Breaking News: Dead Sea Scrolls to be Placed Online

Here is some exciting news from Dr Clive Field from a post on the Association of British Theological and Philosophical Libraries (ABTAPL) mailing list (reproduced here by permission):

Ever since their discovery in the late 1940s in eleven caves in the neighbourhood of Qumran, in the Judean Desert at the north-west end of the Dead Sea, the Dead Sea Scrolls have been incrementally transforming our knowledge of the Old Testament, Jewish life and thought between 20 BC and 70 AD, and the origins of Christianity. They are considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of the last century.

Access to the scrolls (at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem) has always been extremely limited, mostly to some 300 accredited scholars (apart from occasional exhibitions). So it is exciting news that, as part of its twentieth anniversary celebrations, the Israel Antiquities Authority yesterday announced that it is teaming up with Google’s Israeli Research and Design Centre in a $3,500,000 project to digitize all 30,000 fragments and make them freely available online.

Images will be created to the highest possible resolution, using infrared technology (which will allow researchers to see parts of the fragments that have turned black with age). The first images should be available next Spring, although the entire project will not be completed for some considerable time. The scrolls – in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek – will be accompanied by transcriptions and English translations, with translations into other languages to follow.

Here is today's report in the Daily Mail. 

The Use of the Old Testament in the New and Other Essays now on-line

Duke University Press have kindly allowed me permission to place online all the essays from the following Festschrift:

James M. Efird, editor, The Use of the Old Testament in the New and Other Essays: Studies in Honor of William Franklin Stinespring. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1972. ISBN: 0822302888. pp.332.


It contains two articles on the use of the OT in the New (always a popular subject) as well as contributions by renowned biblical scholars J.H. Charlesworth and W.D. Davies. Of note is the article on Gnostic exegesis of the OT. Click here for a full listing.

"A Light unto My Path. Old Testament Studies in Honor of Jacob M. Myers" now online

The following book is now online in PDF:

Howard N. Bream, Ralph D. Heim & Carey A. Moore, eds. A Light unto My Path. Old Testament Studies in Honor of Jacob M. Myers. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1974. ISBN: 0877220263. pp.529.

My thanks to Dr Carey A. Moore for his kind permission.

Preface

Jacob Martin Myers by Ralph D. Heim

Photograph of Jacob M. Myers

Congratulators

Abbreviations

The Relevance of the Old Testament for Christian Preaching Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Lachish Cosmetic Burner and Esther 2: 12 William F. Albright

"In Those Days There Was No King in Israel" Robert G. Boling

Life without Resurrection: Two Perspectives from Qoheleth Howard N. Bream

Worship, Idolatry, and God Harry M. Buck

The Hebrew Short Story: A Study of Ruth Edward F. Campbell, Jr.

The Divine Image Harold L. Creager

Chiasmus in Job: A Text-Critical and Philological Criterion Mitchell Dahood, SJ

Dubletten im Bibeltext Karl Elliger

Bowdlerizing in the Old Testament Donald M. C. Englert

Some Old Testament Influences on the Prologue of John Edwin D. Freed

Strophe and Meter in Exodus 15 David Noel Freedman

The English Bible Stanley Brice Frost

Peregrinations in Septuagint Lexicography Henry Snyder Gehman

Love, Marriage, and Business in the Book of Ruth Robert Gordis

Observations on Syntax and Meter in Lamentations Delbert R. Hillers

Exodus 23: 4-5: A Comparative Study Herbert B. Huffmann

Creation Tradition in Proverbs 8: 22-31 and Genesis 1 George M. Landes

The Home of Deuteronomy Revisited: A Methodological Analysis of the Northern Theory Foster R. McCurley, Jr.

The Shady Side of Wisdom: The Date and Purpose of Genesis George E. Mendenhall

Mark 4: 12: More Like the Irony of Micaiah than Isaiah Carey A. Moore

Word as Power in the Ancient Near East Frederick L. Moriarty, SJ

The Old Testament as Word of God Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm.

