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Product Description

Selected for inclusion in Choice magazine's "Outstanding Academic Titles" 2006 list

What if the Dead Sea Scrolls were not a product of an Essene Community at Qumran?

In this bold reassessment of the archaeological evidence of Qumran and other nearby first-century sites on the western shore of the Dead Sea, Professor Hirschfeld argues persuasively that Qumran is not the site of an Essene community hitherto thought to be responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Reassessing and marshalling the evidence (some of which was overlooked in earlier explanations of the site) with the skill of a detective reconstructing the scene of a crime, Hirschfeld reveals that Qumran was not the communal site of an impoverished and ascetic religious group, but the prosperous estate of an influential member of society.

Bringing a new understanding to the textual evidence of the archaeology of the site during the Roman period as well as evidence from neighboring archaeological sites, Hirschfeld dramatically illustrates his arguments with more than 135 maps, archaeological drawings and reconstructions, as well as vivid photographs of the archaeological and geographic sites. A masterpiece of argument with lasting impact on our understanding of the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls, this work will be discussed in academic circles for years to come and will be appreciated by all who are intrigued by the mysteries surrounding the ancient texts associated with Qumran. The implications of this new perspective for the scholarly understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls are earth-shifting.

Qumran in Context was selected for inclusion in Choice magazine's "Outstanding Academic Titles" for 2005. These outstanding titles have been selected for their excellence in scholarship and presentation, the significance of their contribution to the field, and their value as important—often the first—treatment of their subject ... Outstanding Academic Titles are truly the best of the best."

Hebrew University of Jerusalem has requested that Hendrickson Publishers correct small errors of documentation found in this book. You may find an errata page included in the introduction attached to this Web site entry.

Reviews

“Hirschfeld offers a new construction of [Qumran’s] history. In a well-written and edited volume richly illustrated by 136 photographs (17 in color), maps, and line drawings, he thoroughly shifts de Vaux’s excavation reports in the light of new methods and recent finds, all of which offer new points of comparison for architecture or artifacts that in the 1950s seemed unique to Qumran. . . . It does clear up some problems with de Vaux’s original excavations. . . . [and] sheds light on the economic versatility of the Qumran sectaries. His work should provoke further discussion, always a welcome eventuality.”
— Restoration Quarterly

“One of the most prolific excavators of the land of Israel offers us a new approach to the study of the region of Qumran. Rather than concentrate on the isolation and independence of the site, he employs analogy and comparison in his examination of the broader geographic context of the region. In doing this, he challenges the standard position that underscores Qumran’s uniqueness. His two major claims will no doubt be contested by others. First, the site was not the stronghold of an ascetic monastic community, but an estate of influential Israelites. Second, the form and content of the Dead Sea scrolls suggest a Jerusalem origin. This is definitely a serious archaeological study with many maps of the area, photographs, and drawings of sites. Though his findings may be challenged, Hirschfeld’s competence cannot be questioned.”
—The Bible Today

“This new and solid study is capitalizing on reexamination of the most important questions in the study of Dead Sea scrolls. The author, an experienced Israeli archeologist who excavated in a number of locations in Israel and is familiar with Jordan as well, takes a new look at the attribution of authorship of the Dead Sea scrolls, at the character of the Qumran settlement, and at other locations in the vicinity of Qumran, in order to get a wide picture of the area. Hirchfeld’s approach is purely archeological, and he examines writing in light of discoveries, using archeological details which were previously neglected. He agrees with a number of recent works in that he doesn’t consider Qumran a seat of the sect of Essenes. He sees the place of Essenes in the cells on an ancient path that leads down to the village of En-Gedi, which he excavated earlier. Hirchfeld denies that the Qumran writings were produced at the Dead Sea location; he believes that they were brought from Jerusalem and hidden for preservation during the war with the Romans. He also notes that most of sectarian writings among the Dead Sea scrolls predate the time of the Qumran community, and thus must have been brought from other sites. The book is richly illustrated with maps, plans, drawings, and photographs. The volume is a welcome addition to a vast literature on the Dead Sea scrolls.’
—Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter

"Even if one disagrees with its conclusions, Qumran in Context is an essential part of any scholar’s library, primarily for its thorough and systematic treatment of the architectural and rich material data from Qumran. The extensive bibliography and abundant illustrations and photographs are worth the price of the book alone. The author also offers a wonderful history of the excavation of the site. This book is highly recommended for those interested in the archaeology of ancient Israel and Palestine, commerce of the Dead Sea region, and the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls."
—The Biblical Historian

