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The Message of the Scrolls
Yigael Yadin, ed. James H. Charlesworth
(Crossroad, 1992)
Originally published in 1957 to mark the tenth anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, this reprint includes a new forward and brief essay on “The Genius of Yadin” by scholar James H. Charlesworth, a selected English bibliography of Yadin’s publications, and 15 black-and-white photos. Yadin’s description of how his father, E. L. Sukenik, first learned of the ancient manuscripts’ existence, how the scrolls were recovered and what they contain is a good introduction for the general reader.
Then and Now
Stefania and Dominic Perring
(Macmillan, 1991)
Two archaeologists use acetate overlays on top of full-color contemporary photographs to recreate the ancient appearance of 20 sites that range from the well-known Acropolis and Roman Colosseum to less-famous Mesa Verde and Zimbabwe. The clear, concise text provides descriptions of each scene, placing it in historical and cultural context with many color photographs and drawings of artifacts, maps, coins and architectural details.
Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions: Corpus and Concordance
Graham I. Davies
(Cambridge Univ. Press, 1991)
The most comprehensive edition in 50 years of Hebrew inscriptions from 1000 to 200 B.C.E., includes letters from Lachish and Arad, the Siloam tunnel inscription, recently discovered religious texts from Kuntillet Ajrud plus hundreds of seals, seal impressions and weights. The concordance is the first to be produced for this body of texts. The compilation is primarily a research tool for scholars, providing convenient access to texts which are widely scattered. But more important, the database created in cooperation with the Cambridge Computing Center creates a foundation to build on and will, in the end, benefit all who are interested in archaeology and the Old Testament period.
The Message of the Scrolls