Does Archeology Prove Chronicles Sources? Robert North, SJ

A Note on 2 Samuel 7 Michiko Ota

A Study of Selected Isaianic Passages in the Wormser Propheten Vber­setzling of 1527 and Luther's Isaiah of 1528 Jesse B. Renninger

Ecological Notes from the Old Testament Alfred von Rohr Sauer

The Role of Covenant in the Mission and Message of Amos Frank H. Seilhamer

The Date of Joel John Alexander Thompson

The Future of the Qumran Scrolls John C. Trever

History and Kerygma in the Old Testament Bruce Vawter, CM

Israel and Her Land: Some Theological Considerations Hans Eberhard von Waldow

The Conquest Theme in the Bible G. Ernest Wright

David A. Pardo on A Statistical Identity for the Teacher of Righteousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls

The following article is now on-line in PDF:

A Statistical Identity for the Teacher of Righteousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls (David A. Pardo Ph.D)

Dr Pardo has asked me to host the results of his research and request feedback from readers. Please contact Dr Pardo direct using the e-mail address at the head of the article if you have a comment to make.

F.F. Bruce on Jesus and the Gospels in the Light of the Scrolls

The following article is now online in PDF, thanks the kind permission of SPCK Publishing.

F.F. Bruce, "Jesus and the Gospels in the Light of the Scrolls," Matthew Black, ed., The Scrolls and Christianity. SPCK Theological Collections 11. London: SPCK, 1969. Pbk. ISBN: 0281022887. pp.70-82.

F.F. Bruce here provides some valuable insights on the agreements and differences between the teachings of Jesus and those of Qumran community.

Donald J. Wiseman on Archaeology and Scripture

The following article is now available online in PDF:

Donald J. Wiseman, "Archaeology and Scripture," Westminster Theological Journal 33.2 (May 1971): 133-152.

Professor Wiseman concludes:

Extrabiblical sources provide an insight into the background of the biblical text, literature, religious beliefs, and history. They indicate the contemporary thought and methodologies but cannot of themselves directly relate to the biblical doctrines of revelation and inspiration. They provide evidence of care with which traditional texts were copied and transmitted, indicating that the textual errors of our “textus receptus” (MT) are of a minor nature common to all ancient copyists which, in the case of the Scriptures, do not affect our understanding of any major doctrine or detract from an obvious and vital interpretation of the narrative. In this, textual criticism of the Old approaches that of the New Testament. At the same time these studies highlight the problems caused by divergent interpretation of the text, an important subject which lies outside the brief of this lecture. Nothing presented here need or should, I submit, detract from the view of Scripture which holds it to be the Word of God trustworthily, accurately, clearly, and uniquely transmitted to us.

Edwin M. Yamauchi on Qumran and Colosse

The following article is now available in PDF:

Edwin M. Yamauchi, "Qumran and Colosse," Bibliotheca Sacra 121 (April-June 1964): 141-152.

In one of his earliest published articles Professor Yamauchi examines the nature of the Colossian heresy.

What is the "Wizard of Oz" of Biblical Studies Articles?

It is a little known fact - at least it was to me - that The Wizard of Oz (1939) is the most quoted and alluded to movie of all time. Think of how many times you hear lines like "Well Toto, we're not in Kansas any more!", "There's no place like home", "I'll get you my pretty..." and "I'm melting!"

If we applied the same criteria to articles in the field of biblical studies, which article would be the most cited? Well, my suggestion is this article by Samual Sandmel:

Samuel Sandmel, "Parallelomania," Journal of Biblical Literature 81 (1962): 1-13.

Not only have I seen it cited many times but it deserves credit for adding a new word to the English theological dictionary.

Sandmel writes:

We might for our purposes define parallelomania as that extravagance among scholars which first overdoes the supposed similarity in passages and then proceeds to describe source and derivation as if implying literary connection flowing in an inevitable or predetermined direction.

Surely the exhortation to avoid the error of parallomania is as valid today as it was in 1962?

Perhaps you have a nomination for the title - I'd love to hear it.

Many thanks the Society of Biblical Literature for their kind permission to reproduce this article.

