Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered more than half a century ago, have proved to be the most important modern discovery related to biblical literature, Judaism of late antiquity, and nascent Christianity. The scrolls have made an important contribution to our understanding of the development of the text and canon of Scripture, including such issues as textual preservation and transmission. They have also contributed to our knowledge of doctrine, especially pertaining to law and eschatological expectations.

In this volume, six leading scholars--John Collins, Craig Evans, Martin Abegg, R. Glenn Wooden, Barry Smith, and Jonathan Wilson--examine some of the major issues that the Dead Sea Scrolls have raised for the study of early Christianity. Were first-century Jews expecting a messiah? Were other messiahs mentioned in the scrolls? Were key early Christian symbols also found in the Judaism of Qumran? Did the Jews of Jesus's day believe in salvation by works? In the Holy Spirit? How did the New Testament authors think about inspired interpretation? These cutting-edge articles explore the impact of the Scrolls on Christianity, delving deeper than most surveys on the Dead Sea Scrolls.