Dead Sea Scrolls: The Untold Story

by Kenneth Hanson

Book Overview

For two thousand years, the Dead Sea Scrolls lay hidden deep in the caves of the Judean desert, unread, untouched, and forgotten. That is, until the 1940s when by sheer happenstance a Bedouin shepherd stumbled into the first of the caves and found himself faced with the jars containing these ancient Jewish texts. The rediscovery of the scrolls sent shockwaves through several religious communities, and for half a century, historians and academics poured...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571780300
• ISBN13: 9781571780300
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Council Oak Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Repent

What did I just waste money on? First off the messiahs name is “YAHUSHA” so if people are doing “research” but still quoting the name “Jesus” I can’t trust a word they say because his name does matter as stated in acts 4:12. Secondly I thought I was getting a actual book on stories that were missing out of the Bible, I guess it’s my fault for expecting more out of a $5 book. All Praises to YAHUAH the creator of heaven and earth for giving us life an exposing the truth to those who seek diligently

An Enjoyable Read on the Subject

This is the first book re: the dead sea scrolls that interested me enough to finish it. It is jam packed with great historical info. re: the sect who created the dead sea scrolls, as well as the various other sects of that time. It also describes the historical finding of the scrolls, and how they were quite close to being lost to us forever. On another note, this book shows that ancient civilizations dealt with many of the same problems as we do today - violence, prejudice, closed-mindedness, war, etc... An important point for us to remember. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the dead sea scrolls, as well as those interested in ancient civilizations. It's an excellent, thought provoking read.

Unwrapping the Adventures of the Lost Scrolls...

Our understanding of Scripture is built upon the inspired texts themselves. They are the bedrock of our faith. Over the past 2000 years, a significant body of scholarship, commentary and proclamation has been constructed above holy writ, forming what we generally think of when we consider a story or saying from God's written word. We may not know whether it was Augustine, Calvin or Barclay who elucidated a passage in such a way as to help us "own" it; nonetheless, we all depend on the faithful, dedicated witnesses who have preceded us to understand what we read between Genesis 1 and Revelation 22. Great literature has depended upon these insights; as has many of the social advances of the Christian era.It is most likely that when, in our mind's ear, we "hear" Scripture, we do so in the language of the English renaissance-the beautiful cadences of the Authorized (or King James) Version. However, remarkable discoveries have occurred since that beloved translation of the 1600s; discoveries that shed new light upon our edifice of faith. From time to time, older, more reliable copies of this or that book or collection of books from the Bible have been found-in out of the way monasteries and ancient libraries. Yet none of these have been as amazing as that day in 1947 when a Bedouin shepherd boy uncovered an entire cache of ancient scrolls that had remained in a desert cave near the Dead Sea for nearly 2000 years. What his toss of a rock revealed was one of the greatest treasures of all time.In this book, Kenneth Hanson recounts the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, relates the adventure of tracking many down (and losing some forevermore!), and offers the reader a first-hand account of the people who wrote and hid them.Why do we care about a bunch of dusty old scrolls, and their fragments that are too fragile to touch? Because they add their even-older corroboration of many of the Bible passages we have come to know and love. They show how the community of faith treasured and used the texts we revere and read. And they give us a source of greater understanding of the meaning of difficult-to-translate passages that have puzzled Christians for centuries. It is a fascinating, lively account of the importance of God's written word and the people and faith it shapes. And it points us toward the newer revisions of the King James Version (the best of which is the New Revised Standard Version)-translations that take into account the discoveries revealed in 1947.If you have made up your mind that the scholar-archeology of the Indiana Jones type is a myth, then you might want to read this book; getting to know its author will be an eye-opening adventure.

A Fascinating Read!

Before reading this book, I was completely unaware of the excitment which surrounds the Dead Sea Scolls. Hanson masterfully explains the origins and history of a truly magnificent find. Enhanced by a passion for the subject and a poetic writing syle, this author brings to life something that is more than just an ancient text! To put it simply, it was captivating!

Finally, a readable book about the Dead Sea Scrolls

Dr. Hanson's effort is the first Dead Sea Scroll book I was able to finish. From beginning to end, I felt like I was transported in time to the fantastic and miraculous events so well described by Hanson. Other books about the Scrolls are packed with such weighty detail and self-righteous importance that the "man on the street" reader can hardly get through the initial chapters. Hanson, however, gives a clear and concise account of the Scroll discoveries written in a prose that humbly acknowledges the supernatural aspects of this remarkably important find. As a linguistics instructor at a major university, an amateur historian, and an ordained minister, I recommend Dr. Hanson's book to anyone wanting to understand the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls without having to become an expert in ancient languages or wade through the political ideologies of elitist academians. Specifically, this book belongs in the library of every minister or lay minister who seeks a deeper understanding of the events that shaped the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth.