John Strugnell

John Strugnell, 77, a prominent biblical scholar whose tenure as chief editor of the Dead Sea Scrolls project ended in controversy, died November 30 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He died while being treated in a hospital for an infection associated with cancer treatment. A former professor of Christian origins at Harvard Divinity School, Strugnell was appointed editor in chief in 1984.

Six years later, when the scholarly team working on the scrolls was being criticized for its sluggish publication and exclusive control over access to the scrolls and fragments, Strugnell gave an interview to an Israeli newspaper in which he said of Judaism: "It's a horrible religion. It's Christian heresy, and we deal with our heretics in different ways." Strugnell later denied that he was anti-Semitic, noting that he was the first editor to include Jewish scholars in the Christian-dominated project. His family and friends said he was struggling with alcoholism and manic depression. He was replaced as editor and was forced to retire from Harvard. At the same time, other pressures on the project team speeded up publication and access to the scrolls.

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