Review of The Scepter and the Star: The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature, ed. John J. Collins

Authors

Sidnie White Crawford, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

August 1997

Comments

Published in Bible Review, XIII:4 (August 1997), pp. 14-16. Copyright 1997 Biblical Archeological Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

The popularity of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the controversy surrounding their publication have led to the appearance of a spate of books on the Qumran scrolls in recent years. With so many books on the shelves, it is difficult for the reader to differentiate the good from the bad, the wheat from the chaff. Among the books recently published concerning the scrolls, John Collins's book The Scepter and the Star represents a nugget of pure gold.