Sidnie White Crawford Livres

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls altered our understanding of the development of the biblical text, the history and literature of Second Temple Judaism, and the thought of the early Christian community. Questions continue to surround the relationship between the caves in which the scrolls were found and the nearby settlement at Khirbet Qumran.  In  Scribes and Scrolls at Qumran , Sidnie White Crawford combines the conclusions of the first generation of scrolls scholars that have withstood the test of time, new insights that have emerged since the complete publication of the scrolls corpus, and the much more complete archaeological picture that we now have of Khirbet Qumran. She creates a new synthesis of text and archaeology that yields a convincing history of and purpose for the Qumran settlement and its associated caves.

Focusing on the biblical manuscripts from Qumran, Sidnie White Crawford explores the evolution of scriptural texts, highlighting the dynamic role of scribes who interpreted and adapted scriptures for their contemporary Jewish audience. She categorizes six major text groups, illustrating how variations arose from a blend of copying and creative reworking. Crawford presents a new theory on the coherence of these texts, offering a thought-provoking analysis for those interested in the complexities of the Second Temple period.