An illustrated lecture on the contents, context, and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Written during a turbulent time of great upheaval and conflict, the Dead Sea Scrolls shed light on much of what was the Second Temple era. Gain insight into the bitter rivalry of two Jewish groups —the Pharisees and the Sadducees—as well as the Pharisaic legacy that shaped the rabbinic tradition and the Talmud.

In this lecture, Professor Schiffman, a leading scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls analyzes the origins of the texts. After surveying the contribution of the Scrolls, he compares the Jewish legal position of the authors of the scrolls to that of the Pharisees and early Christians demonstrating how early Christianity deviated from the fundamental beliefs of Judaism and why it was rejected by Jews and accepted only by Greco-Roman non-Jews.