''Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls'' is a book was written by

Lawrence Schiffman Lawrence Harvey Schiffman (born 1948) is a professor at New York University (as of 2014); he was formerly Vice-Provost of Undergraduate Education at Yeshiva University and Professor of Jewish Studies (from early 2011 to 2014). He had previously ...

, published in 1994 by Doubleday, as part of the Anchor Research Library. The book's aim was to explain the true meaning of the

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...

for

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Previous to the publication of the book, many exaggerated and irresponsible claims about the scrolls were published. ''Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls'', according to itself, “sets before the public the real Dead Sea Scrolls.” The book sets forth the author's theory that the Dead Sea Scrolls were gathered at

Qumran Qumran ( he, קומראן; ar, خربة قمران ') is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel's Qumran National Park. It is located on a dry marl plateau about from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli ...

by a sect which left

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in the aftermath of the

Maccabean Revolt The Maccabean Revolt ( he, מרד החשמונאים) was a Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and against Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The main phase of the revolt lasted from 167–160 BCE and ende ...

. When the Hasmonean rulers accepted the rulings of the Pharisees, these

Sadducees The Sadducees (; he, צְדוּקִים, Ṣədūqīm) were a socio- religious sect of Jewish people who were active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE through the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. T ...

took up residence in the Judean desert.Lawrence Schiffman, ''Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls'', p.xxii

I. Discovery and Disclosure: Liberating the Scrolls
II. The Community at Qumran
III. Closing the Canon: Biblical Texts and Interpretations
IV. To Live as a Jew
V. Mysticism, Messianism, and the End of Days
VI. Sectarianism, Nationalism and Consensus

References

1994 non-fiction books Dead Sea Scrolls Jewish literature {{archaeology-book-stub

Contents

References