Review by Choice Review
Not an introduction to the Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls, this is rather a consideration of fragments and manuscripts found at Masada, Wadi Murabba'at, other caves in the Judaean desert, and Greek papyri fragments from Qumran Cave 7. Thiede's main thesis is that Christianity arose out of the Jewish culture of the first century CE and shared similar ideas with other Jewish groups, i.e., Pharisees and Essenes, yet each group retained its own uniqueness. The centerpiece is chapter 7, in which Thiede argues in favor of reading the two Greek papyri fragments from Cave 7 as part of 1 Timothy and the Gospel of Mark. In chapter 8 Thiede compares and contrasts the Christian sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, the suffering Messiah, the resurrection, and other related topics to similar practices and beliefs of the Essenes. He concludes that Christians were not Essenes. The book is recommended for those who have a working knowledge of the discovery and content of the Qumran Scrolls; upper-division undergraduates; and seminary and academic libraries. L. A. Sinclair emeritus, Carroll College (WI)
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
This British import is not the place to start if one has no familiarity with the fascinating story of the Dead Sea Scrolls, their discovery and importance. But for those who have some background on the topic, Thiede's account will increase the length and breadth of their knowledge. A papryologist (one who studies the papyrus texts of the first century), Thiede posits that the scrolls were part of an Essene library whose varied holdings prove that Christianity was part of a larger movement in the Jewish community that was committed to change. This is not a new thought, but Thiede sheds considerable light on various aspects of scroll history and research. The most intriguing part of his discussion concerns scroll fragments found in Cave 7 that seem to be part of the books of Mark and Timothy in the New Testament. This theory has caused heated debate among scholars, and Thiede walks readers through the controversy. Although he slips into scholar-speak on occasion, the prose, on the whole, is relatively accessible, given the inevitable complexity of the topic. For libraries with active religion collections. --Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This highly technical treatise will appeal primarily to specialists on the Dead Sea Scrolls and early Christianity, despite the author's efforts to reach out to a wider readership. When he is not spouting Greek (which he does extensively) or recording the number of letter fragments on a stipulated number of lines on scraps of parchment, Thiede (Eyewitness to Jesus) uses sprightly prose to advance his argument. Essentially, he claims that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain writings that were later included in the New Testament, thus demonstrating that the early Christians, including Jesus, were Jews. However, Thiede also notes that the community of Essenes at Qumran who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls were not the first Christians; they "did not all of a sudden mutate to Christians." Whether or not some Essenes became Jewish Christians is an open question. To answer this and other questions, Thiede has developed "confocal scanning optical microscopy" to examine the scrolls, as well as "high resolution X-ray radiography and Computer-Aided Tomography." While most readers will find these methods to be incomprehensible, they will enjoy Thiede's frank castigation of other Dead Sea Scrolls scholars, such as one he accuses of harming "public understanding of the scrolls." Patient readers will be fascinated by Thiede's carefully documented assertion that, in its earliest days, Christianity was basically a Jewish movement. As a papyrologist and expert on the history and texts of the first century, Thiede is eminently qualified to present this erudite analysis. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Exploring questions from his best-selling Eyewitness to Jesus (LJ 12/96), papyrologist Thiede illumines interaction between early Christians and the Essenes. Most importantly, he identifies two Qumran papyri fragments as versions of documents that later became part of the New Testament as Mark and First Timothy. Thiede provides much background to support this controversial view. Besides comparing various textual theories, Thiede describes the Essenes by quoting from many historical sources and by interpreting the results of many excavations. Emphasizing that both the Essenes and early Christianity represent movements within Judaism, Thiede views the scrolls as a library documenting a variety of Jewish perspectives. Much technical discussion is included, ranging from comparisons of different versions of text to brief explanation of confocal scanning optical microscopy, which is used to analyze the papyri. Also offering technical discussion, Joseph Fitzmyer examines Qumran messianism in Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian Origins (Eerdmans, 2000), and Israel Knohl presents a specific theory relating Jesus to Qumran leader Menahem in Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (LJ 11/15/00). This scholarly, thought-provoking work is recommended for specialized religion and archaeology collections. Marianne Orme, West Lafayette, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
