The Library of Qumran: On the Essenes, Qumran, John the Baptist, and Jesus
The incredible discoveries at Qumran are unveiled in this compelling volume by one of the world's foremost experts on biblical archaeology and the ancient Qumran community. Drawing on the best of current research and a thorough knowledge of all the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hartmut Stegemann analyzes the purpose of the Qumran settlement, paints a picture of how daily life was carried on there, explores the relation of the Qumran community to John the Baptist, to Jesus, and to early Christianity, and...
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Northwest of the Dead Sea, twelve kilometers to the south of Jericho and thirty-two kilometers north of the En-gedi Oasis, lie the ruins of a community long known to the Bedouins as 'Khirbet Qumran'. The nearly 900 original manuscript fragments found in caves near the site between 1947 and 1956 have fundamentally altered our view of ancient Judaism.The incredible discoveries at Qumran are unveiled in this compelling volume by one of the world's foremost experts on biblical archaeology and the ancient Qumran community. Drawing on the best of current research and a thorough knowledge of all the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hartmut Stegemann deciphers the meaning of the historical facts regarding the Qumran community and answers in an understandable and exciting way many of the questions that have provoked sensational speculation in the press since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.Stegemann analyzes the purpose of the Qumran settlement itself and paints a picture of how daily life was carried on there. He probes similarities and differences between Essene baptism, commemorative meals, and eschatology and their early Christian counterparts. He also explores the relation of the Qumran community to John the Baptist, to Jesus, and to early Christianity, and uncovers the true nature of the Qumran writings, which continue to have a profound impact on biblical studies today. Westminster Theological Journal "Occasionally a book is published that dominates the course of scholarship for some time. Witness, for example, the effect that E. P. Saunders' Paul and Palestinian Judaism has had on discussions about Judaism as well as Pauline studies. Whether Stegemann's book will do the same with regard to Qumran studies no one can say, of course, but it certainly has the potential. Some of his positions may turn out to be dead-ends, but others may well be the beginning of major new avenues in Qumran scholarship.... Qumran scholars have more than enough here to keep the debate lively and the research ongoing."
1Discoveries12Starting Points6The Status of Publication7The Age of the Manuscripts93The Scrolls and the Modern Public12The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception13The Best-seller, Jesus and the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls28The Best-seller, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered304The Excavations34Khirbet Qumran34Ain Feshkha36Building and Installations of the Qumran Settlement38The Purpose of the Qumran Settlement and Ain Feshkha51The Fate of the Qumran Settlement565The Scroll Caves58The Date of Qumran's Destruction59Other Viewpoints64The Individual Caves 1 through 11676The Scroll Holdings of the Qumran Library80The Functions of the Qumran Library80The Contributions to Modern Scholarship85Biblical Manuscripts85Phylacteries88Apocrypha90Pseudepigrapha91New Pre-Essene Works95The Essenes' Own Writings104Scholarly Treatises on Scripture118Commentaries on the Prophets122Conclusions1367The Essenes139Ancient Reports concerning the Essenes139Evaluations of the Essenes Today140The Rise of the Essenes142The Further History of the Essenes153The Peculiarities of the Essenes163The Teachings of the Essenes2018John the Baptist211The Activity and Personage of the Baptist212Connections to the Essenes?221The Significance of the Qumran Finds2259Jesus228The Reign of God230The Last Judgment240The Books of the Prophets249The Torah251Conclusion25610Early Christianity25811Rabbinic Judaism265Suggestions for Further Reading269Index of Names and Subjects271Index of Citations279Maps286
\ Westminster Theological Journal"Occasionally a book is published that dominates the course of scholarship for some time. Witness, for example, the effect that E. P. Saunders' Paul and Palestinian Judaism has had on discussions about Judaism as well as Pauline studies. Whether Stegemann's book will do the same with regard to Qumran studies no one can say, of course, but it certainly has the potential. Some of his positions may turn out to be dead-ends, but others may well be the beginning of major new avenues in Qumran scholarship.... Qumran scholars have more than enough here to keep the debate lively and the research ongoing."\ \
