This course takes a decidedly holistic approach to understanding the scrolls in the context of their times. We'll begin with an overview of the history encompassing the scrolls, ca. 200 BCE-100 CE. From there, we'll journey from the Cairo Genizah to the Judean Desert to chronicle the story of the scrolls' discovery, closing with current technologies used in scroll research. We'll also visit Qumran and the scroll caves to explore the physical environment of the texts and the people who produced many of them. The heart of the course will focus on a survey of the key sectarian texts and copies of biblical books found in the scroll corpus. We will study each text in English translation, with reference to Hebrew terms where needed. We'll also engage in the detective work of discovering the full historical and theological importance of each text, and how it contributes to our understanding of the emergence of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. We'll close with a look at the 'cutting edge': current controversies and breakthroughs in scroll research.

Recommended texts: (all paperback) VanderKam, J. The Dead Sea Scrolls Today. 2d. ed. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010. Abegg, M., Flint, P, et al. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible. Harper San Francisco, 2002. Vermes, G. The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. Rev. ed. Penguin Classics, 2004.

To register at the specially-reduced Lehrhaus tuition, visit www.psr.edu/summer.