 384663
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