judaism

A very interesting book with a whole new outlook on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran. Schiffman suggests that years of Christian scholarship has somewhat tainted the study of the scrolls and that a Jewish perspective on the scrolls is long overdue. I especially enjoyed his perspective on the origin of the dead sea sect, tracing their roots possibly to the Sadducees. The first several chapters serve as an introduction to the dead sea scrolls, including the story of their discovery, so if this is your first book on the DSS you should find sufficient background on the subject. He always compares the DSS literature with the practices of other Second Temple Period religious groups and literature, pointing out similarities and differences. I felt that part 2 offered more insight into the lifestyle and mindset of the community who lived at Qumran than anything I've read.

One of the greatest scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Lawrence Schiffman, tries to correct the problem of 40 years of Christian reading into the Judaic texts found at Qumran. By exploring the Scrolls as a whole, as well as the main groups of Jews in ancient Israel, Schiffman presents an amazing thesis as to who theses people were, and what schism led them to break from their homes and form this community. A book full of wisdom, and insight, Schiffman leads the reader on a complete exploration of the times, Scrolls, and provides a very helpful glossary for the layman, and scholar alike