Black SCO 1961

This book, although first published in 1961, contains a good understanding of the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the better understanding of 1st century Judaism, Christianity, and probably the Essenes, if they are as most scholars think, the writers of these ancient documents of Qumran. Most of the points this book highlights, are still relevant for today's discussions. One interesting point that this author raises is the claim for some kind of "redemptive function for the Founder of the sect," referring to the Qumran sect, that would definitely seem to be pre-Christian. This idea could be related to a messianic figure, an idea that is flatly denied by Alan Segal in his book Rebecca's Children. Segal believes that there is absolutely no evidence for a suffering or redemptive messiah in Judaism prior to Christianity's adoption of it, concerning Jesus of Nazareth.