- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Random House UK (Aug 27 1992)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0224027611
- ISBN-13: 978-0224027618
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.3 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 658 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,392,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
For the lay reader, this crystalline, well-documented work offers substantive evidence that for more than 40 years a small coterie of Catholic scholars established a stranglehold on access to the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in the Qumran caves east of Jerusalem in 1947. Baigent and Leigh ( Holy Blood, Holy Grail ) claim that the elite group had direct links to official Vatican propaganda offices, that at least two among them were outspoken anti-Semites, and that they suppressed material that connects early Christianity to the Qumran community as well as to the zealous defenders of the fortress of Masada. Drawing on the findings of independent Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Robert Eisenman of California State University, the authors advance startling theories that should change the way we view ancient Judaism and nascent Christianity. They argue that the Essenes, Zealots and Nazorenes or early Christians in first-century Palestine weren't different Jewish sects but were, rather, various sobriquets for members of a broad messianic nationalistic movement dedicated to upholding the Law of Moses and determined to violently overthrow the Roman occupiers. The authors also amass evidence that the Habakkuk Commentary and other Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the same events as those recounted in Acts, in Josephus and in the works of early Christian historians; that Paul was sent forth by the hierarchy in Jerusalem for the express purpose of recruiting an army, and by preaching a new religion, he was depoliticizing and emasculating the militant movement; and that Paul might have been a Roman agent or informer. Baigent and Leigh demonstrate the perfidies of clandestine, cliquish scholarship that isn't accountable to the public and make urgent the forthwith publication and translation of all Scrolls material. Photos. BOMC and QPB selections.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This emotional account of the events surrounding the discovery and translation of the scrolls attempts to uncover the theological and political efforts by individuals, governments, and religious institutions to keep controversial documents unpublished, ostensibly to preserve orthodox intepretations. The English authors, Baigent and Leigh, base their study on the work of Robert Eisenmen and other religious scholars who maintain that a conspiracy of consensus led to stagnant reinterpretation of old doctrine, rather than true research which would contest preconceived notions with newly discovered evidence. New theories by Eisenmen and others, which challenge the roots of Christianity as well as New Testament doctrine and history, are discussed. Standard works such as John M. Allegro's The Dead Sea Scrolls & the Christian Myth ( LJ 6/1/84), Roland De Vaux's Discoveries in the Judean Desert (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1977), and Geza Vermes's The Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Viking, 1988. rev. ed.), and many others are preferable to this acrid introductory "expose."-- Paula I. Nielson, Loyola Marymount Univ. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
East of Jerusalem, a long road slopes gradually down between barren hills sprinkled with occasional Bedouin camps. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
East of Jerusalem, a long road slopes gradually down between barren hills sprinkled with occasional Bedouin camps. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little dry, but good,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Dead Sea Scroll Deception: The Explosive Contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls & How the Church Conspired to Suppress Them (Paperback)
A friend lent me this book a few years back and I began to read it. The first half of the book deals with the politics of the church and the world at large that were in place at the time of the Qumran discoveries. It also deals a lot with the histories of the individual reasearchers on the Qumran team. I found it very dry and put the book away for "greener pastures".I stumbled upon it a few months ago, (still on my bookshelf) and, still being interested in the subject picked it up again. I managed to wade through the first half of it and once it actually began talking about the scrolls themselves, and what they reveal to us, the book became much more interesting. Unfortunately though, you *do* need to read the first half to understand a lot of what references in the last half. It took a while, but it was definitely worth it in the end. Whether you believe it or not, definitely an interesting perspective of the history of Christianity and the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keep Digging Michael!,
By
This review is from: The Dead Sea Scroll Deception: The Explosive Contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls & How the Church Conspired to Suppress Them (Paperback)
Thank God there are people daring enough to take on the Catholic church, and the power and lies and cover ups that he, and his colleagues have uncovered. This book made me so angry.Keep asking the un-askable questions! The truth will eventually come out. Best read ever
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad read - but not exactly what I'd call "Sensational" material . . .,
By
This review is from: The Dead Sea Scroll Deception: The Explosive Contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls & How the Church Conspired to Suppress Them (Paperback)
Overall, this is an okay book. I actually found some of it (or maybe it's ideas) a little funny. Like Michael Baigent's book "The Holy Blood & The Holy Grail", this book sounds like it has some shocking secret to reveal. Obviously, it is popular to attack Christianity and more specifically Catholicism . . . but this book falls short of the mark when it comes to actually giving any concrete examples of how the Dead Sea Scrolls actually "Threaten the church."Yes, it is frustrating that there was such a delay in the publication of some of the scrolls (something which has been radically changed in the last 20 years or so). The scrolls themselves however, don't actually offer any threat to Judaism or Christianity. If anything, these traditions are in fact strengthened by the discovery of the scrolls. Considering none of the authors are actually Dead Sea Scroll scholars, you have to take the book for what it is - a "popular" work. This means it is designed to spoon feed "research" to people who otherwise may never even pick up a real book on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Christianity, or almost anything else to do with history. I enjoyed the book - but like "Holy Blood & Holy Grail" and Henry Lincoln's "A Holy Place" (which I also enjoyed), I am still waiting for the "shocking discoveries" advertised on the covers. Anyone actually interested in The Dead Sea Scroll would do well to check out what the scrolls actually say. Read any of the "Discoveries In The Judaean Desert" series, or anything by Geza Vermes, James Charlesworth, et cetera. There are even some EXCELLENT DVD lectures available from www.biblicalarchaelogy.org. Do your own research, let the scrolls (and the Bible) speak for themselves, and cultivate an informed opinion.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
