The Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by Lawrence H. Schiffman and James C. VanderKam. Oxford: University Press, 2000. Two Volumes. xiv and 1132 pages. Cloth. $295.

This encyclopedia provides an up-to-date account of all aspects of Dead Sea Scrolls' research half a century after their discovery. "Scrolls" refers not only to the eight hundred fifty manuscripts found in the eleven caves at Qumran, but also to the manuscripts discovered at neighboring sites in the Judean wilderness and in the Wadi ed-Daliyeh, northeast of Jericho. The manuscripts range in date from the fourth century BCE to the seventh century CE. The scrolls provide evidence for the history of the text of the Hebrew Bible, background for the New Testament and early Christianity, and important information about the development of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. The editors have striven to include a wide spectrum of opinion; hence there is no unified ideology about the ancient sites and the finds.

Articles were assigned in eight categories: places and archaeological sites; material remains; written materials; related ancient Christian and Jewish texts; political, military, religious, and economic history; beliefs, institutions, and practices; individual persons from ancient history; and history of scrolls research. Naturally articles vary in length and include bibliographies, with primary emphasis on works published in English. The entries are arranged alphabetically from Aaron to Zoroastrianism. The list of manuscripts discovered takes up thirty-seven pages, the index sixty-five pages, and the list of contributors eight and one half double-columned pages. This book is a trustworthy account of the present state of research and a launching dock for future advances.

A few gleanings:

There are two kinds of water rites in this period: a repeatable rite for the achievement of cultic purity and a one-time baptism for the remission of sins.
Among the more than 200,000 fragments from the Cairo Genizah discovered in the late nineteenth century are a few apocryphal and pseudepigraphical texts that have parallels at Qumran and Masada.
Opposition to the lunar calendar is at the very heart of the covenanters' controversy with mainstream Judaism. Their solar calendar is also defended in 1 Enoch and Jubilees, documents well known before the discovery of the scrolls.
The Pentateuch and Prophets, plus Psalms and Daniel, were heavily used at Qumran; the rest of the Writings are seldom quoted.
Celibacy was not a general norm at Qumran; four female skeletons and one child skeleton have been discovered in the cemetery.
The enormous treasure mentioned in the Copper Scroll probably links it with the Jerusalem temple rather than the Qumran community.
References to Damascus in the scrolls refer to Babylon where the Essene movement began, but the name was later transferred to Qumran itself.
The "Prayer of Nabonidus" preserves aspects of the tradition underlying Daniel 4, which in its present state refers to Nebuchadnezzar.
The tombs at Qumran are oriented toward the north where, according to 1 Enoch, paradise and the tree of life were located; in Essene belief resurrection means a re-creation of the person in eternal glory.
The occupants of Qumran were probably Essenes; after the Roman war the Essenes dissolved as an independent sect.
While the book of Esther is not found at Qumran, several Aramaic and Hebrew parallel stories were discovered there.
While there are similarities between Gnosticism and the religion of the Dead Sea Scrolls, it is clear that the religion of the Essene sect was not Gnostic.
The pesharim (commentaries) locate sectarian history and theology within the interpretation of the biblical text. This prophecy-fulfillment type of interpretation is also found in the New Testament.
Copies of a short and long version of the Hebrew text of Jeremiah existed at Qumran, corresponding to the Septuagint and Masoretic versions.
In the Qumran texts there is no reference of any kind to Jesus or to early Christians--nor does the New Testament refer in any way to the sectarians or their compositions.
Most scholars believe that Jonathan, the high priest from 152-143 is referred to as the Wicked Priest in the scrolls.
The papyrus fragments found in Cave 7 are not from the gospel of Mark, though that gospel was discovered in a sixth century manuscript at Khirbet Mird.
The emphasis on two messiahs, one of Aaron and one of Israel, may be a reaction to the merger of the high priestly and royal offices in the Hasmonean period.
The views of the Halakhic Letter (4QMMT) are representative of Sadducean halakhah.
There are a number of examples of a genre called "Rewritten Bible"; the principal canonical parallel is the Book of Chronicles. The Temple Scroll is a rewriting of Pentateuchal laws.
Eight highly fragmentary manuscripts of the Septuagint were discovered in caves 4 and 7 and at the Nahal Hever site.
The Teacher of Righteousness may have held the office of high priest between the death of Alcimus and the appointment of Jonathan, but it is unlikely that we can ever identify him with a historical figure.
There is no theoretical discussion about women or mention of any individual women in the scrolls.

This is a treasure.

Ralph W. Klein

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago