Shopping for Dead Sea Scrolls Documents Collection
I'm looking to add the Dead Sea Scrolls to my Logos package. I do not have any related books or actual DSS texts at this point. I would like to be able to do the following:
1. Read the entire text of both biblical and community documents.
2. Be able to do word searches from the text as well as run word studies.
3. Also have at least the biblical documents as an interlinear (or reverse interlinear).
Would I be able to accomplish #1-3 with the following resources?
https://www.logos.com/product/5961/qumran-biblical-dead-sea-scrolls-database
https://www.logos.com/product/55512/lexham-dead-sea-scrolls-hebrew-english-interlinear-bible
https://www.logos.com/product/7129/the-dead-sea-scrolls-in-english
It's rather unclear (or I just don't understand what they're saying) in the descriptions for each one. Is the database a series of images or are they text documents?
Is the English translation of the Book of Enoch included in any of these resources?
Steven
Comments
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Steven, I can't quite assure what you want. But the screen copy below is for each.
The DSS Biblical database is on the right; the index on top; a selected fragment below.
On the left-top is the DSS Biblical Interlinear. Both products are morphed and searchable.
The Vermes resource ( bottom left) is a different group of scroll fragments ... sectarian, with discussion and translation ... not indexed per se.
Although I keep the two Biblical DSS resources in my OT layout page, I mainly use the database product (includes both the hebrew and greek scroll fragments). The hebrew interlinear one is interesting, but the database index is also by Biblical reference and gets the job done.
If you wanted sectarian, the DSS Study Edition is your better choice (indexing, etc).
Regarding Enoch, there's aramaic fragments (eg Book of Giants), but the greek translation would be found in the Lexham LES.
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DMB is correct and gives a good assessment of what each of the products you asked about can do--but it would be more helpful to know whether you are looking for the sectarian scrolls or the biblical scrolls, because the products you link each only give a partial story to what was found at Qumran.
If you're looking for biblical scrolls, you want this product: https://www.logos.com/product/5961/qumran-biblical-dead-sea-scrolls-database
If you're looking for the sectarian scrolls, you want this product: https://www.logos.com/product/4242/qumran-sectarian-manuscripts (fingers crossed that someday FL can give an academic discount on what appears to be their own product!)
The databases do contain images of the fragments (I believe), but also contain the text that allows you to read and find the relevant text in your searches, Bible Word Study, etc. etc.
The Vermes product you link will not be helpful to you for either of these quests--it does not link to anything, and nothing will link to it (the physical book copy doesn't contain any citation information, and the book itself is too old to be useful, doesn't even contain all of the sectarian scrolls that have been discovered). It's lacking a lot of content and contains very little useful Logos functionality because of the limitations of the text. You can basically read the scrolls that were discovered before 1994 as if they were in a PDF.
I generally recommend against buying anything published before 1999, since there were some significant discoveries in the mid '90s which you will need in your research, both for biblical and sectarian scrolls.
There are many other products on the store that contain good DSS documents and will contain the hyperlinking and cross-referencing functionality you need:
https://www.logos.com/product/8868/the-dead-sea-scrolls-a-new-translation contains all of the sectarian scrolls in a very good translation and the technology in this book is perfectly functional. (A good translation of Enoch is in here)
https://www.logos.com/product/8933/dead-sea-scrolls-bible is your basic guide to the scriptural/biblical fragments found at Qumran. Again, no community documents or literature found outside the current Protestant canon of scripture here.
Your question about the Lexham DSS Hebrew-English interlinear--it contains only the biblical texts of the Protestant canon of the Old Testament (no Enoch, no Tobit, etc.) and does not contain any sectarian or community works. But it works very well as an interlinear and allows you to read the text in Hebrew or English.
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Hi Damien,
Thank you very much for the breakdown. This is very helpful. What you laid out is exactly what I am looking for.
Steven
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Thanks DMB for the image. This was very helpful.
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