by Gwynned de Looijer
SBL Press, 2015
Paper: 978-0-88414-071-9 | eISBN: 978-0-88414-072-6 | Cloth: 978-0-88414-073-3
Library of Congress Classification BM487.L66 2015
Dewey Decimal Classification 296.815

ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK

A fundamentally revisionist approach that leaves behind the constructed social reality of a “sectarian” paradigm



Gwynned de Looijer reexamines the key hypotheses that have driven scholars’ understandings of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the archaeological site of Khirbet Qumran, and the textual descriptions of the Essenes. She demonstrates that foundational hypotheses regarding a sect at Qumran have heavily influenced the way the texts found in the surrounding caves are interpreted. De Looijer’s approach abandon’s those assumptions to illustrate that the Dead Sea Scrolls reflect a wider range of backgrounds reflecting the many diverse forms of Judaism that existed in the Second Temple period.


Features:



  • In depth analysis of 4QMMT

  • Reevaluation of the concept of dualism as it has been applied to Qumran texts

  • Charts and tables illustrate complex theories, concepts, and connections