Qumran In Context

In this bold and innovative reassessment of the evidence found at Qumran, archaeologist Yizhar Hirschfeld argues persuasively against the long-held view, established by Roland de Vaux and others, that Qumran was the home of the monastic community known as the Essenes. Part of a growing school of thought that is asking new questions, Hirschfeld asserts that instead of being the home of an impoverished ascetic group, Qumran was actually the prosperous estate of an influential member of Israelite society. The implications of this could mean that the legendary Dead Sea Scrolls were not the product of busy Essene scribes but a collection of scrolls moved from Jerusalem for safekeeping during the Great Revolt of the Jews, 66-70 C.E. Like a detective reconstructing the scene of a crime, Hirschfeld marshals and re-examines the evidence, including jewelry, important glass, and a cemetery containing the bones of women and children previously overlooked in earlier explanations of the site. His masterful argument will have lasting impact on our understanding of the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls and will be discussed in academic circles for years to come.