Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by Lawrence H. Schiffman and James C. VanderKam. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, xiv + 1131 pp., n.p.

The Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls provides an exhaustive treatment of the variety of archaeological, geographical, textual, historical, theological, and practical issues related to the discovery, content, and interpretation of the scrolls and their authors and editors. A perusal of the "Directory of Contributors" shows an ecumenical and eclectic group of 139 scholars from within the subject area from the United States, Israel, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Canada. Lawrence H. Schiffman and James C. VanderKam, both well-known authors and lecturers in the field, head up an editorial board of 13 members. The extensive 60-page Index provides ready access to the contents, citing both common and technical terms related to the various fields of research. The result is an accessible resource for both the novice researcher and the seasoned scholar in the field of Dead Sea Scrolls studies.

The Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls (hereafter EDSS) appropriately includes the numerous scroll sites throughout the Dead Sea basin beyond the notable Khirbet Qumran proximity. Articles on the various subregions in which the remnants of the material culture of the Second Temple through early Mishnaic periods were uncovered include familiar sites, such as "Se'elim, Nahal" by H. Eshel; "Michmash, Nahal" by J. Patrich; "Murabba`at, Wadi" by E. Stern and H. Eshel, as well as lesser-known sites such as "Mazin, Khirbet," also by J. Patrich.

Several subject areas in which one might expect articles to be found are instead lacking. Among these lacunae are "Samaritan Pentateuch," though it is addressed briefly under the heading of "Scriptures: Texts" by E. Tov, and rather summarily in "Samaritans" by Alan Crown, an eminent scholar in the study of the Samaritan sectarians. Yet the EDSS does contain a separate article on the "Septuagint" by E. Ulrich. Neither is there an article on Text Criticism (not even in the Subject Index), a vital subject area in Dead Sea Scrolls study.

Regarding the history of the discovery of the scrolls and the various personae involved in the purchasing and distribution of the early scroll materials, several articles will be of interest. These include: "Sukenik, Eleazar L." and "Yadin, Yigael" by Neil A. Silberman; "Shahin, Khalil Iskandar (Kando)," "De Vaux, Roland," and "Samuel, Athanasius Yeshue" by Jacques Briend; and a general article entitled "Discovery and Purchase" by W. W. Fields. In the article "Qumran: Archaeology," Magen Broshi, the Curator Emeritus of the Shrine of the Book Museum in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, presents the consensus view concerning the interpretation of the community via the material finds of the R. De Vaux excavations of the 1950s. He then provides an excellent summary of the subsequent excavation campaigns at Kh. Qumran and its vicinity, including the one he and Hanan Eshel carried out in a number of caves just north of the community.

An excellent variety of general subjects abounds. "Qumran Community" by C. Hempel addresses all viewpoints for understanding the identity and nature of the people who inhabited the site, including the variety of Essene hypotheses. "Family Life" by J. J. Collins and "Economic Life" by Z. Safrai and H. Eshel provides excellent resources for the study of social issues. Two insightful articles under the heading of "Women" address the issues of the position and role of women in Qumran and the larger Jewish communities: "Daily Life" by E. M. Schuller and C. Wassen, and "The Texts" by H. M. Cotton.

Discussions of the various biblical texts and commentaries from Qumran and vicinity abound. Many of the articles are written by scholars who have extensive background in the study of those particular documents and their value for the textual study of the Hebrew Bible. For example, "Numbers, Book of " was written by N. Jastram, whose Harvard dissertation research was on the 4QNum(b) scroll. Others include "Psalms Scroll" by James A. Sanders; "Isaiah, Book of" and "Daniel, Book of" by E. Ulrich; "Genesis, Commentary on" by George Brooke; and "Deuteronomy, Book of" by Julie Duncan.

Likewise, for the sectarian documents, many of the articles were written by those who deciphered and translated the texts for publication, often out of their dissertation research during doctoral studies, or who have written journal articles on the given text. These include "Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice" by Carol Newsom; "Reworked Pentateuch" and "Esther, Book of" by Sidnie White Crawford; "Rule of the Congregation" by Lawrence Schiffman; and "Hodayot" and "Messianic Apocalypse" by Emile Puech.

Also, "Unidentified Fragments" by D. M. Pike addresses in a general manner the numerous tiny fragments (ca. 3900) that have yet to be matched with any known document. Pike and A. C. Skinner are the authors of 4Q Miscellaneous and Unidentified, vol. 33 in the Discoveries in the Judaean Desert.