from: Penguin Classics
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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 296.155
EAN num: 9780140449525
ISBN number: 0140449523
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 648
Printing Date: November 30, 2004
Publishing house: Penguin Classics
Release Date: November 30, 2004
Sale Popularity Level: 35403
Studio: Penguin Classics
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Product Description:
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judean desert between 1947 and 1956 was one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time. Hidden in the caves at Qumran by the Essenes, a Jewish sect in existence before and during the time of Jesus, the Scrolls have transformed our understanding of the Hebrew Bible, early Judaism, and the origins of Christianity. This fully revised edition of the classic English translation by Geza Vermes, the world’s leading scholar on the subject, offers an astonishing look into the organization, customs, and beliefs of the community at Qumran. Enhanced by much previously unpublished material and a new preface, this will remain the authoritative translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls for years to come.
Amazon.com Review:
It's been 50 years since a Bedouin youth named Muhammed edh-Dhub went looking for a stray sheep and instead found the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the intervening decades, the scrolls have been enveloped in a storm of controversy and bitter conflict: the scholars entrusted with translating and editing the texts sat on many of them instead, creating suspicions that escalated to conspiracy theories about supposed cover-ups of sensitive, even damaging material. Geza Vermes, a former professor of Jewish studies at Oxford and a noted authority on the scrolls, marks the 50th anniversary of Muhammed edh-Dhub's find with his book The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English; the title, however, is misleading, for the collection of documents is by no means complete.
Vermes has left out the copies of Hebrew scriptures that are available elsewhere, instead focusing on the sectarian writings of the Essene community at Qumran and the intertestemental texts, and these are indeed complete translations. Vermes has also included an overview of five decades of research on the scrolls and a thumbnail sketch of the Qumran community's history and religion. For anyone interested in biblical history, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English is a worthwhile read.
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Rated by buyers 
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This book was recommended as the best book on the Dead Sea Scrolls by a Brigham Young University Professor, Stephen Ricks. Since I direct tours to Israel, I wanted to have a more in-depth understanding of the scrolls found at Qumran. The book has been most helpful, easy to read and understand, and has given me a much better understanding of that particular site in Israel. I would certainly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Rated by buyers -
Everything written or translated by Vermes is wonderful. He knows and understands scrolls from both a Christian and Jewish point of view.
Rated by buyers -
I do not usually write reviews, but going through this book answered a lot of questions for me and I thought it might be helpful for other strictly lay people like me to know how much I have liked reading through different sections of it.
Though I had a complete, rather progressive, Jewish education as a child, what is in the Dead Sea Scrolls was not really covered. As it is fragments of different scrolls, I do not know if it can be called a history - but it is historical - and I enjoyed reading about the civilization and their rules/practices of living - both religious and secular.
Especially with many of the religious discussions heard these days of the Messiah -- the Messianic statements - i.e. The Messianic Rule, The War Scroll, The War Scroll from Cave 4, The Book of War, A Messianic Apocalypse -- are very useful in bringing into focus a real Jewish perspective of that time of what was expected for the coming of the Messiah and the Kingdom of God -- and the Covenant with God.
I really enjoyed the introductions and explanations by Geza Vermes.
Rated by buyers 
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This is an outstanding translation. But you should know that it's written in the language of the King James Version with Thou's, Thee's and Thy's. That make it a little less meaningful for me personally.
Rated by buyers -
Unfortunately I have not had the time to really read through this book, but I needed it for a 2-week early Judaism course. What I have been able to read has been beneficial to my education regarding the history of the Jewish people and Jewish religion.
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