The Scepter and the Star (Anchor Bible Reference) - Hardcover

Colins, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385474571 ISBN 13: 9780385474573

Publisher: Anchor Bible, 1995

Synopsis

The first and only book to explore the concept of  the Messiah in light of the radical new evidence  just discovered in the recently released Dead Sea  Scrolls. Recent figures in the news, such as the  self-proclaimed messiah David Koresh of the Branch  Davidians, and the prophetic Orthodox Rabbi  Menachem Schneerson, are confounding reminders of the  forceful vitality of messianism in the modern world.  They are also sobering indicators that  contemporary society needs to take seriously and understand  the messianic mind set. In The Scepter  And The Star, biblical scholar John J.  Collins unearths the seeds of messianic thought in  the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other ancient  literature.Many of Collins's conclusions hinge on  his recent discovery of profoundly important  material in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1991, nearly fifty  years after they were originally folind, the  entire collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls was finally  released to the public. Collins was one of the  first scholars to examine the scrolls and realized  that they contained enormously significant messianic  texts. The Scepter And The Star  Will be the first scholarly work to explore fully  the impact this new evidence has on our  understanding of Jewish apocalypticism and messianism. In  addition, Collins examines the crucial links and  similarities between Jewish and Christian models of  the messiah. How did Jewish communities, living in  the turbulent century before the birth of Christ,  envision the end of time? Did Jewish messianic  figures influence the development of the Christian  Messiah? Here, in careful detail and cogerit,  accessible analysis, Collins explains the birth of  messianic thought and its repercussions for Jews and  Christians alike in ancient--as well as  modern-times.

About this title

About the Author

John J. Collins is Professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

From Publishers Weekly

In this fascinating survey, Collins traces the history and development of the idea of messiah from its earliest appearances in the Hebrew Bible to its culmination in the Judaism and Christianity of the first century c.e. Collins examines biblical and extrabiblical texts to explore the great variety of mantles, from eschatological prophet to Son of Man to Son of God, that messianic figures have worn. In his readings of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Collins discovers, contrary to traditional readings, that the messiah of that community is identified more with a teacher of righteousness than with an apocalyptic prophet who will lead the forces of light in the final battle against the forces of darkness. In addition, the Judaic belief in both a priestly messiah and a kingly (Davidic) messiah in the first century c.e. militates, Collins believes, against any easy identification of Jesus solely as Davidic. Finally, the author argues that careful study of the Scrolls may yet yield the common ground out of which the messianic ideas of Judaism and Christianity developed. Marked by judicious and accessible readings of primary texts, Collins's work is a significant contribution to Doubleday's outstanding biblical reference series.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Anchor Bible
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0385474571
• ISBN 13: 9780385474573
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288