The Pesharim and Qumran History: Chaos or Consensus?
by James H. Charlesworth, Lidija Novakovic
Category: History

The pesharim were a series of early Jewish commentaries on the Hebrew Bible composed at Qumran between 100 and 40 BC. As this study reveals, they are a truly complex and intriguing source for the early Qumran community and its beliefs. Charlesworth's study revolves around the central issue of whether any reliable historical information can be obtained from the pesharim and, if so, what it reveals. Placed within the context of Hellenistic and Jewish historiography, and Biblical literature, this is a specialised study within Dead Sea Scroll scholarship.