Calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls

'Professor VanderKam has produced a very valuable handbook on the problems of alendric documents form Qumran considered in thier broader biblical and post-biblical Jewish context' - Geza Vermes, Journal and Jewish Studies'This outstanding volume is the most useful succinct treatment of the subject of calendar in early Judaism available.' - Koninklijke Brill NV

• Table of Contents. Part I:Introduction to Biblical and Post-biblical Calendars. Chapter 1: The Hebrew Bible. A. Some important passages. B. The moon and the sun. C. Three systems for designating months. D. The festivals. E. The Gezer Calendar. F. Some debated issues.Chapter 2: Sources later than the Hebrew Bible. A. Elephantine papyri. B. The Samaria papryi. C. 1Enoch 72-82. D. Sirach E.The Book of Jubilees.Part II. Chapter 1: The first calendrical hints. A. Introduction. B. Calendrical information in the first scrolls and the Damascus Document.Chapter 2: A history of scholarship on the Qumran calendars. A. S. Talman. B. D.Barthelemy. C. A.Jaubert D. J.T.Milik. E. S.Talmon. F. J.Sanders. G. Y.Yadin.Chapter 3: The Calendrical texts. A. Introduction. B. The texts. C. A SundialChapter 4: Measuring and symbolizing longer units of time. A. Evidence from the Hebrew Bible. B. The scrolls.Chapter 4: Conclusion. A. Summary statements. B. A hypothetical sketch of the role of the calendar in Qumran origins. Bibliography.