Solving The Mysteries Of The Dead Sea Scrolls

The story of the Dead Sea Scrolls reads like a whodunit novel, full of intrigue and mystery. The intrigue lies in the internecine struggles among scholars entrusted with their study and safekeeping. They mystery lies in just how much they can tell us about biblical times and life in the early Christian church. From 1947 when the first scrolls were discovered in the caves around Qumran, until the mid-eighties when the academic gridlock began to break up, they have left us with many more questions than answers: Who wrote the scrolls? What connection do they have with Jewish sects or early Christianity? And what light do they shed on biblical times and the Bible itself? With the "rediscovery" of the scrolls in recent years, their significance to biblical studies is once again in the spotlight. This book provides to students and lay Christians an overview of the scrolls' controversial history and the various theories scholars hold about them. It is an excellent, readable introduction to who's who and what's what in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls.