Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, The The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The
Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English is
the first full English translation of the Hebrew scriptures used
by the Essene sect at Qumran. (The Essenes, along with the
Pharisees and Saducees, were among the three most influential
Jewish groups of their time [150 B.C. to 68 A.D.]). Between 1947
and 1956, in 11 caves overlooking the Dead Sea, more than 800
manuscripts of two types were found. The first are called
"biblical"--because they contain material that was later
canonized in the Hebrew Bible; the second are called "non-
Biblical"--because they contain poetry, rules for holy living,
and imaginative, midrashic interpretations that are unique to
the community that produced them. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
comprises the biblical manuscripts, including many new Psalms,
Apocryphal books, and previously unknown readings of Deuteronomy
and Isaiah (which appear to have been among the most important
books of the Bible to this group of