Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, John Bergsma
Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, John Bergsma
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Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity

Author: John Bergsma

Narrator: Mark Deakins

Unabridged: 7 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/10/2019


Synopsis

A major new work on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest sacred documents of Judaism, which reveals their surprising connections to early Christianity.
 
“A luminous treatment of a fascinating subject! Highly recommended!”—Scott Hahn, author of The Fourth Cup

From award-winning scholar John Bergsma comes an intriguing book that reveals new insights on the Essenes, a radical Jewish community predating Christianity, whose existence, beliefs, and practices are often overlooked in the annuls of history. Bergsma reveals how this Jewish sect directly influenced the beliefs, sacraments, and practices of early Christianity and offers new information on how Christians lived their lives, worshipped, and eventually went on to influence the Roman Empire and Western civilization. Looking to Hebrew scripture and Jewish tradition, Bergsma helps to further explain how a simple Jewish peasant could go on to inspire a religion and a philosophy that still resonates 2,000 years later.
 
In this enriching and exciting exploration, Bergsma demonstrates how the Dead Sea Scrolls—the world's greatest modern archaeological discovery—can shed light on the Church as a sacred society that offered hope, redemption, and salvation to its member. Ultimately, these mysterious writings are a time machine that can transport us back to the ancient world, deepen our appreciation of Scripture, and strengthen our understanding of the Christian faith.

“An accessible introduction . . . This is a handy entry point for readers unfamiliar with Essenes or those interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls.”—Publishers Weekly

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeff

Previously I was pretty dubious of making Essenes connections with the original Christian community and especially John the Baptist. This book really makes the case for a much higher connection in theological thought and interactions with this community. Many details in the Gospels seem rather odd o......more

Goodreads review by TG

本書應該可以歸類於「基督教內」的神學研究範疇。對我這枚教外人士而言,有興趣並有所獲的,大概只有跟考古方面有關的介紹了吧。 記得多年前自己很著迷於出土簡帛,並認為這種穿越時空出現在我們眼前的第一手文字史料,更能夠完整地還原古代歷史與文明上的某個真實片斷;相較之下,世傳的經典因為經過代代傳寫抄錄,並附上每個時代文人的「扭曲」,反倒並不那麼地忠於原味。但隨著材料的累積與研究,後來我才發現自己的概念並不正確。古人——或者說是負責傳承文化的知識份子——並沒有那麼多小心眼去扭曲或竄改其師承而來的學問。藉由出土史料,反倒更真實地驗證世傳文獻的體系。至於有所扭曲的,也毋須拿出土簡帛來加以糾正,過去的每個世代都有......more

This was an incredibly interesting read. The author is of a protestant background but he discusses the roots of Christian traditions in the Orthodox and Catholic church in ancient Judaism. It was also interesting to see how the dead sea scrolls shed light on how scholars understand the new testament......more

Goodreads review by John

A very interesting book that I think all Christians should read for the historical information. It built my faith as a piece of previous information I was not aware of regarding the dead sea scrolls. It is a fairly easy book to read and I found it enjoyable as well.......more


Quotes

“The Dead Sea Scrolls give us a window into the thought of first-century Jews such as Jesus and the disciples. Through that window we see the continuity between the Old Testament and the New. The New is not a novelty. An expert on the Scrolls, Dr. Bergsma shows us how the texts and rituals of the Qumran community illuminate the New Covenant sacraments and Christian liturgy as we know it today.”—Scott Hahn, author of The Fourth Cup

“John Bergsma has provided the missing link between the assembly of the Old Testament and the Church of the New Testament. Read this book and you’ll see the Gospels and the sacraments more vividly than ever before. You’ll understand your place in history and in God’s people. If you read just one book about first-century Judaism, let it be this one.”—Mike Aquilina, author of The Fathers of the Church
 
“Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in 1947, there have been countless books written about them. But there is nothing quite like what John Bergsma has done in Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls. If you have any interest whatsoever in the Jewish roots of Christianity, then buy this book! It will radically transform the way you see Jesus, Judaism, and the origins of Christianity.”—Brant Pitre, author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist