This volume of conference papers presents new discoveries, updated information, and technological advances in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Two papers examine the identity of the messiahs in 4Q246 and 4Q521. A thorough analysis of scribal markings in the Dead Sea texts is presented. Biblical studies include multiple literary editions of biblical texts, the book of Numbers at Qumran, and the appearance of the Tetragrammaton in 4QSama texts. The notions of judgment and salvation according to Sapiential Work A are thoroughly examined, and the relationship of the six Barki Nafshi texts is carefully considered. New developments in the field of Dead Sea Scrolls studies include the Dead Sea Scrolls Database and DNA studies on the scrolls themselves.

Dr. Norman Golb's classic study on the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls is now available online. Since their earliest discovery in 1947, the Scrolls have been the object of fascination and extreme controversy. Challenging traditional dogma, Golb has been the leading proponent of the view that the Scrolls cannot be the work of a small, desert-dwelling fringe sect, as various earlier scholars had claimed, but are in all likelihood the remains of libraries of various Jewish groups, smuggled out of Jerusalem and hidden in desert caves during the Roman siege of 70 A. D. Contributing to the enduring debate sparked by the book's original publication in 1995, this digital edition contains additional material reporting on new developments that have led a series of major Israeli and European archaeologists to support Golb's basic conclusions. In its second half, the book offers a detailed analysis of the workings of the scholarly monopoly that controlled the Scrolls for many years, and discusses Golb's role in the struggle to make the texts available to the public. Pleading for an end to academic politics and a commitment to the search for truth in scrolls scholarship, Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? sets a new standard for studies in intertestamental history "This book is 'must reading'.... It demonstrates how a particular interpretation of an ancient site and particular readings of ancient documents became a straitjacket for subsequent discussion of what is arguably the most widely publicized set of discoveries in the history of biblical archaeology...." Dr. Gregory T. Armstrong, 'Church History' Golb "gives us much more than just a fresh and convincing interpretation of the origin and significance of the Qumran Scrolls. His book is also... a fascinating case-study of how an idee fixe, for which there is no real historical justification, has for over 40 years dominated an elite coterie of scholars controlling the Scrolls...." Daniel O'Hara, 'New Humanist'

This volume of symposium papers examines the attribution of books to great figures in antiquity: Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Levi, Moses, Ezekiel, Daniel and others. The authors offer fine literary studies of these pseudepigraphical writings, assess the uses of pseudonymity and anonymity in the Dead Sea Scrolls and rabbinic literature, and explore the theological, social and historical implications of the different attributions and approaches. The consequences of assigning the origins of evil to humans (Adam and Eve) or to demons (the generations of Enoch and Noah) and the significance of each author's choice of pseudepigrahical pseudonym for identifying his social context are among the important issues addressed.

"This volume is exemplary of evangelical scholarship at its best. The theme is pertinent, indeed basic, to all expressions of Christianity, and the contributors engage their subject with the passionate inquiry and critical acumen it deserves. The essays are comprehensive in scope but unpredictable in conclusion, displaying a diversity of perspective united only by common allegiance to the advancement of biblical understanding. Anyone interested in biblical prophecy or a historical understanding of Jesus will find here a useful survey of the relevant materials and some surprising new insights." --Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary "Israel's Messiah is a very timely, helpful work on one of the more important topics for our day. In fairly short compass, it manages to cover nearly everything the student will want to know about the development of the messianic idea in Judaism and the early church. It is a must reading!" --Grant R. Osborne, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School "There has been a notion circulating in certain circles of New Testament scholarship that the concept of a messiah was of little significance in early Judaism. This volume helps dispel that notion and in the process gives us some keen insight into how the messianic material in the New Testament fits into the larger matrix of Old Testament and early Jewish messianic thought. Highly recommended." --Ben Witherington III, Asbury Theological Seminary "The complexities of biblical scholarship are all too often hidden from most students of the Bible. This collection of essays, however, opens up contemporary issues concerning the concept of the messiah. The main authors and respondents offer helpful and insightful presentations on the messiahship of Jesus Christ. The format of essays and responses enriches the volume by permitting the reader to weigh differing viewpoints on the vitally important topic. Here we have constructive, critical, evangelical scholarship of the highest quality." --T. D. Alexander, Union Theological College, Belfast, Ireland

4QSama is the Qumran scroll of 1 and 2 Samuel written in c. 200 BC in Hebrew Herodian script. The surviving fragments allow a faithful glimpse of about 60% of the Hebrew Samuel at the dawn of the birth of Christianity. The book is divided into three sections: 1) Plates showing the handwork of the author in replicating the fragments and restoring the gaps between them. 2) An apparatus giving the variants of the restored text from the traditional Hebrew Bible and the justification for the restoration. 3) A table comparing text breaks in the scroll with those of the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint. The book is a source work for the upcoming revised critical edition of the Hebrew Bible, viz. Biblia Hebraica Quinta. New translations of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel will use it as source or include notes to its variant readings at page bottom or in the margins. Furthermore, it may serve as textbook for students of Hebrew and Greek in their coursework on Samuel and/or Dead Sea Scroll compositions.

Scholars tend to view the Damascus Document as a historical source, but a reading of the text in light of contemporary (audience-oriented) literary criticism finds its emphasis in the ideological construction of history and communal identity, rather than in the preservation of a historical record. An introduction to contemporary literary criticism is followed by a series of thematic readings, focusing on historical narrative, priestly imagery, and gender in the covenant community. Each theme is examined in terms of its potential for multiple (sometimes contradictory) interpretations and for its place in the larger sectarian discourse. This study offers an alternative approach to the historiography of ancient Jewish sectarianism, acknowledging the presence of competing claims to shared traditions and the potential for changes in textual interpretation over time or among diverse communities.

The papers published in this volume were presented at the Third International Orion Symposium (1998), to mark the centennial of the discovery of the Damascus Document (CD) in the Cairo Geniza and the final publication of the 4QD manuscripts in the Discoveries in the Judaean Desert series. Since its discovery, CD has sparked lively debate about its sectarian origins and halacha, issues with far-reaching implications not only for the development of Jewish law but also for the very nature of Second Temple period Judaism and its continuity into the early medieval period. The contributors examine the physical reconstruction of CD, its relationship to other legal works in the Qumran corpus and to rabbinic law. Essays on specific legal topics, as well as historical perspectives, round out the volume.

Departing from scholarship dedicated to the socio-historical realities of priesthood at Qumran, this book explores images of otherworldly and messianic/eschatological priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls as a reflection of the religious worldview of the Qumran community and related groups.