The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception
The explosive contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls
and how the Church conspired to suppress them.
and how the Church conspired to suppress them.
Rating :
Author(s) :
Pages :
268
Pub Date :
1993
Edition(s) at Erowid :
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Publisher :
Touchstone Books
ISBN :
0671797972
FROM THE EROWID REVIEW #
- Review by Erowid, 1998 Jan 13
This is an indepth description of the controversy and cover-up surrounding the discovery and translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The book is well-written and an interesting study of the politics of academic studies, though it leans a little toward conspiracy theories. Either way, it's a good description of the events causing a 45 year delay in the release of . . . (more)
REVIEWS & COMMENTS #
EROWID'S REVIEW #
This is an indepth description of the controversy and cover-up surrounding the discovery and translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The book is well-written and an interesting study of the politics of academic studies, though it leans a little toward conspiracy theories. Either way, it's a good description of the events causing a 45 year delay in the release of translations of these important texts. Includes some interesting photos of the Qumran sight (where the scrolls were discovered), the scrolls, and of the team of translators.Recommended for those seriously interested in christian/jewish relious history and religious texts.
BACK COVER #
The oldest Biblical manuscripts in existence, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves near Jerusalem in 1947, only to be kept a tightly held secret for nearly fifty more years, until the Huntington Library unleashed a storm of controversy in 1991 by releasing copies of the Scrolls. In this gripping investigation authors Baigent and Leigh set out to discover how a small coterie of orthodox biblical scholars gained control over the Scrolls, allowing access to no outsiders and issuing a strict "consensus" interpretation. The authors' questions begin in Israel, then lead them to the corridors of the Vatican and into the offices of the Inquisition. With the help of independent scholars, historical research, and careful analysis of available texts, the authors reveal what was at stake for these orthodox guardians: The Scrolls present startling insights into early Christianity --insights that challenge the Chruch's version of the "facts". More than just a dramatic expose of the intrigues surrounding these priceless documents, The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception presents nothing less than a new, highly significant perspective on Christiantity.BLURBS #
An engrossing read ... A racy tale of archaeological sins, religious bigotry, academic megalomania, misconduct and possible criminality, along with bizarre political intrigue.-- Antiquity (U.K.)
Crystalline, well-documented ... Baigent and Leigh advance startling theories that should change the way we view ancient Judaism and nascent Christianity.
-- Publishers Weekly
A wonder of savage detail ... The reading of the archaeological, historical and analytic-textual evidence is always ingenious.
-- John Leonard, New York Newsday
Not for the theologically faint of heart.
-- Chicago Tribune