The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English

by Florentino García Martínez

Book Overview

One of the world's foremost experts on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community that produced them provides an authoritative new English translation of the two hundred longest and most important nonbiblical Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran, along with an introduction to the history of the discovery and publication of each manuscript and the background necessary for placing each manuscript in its actual historical context.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802841937
• ISBN13: 9780802841933
• Release Date: February 1996
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 587 Pages
• Weight: 1.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English (Paperback) by F. Garcia Martinez

Due to its superior alphanumeric notational system "The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English (Paperback) by F. Garcia Martinez (Editor), W. G. E. Watson (Translator)" is a must for every researcher of these texts. As one of the editors of the cross references for "The Comprehensive New Testament," I greatly appreciated the superior alphanumeric notational system in this book. The notational system incorporates previously used systems and creates the most universal identification in existence for the Dead Sea Scrolls. Each work is also accompanied by reference information identifying the cave where it was found. The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) consist of about 800 scrolls of which 225 are copies of various biblical books and approximately 300 manuscripts texts that are by and large did not survive preservation over two millenia. The scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in the Wadi Qumran area on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. According to carbon dating, the documents were written prior to the 1st century C.E. The 200 longest and most important surviving manuscripts are contained in the "The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated." The Dead Sea Scrolls contain parallels to the Gospels and the book of Revelation - including references to the Messiah and the fishermen, the New Jerusalem, and the Apocalypse. The administrative hierarchy outlined in the Dead Sea Scrolls has parallels to the one outlined in the New Testament including the Messiah, Overseers, and similarities between the office of Maskil and Apostle (compare the use of the word Maskil in Daniel 12:3 to Acts 26:18). Dead Sea Scroll 4Q Enoch (4Q204[4QENAR]) COL I 16-18 and Jude 1:14-15 are direct parallels.

Not Just Plain Jane

This book needs to be considered alongside _The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation_ edited by Michael Wise et al. Readers who find a commentary advantageous will want to seek out Wise's book. Readers who are ready to look at the texts and make their own comparisons are ready for Garcia-Martinez's book.Garcia-Martinez begins his book with a short history of the DSS and addresses a couple of the key issues of the DSS such as whether they are a part of a sectarian library. Next comes a thematic approach to the Scrolls. The Rule of the Community and the Damascus Document come at the beginning of the book, but the rest of the un-numbered manuscripts are grouped with other manuscripts of a similar theme.There are no biblical manuscripts nor are there any Hebrew texts. However at the end of the book are lists of all of the manuscripts and the caves in which they were found.There lies the real advantage of this book: each manuscript is accompanied by an authoritative bibliographical reference(s) for those who want to know more.

Very well written!!

"The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated" by Florentino Garcia Martinez is the best version of translated Scroll material that I have come across, and there are "others." What makes this translation excellent is the unbiased, scholarly critique. Martinez does a superb job here! There is no "religious" leaning that I can see. This translation is not prejudged in any way, shape or form. This is an excellent reference book for anyone desiring to research the scrolls.There has been an argument made against Martinez' translation. That argument says that since this translation was first put into Spanish, then into English something was lost in the translation. Not so! Florentino Garcia Martinez is a Professor at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands- a well renowned scholar. If anything, his multiple translations just go to show his intelligence and ability at what he does (he runs the Qumran Institute). This is a reliable and very well written translation!