“Hirschfeld’s book is very interesting both for its presentation of arguments and its illustrations. It deserves to be studied and it provides a great deal of information, even when H. disagrees with the authors he quotes. The Conclusions may be read as a first indication of H.’s statements on Qumran in Context. They offer a fairly good summary of his conclusions and hypotheses, and, at the same time present good exercises in creative imagination as to the whereabouts of the famous Qumran documents, written in Jerusalem and hidden in Qumran. Once some presuppositions have been enunciated, they are logically used in the rest of the book. The resulting picture is coherent and it makes sense. Is it better than the other interpretations of the archaeological date? H.’s book will force scholars to further investigate, which is always a felicitous outcome of a solid study. This book ends with a very good bibliography, followed by a Modern Author Index and a General Index. The publishing house is to be congratulated for a well-presented and richly illustrated book.”
—Theoforum

“Hirschfeld’s book is an important contribution because it is one of the very few studies that have been published focusing solely on the archaeology of Qumran. Regardless of whether it successfully overturns the Essene hypothesis or not, Hirschfeld’s Qumran in Context will demand attention from every scholar interested in the archaeological and historical reconstruction of Qumran.”
—Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

“Yizhar Hirschfeld’s Qumran in Context is a reaction to the prevalent theory of connectivity between site, scrolls, and sect, and advances a detailed reasoning as to why Qumran may not be an Essene sectarian center and may have nothing to do with the scrolls, which, he believes, originated in Jerusalem. It is a refreshing perspective, one that approaches Qumran from the point of view of its role in the regional culture of the northwest Dead Sea in Roman times, based on the experience of one who has excavated in the area but is not a biblical scholar. . . Hirschfeld has forcefully made the point that the Qumran population, living in its well-constructed buildings surrounded by the material paraphernalia of a prosperous life, in the midst of a rich agricultural area that was being developed at the very time the community was flourishing, does not seem to fit the criteria of an isolated group. . . . There is much about Hirschfeld’s model that is compelling, and it is perhaps easier to see Qumran as a wealthy farmstead of the Hellenistic-Roman period, something common in the region, rather than as a unique site whose importance is not defined by its archaeological remains but their assumed relationship to the scrolls.”
—Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research

“Hirschfeld’s presentation of Qumran in its regional context is recommended reading for anyone who is interested in Qumran.”
—Toronto Journal of Theology

“This attractive and full volume on the archaeology of the Qumran site by the Israeli professor of archaeology Yizhar Hirschfeld is beautifully illustrated with numerous highly informative line drawings and maps, many black and white photographs, and 15 excellent color plates. Yet Hirschfeld's is no coffee-table book, but a scholarly presentation of the recent 'revisionist' archaeology of Qumran in densely written text well supported by numerous footnotes and extensive bibliography. Hirschfeld surveys the field in chapters covering the physical environment of Qumran and the history of scholarship, the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Qumran or Jerusalem?), the stratigraphy and realia of the Qumran site, and the 'Fin Feshka site. His concluding chapter argues for greater settlement than is usually allowed for in the surrounding region and rejects the ‘separatist’ theory which identifies the occupants of the Dead Sea sites as Essenes.”
—Journal for the Study of the New Testament

“In this nicely illustrated book, Yizhar Hirschfeld provides a book-length treatment of his heterodox views that the archaeological site of Khirbet Qumran is not related to the Essene community which he situates in the hills above Engedi.”
—Expository Times

“The Qumran-Essene hypothesis will not die on the strength of this contribution, but it does look a little sicker.”
—The Reformed Theological Review

“Compellingly written, richly illustrated (73 black and white plates, 16 color plates, and 47 drawings, plans, and maps), and systematically presented, Hirschfeld’s Qumran in Context is must reading for anyone interested in the manuscript and/or archaeological finds at Qumran. Academic libraries should acquire this volume for their collections on the topic of the Dead Sea scrolls.”
—The Master’s Seminary Journal

“In sum, Hirschfeld convincingly undermines the popular theory associating Qumran and the Essenes. His counter-suggestion identifying a group of “cells” located on a natural rock terrace above En-Gedi is less than convincing, however, in part because of the scarcity of evidence. Similarly, Hirschfeld makes no contribution to a fundamental question left to students of the Dead Sea Scrolls. If Qumran was not an Essene settlement-and it apparently was not-who hid the scrolls, especially those with clearly sectarian tendencies, in the caves above and why? Hirschfeld’s task, however, does not dictate that he answer this question, only that he objectively assess the archaeological evidence from Qumran. This he does lucidly and succinctly.”
—Review and Expositor

Yizhar Hirschfeld, (1950–2006), was a professor of classical archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology. He conducted excavations in several major sites in Israel, including Tiberias, En Gedi, Hammat Gader, and Ramat Hanadiv.

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