The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception
Encyclopedia
The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception (1991, ISBN 0-671-73454-7) is a book of non-fiction by authors Michael Baigent
and Richard Leigh
. Rejecting the established, peer-reviewed consensus that the Dead Sea scrolls
were the work of a marginal Jewish apocalyptic movement, and following primarily the thesis of Robert Eisenman
, the authors argued that the Scrolls were the work of Jewish zealots who had much in common with, and may have been identical to, the early followers of Jesus
led by his brother James the Just
. This provides a different version of the history of early Christianity
and challenges the divinity of Jesus, shakes the fundamental aspects of modern day Christianity.
Leigh and Baigent describe how the scrolls were kept under wraps for decades by a team dominated by Catholic scholars under the leadership of a Dominican friar, Roland de Vaux
. They contend that the preconceptions of de Vaux and other members of the team led them to ignore evidence of the probable 1st-century provenance of many of the scrolls, and instead, to consign these scrolls safely to the distant past.
of Biblical Archaeology Review
. Joseph Fitzmyer
has described it as consisting largely of a "pattern of errors and misinformed statements".
Michael Baigent
Michael Baigent is an author and speculative theorist who co-wrote a number of books that question mainstream perceptions of history and the life of Jesus. He is best known as co-writer of the book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail....
and Richard Leigh
Richard Leigh (author)
Richard Harris Leigh was a novelist and short story writer born in New Jersey, USA to a British father and an American mother, who spent most of his life in the UK. Leigh earned a BA from Tufts University, a Master's degree from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D...
. Rejecting the established, peer-reviewed consensus that the Dead Sea scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
were the work of a marginal Jewish apocalyptic movement, and following primarily the thesis of Robert Eisenman
Robert Eisenman
Robert Eisenman is an American Biblical scholar, theoretical writer, historian, archaeologist, and "road" poet. He is currently Professor of Middle East Religions, Archaeology, and Islamic Law and director of the Institute for the Study of...
, the authors argued that the Scrolls were the work of Jewish zealots who had much in common with, and may have been identical to, the early followers of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
led by his brother James the Just
James the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
. This provides a different version of the history of early Christianity
History of early Christianity
The history of early Christianity covers Christianity before the First Council of Nicaea in 325.The first part of the period, during the lifetimes of the Twelve Apostles, is traditionally believed to have been initiated by the Great Commission of Jesus , and is called the Apostolic Age...
and challenges the divinity of Jesus, shakes the fundamental aspects of modern day Christianity.
Leigh and Baigent describe how the scrolls were kept under wraps for decades by a team dominated by Catholic scholars under the leadership of a Dominican friar, Roland de Vaux
Roland de Vaux
Father Roland Guérin de Vaux OP was a French Dominican priest who led the Catholic team that initially worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He was the director of the Ecole Biblique, a French Catholic Theological School in East Jerusalem, and he was charged with overseeing research on the scrolls...
. They contend that the preconceptions of de Vaux and other members of the team led them to ignore evidence of the probable 1st-century provenance of many of the scrolls, and instead, to consign these scrolls safely to the distant past.
Criticism
The book was severely criticised by Hershel ShanksHershel Shanks
Hershel Shanks is the founder of the Biblical Archaeology Society and the editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review and has written and edited numerous works on Biblical archaeology including the Dead Sea Scrolls....
of Biblical Archaeology Review
Biblical Archaeology Review
Biblical Archaeology Review is a publication that seeks to connect the academic study of archaeology to a broad general audience seeking to understand the world of the Bible and the Near and Middle East . Covering both the Old and New Testaments, BAR presents the latest discoveries and...
. Joseph Fitzmyer
Joseph Fitzmyer
Rev. Joseph Augustine Fitzmyer, S.J., is a priest of the Society of Jesus and a New Testament scholar.He entered the Maryland Province, made his novitiate in Wernersville, PA, and was ordained on July 30, 1938. His academic studies were done at Loyola University of Chicago; Facultes St-Albert de...
has described it as consisting largely of a "pattern of errors and misinformed statements".
See also
- John Allegro
- Gnosticism and the New TestamentGnosticism and the New TestamentGnosticism and the New Testament is the connection between the Christian sects described by Irenaeus , and other writers, as gnostikos, and the New Testament, and also the use of the New Testament in the Nag Hammadi texts ....
- Historicity of JesusHistoricity of JesusThe historicity of Jesus concerns how much of what is written about Jesus of Nazareth is historically reliable, and whether the evidence supports the existence of such an historical figure...
- The Holy Blood and the Holy GrailThe Holy Blood and the Holy GrailThe Holy Blood and the Holy Grail is a book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln....
- Jesus as mythJesus as mythThe term Jesus myth theory in its broadest context refers to the idea that the person named Jesus referred in the Gospels is a myth....