The second edition of this fascinating book is the ideal introduction to the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran and their impact on our understanding of the rise of Christianity. Introduces the Qumran Scrolls to the uninitiated general reader. Explains how revolutionary the discovery of the Scrolls was and their enduring significance. Sets the Scrolls within the wider context of Jewish history and religion of the second temple period. Now expanded to include additional material about the scrolls themselves and recent theories about the community behind them. This book is not available from Blackwell in the United States and the Philippines.