F.F. Bruce on Some Implications of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The following article is now available on-line in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "Some Implications of the Dead Sea Scrolls," The Christian Graduate 9 (1956): 127-128.

This is another pithy summary of the significance of the discoveries at Qumran.

Articles from the Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 1.2 & 1.3 on-line

The following articles are now available in PDF:

1.2

Kenneth Kantzer, "The Christology of Karl Barth," Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 1.2 (Spring 1958): 25-28.

Charles Russell Gresham, "The Christology of Current Religious Education," Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 1.2 (Spring 1958): 29-37.

1.3

Francis I. Anderson, "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Formationof the Canon," Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 1.3 (Summer 1958): 1-7.

Joseph H. Dampier, "The Scrolls and the Scribes of the New Testament," Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 1.3 (Summer 1958): 8-19.

Martin J. Wyngaarten, "The Servant of Jehovah in Isaiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls," Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 1.3 (Summer 1958): 20-23.

I now have photocopies of the majority of articles from BETS, thanks to Tyndale House Library and hope to spend this week working on putting more on-line.

Edward J. Young on the Dead Sea Scrolls

The following article is now on-line in PDF:

Edward J. Young, "The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity," His 16.9 (June 1956): 35-39.

Writing only a few years after the discovery of the scrolls Edward Young is able to reach some conclusions - many of which have stood the test of time.

Five Articles by F.F. Bruce from Eternity Magazine

I have just uploaded the following articles in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "A British Scholar Looks at the RSV Old Testament," Eternity (May 1954): 12-13, 42-47.

F.F. Bruce, "A Second Look at the Dead Sea Scrolls," Eternity (October 1956): 14-15, 29-30.

F.F. Bruce, "The Apocrypha, Revised and Introduced," Eternity (November 1957): 18-19, 42.

F.F. Bruce, "On Dating the New Testament," Eternity 23 (June 1972): 32-33.

F.F. Bruce, "Are The Gospels Anti-Semitic?" Eternity 24 (November 1973): 16-18.

This last article is as topical now as it was in 1973!

My thanks to Rich Poll of Apologia for kindly providing me with photocopies of these articles.

I am currently working on the previously unpublished Ph.D. Thesis of the OT scholar Edward J. Young. This, and the table of contents of various journals, mean that the number of new articles going on-line may be lower than usual over the next few weeks. Remember to subscribe to my blog feed so as not to miss new items.

F.F. Bruce on the Holy Spirit in the Qumran Texts

The following article is now available on-line in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "Holy Spirit in the Qumran Texts," Annual of Leeds University Oriental Society 6 (1966/68): 49-55.

F.F. Bruce compares the teaching about the Holy Spirit in the New Testament and in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

F.F. Bruce on Recent Discoveries Relating to the Gospels

The following article is now on-line in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "The Gospels and Some Recent Discoveries," Faith and Thought 92.3 (1962): 149-67.

Professor Bruce surveys the contents of the Nag Hammadi Library and (once again!) the Dead Sea Scrolls and their impact on Gospels studies.

F.F. Bruce on Recent Discoveries in Biblical Manuscripts (The Dead Sea Scrolls)

The following article is now available on-line:

F.F. Bruce, "Esq., M.A., "Recent Discoveries in Biblical Manuscripts," Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute 82 (1950): 131-150.

Another helpful article written shortly after the discoveries at Qumran.

F.F. Bruce on the Dead Sea Habakkuk Scroll

The following article is now available in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "The Dead Sea Habakkuk Scroll," The Annual of Leeds University Oriental Society I (1958/59): 5-24.

F.F. Bruce wrote extensively on the Dead Sea Scrolls and I am pleased to host a number of his works on the subject. My thanks to Leeds University for their kind permission to republish this article.

F.F. Bruce on Biblical Exegesis at Qumran

The following monograph is now on-line in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, Biblical Exegesis in the Qumran Texts. London: The Tyndale Press, 1960. Pbk. pp.88.

F.F. Bruce looks at the "pesher" exegesis used at Qumran and explores how this helps us to understand how the early church interpreted the OT. My thanks to the late Professor Bruce's daughter for her kind permission to reproduce this important study.