Michael Baigent graduated from Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand, Richard Leigh followed his degree from Tufts University with postgraduate studies at the University of Chicago and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Together the authors have also written Holy Blood, Holy Grail; The Messianic Legacy; and The Temple and the Lodge. Both writers live in England.
Antiquity (U.K.) An engrossing read....A racy tale of
archaeological sins, religious bigotry, academic megalomania,
misconduct and possible criminality, along with bizarre political
intrigue.
Chicago Tribune Not for the theologically faint of heart.
Newsweek A lively tale of one controversial interpretation of the
scrolls.
Publishers Weekly Crystalline, well-documented....Baigent and Leigh
advance startling theories that should change the way we view
ancient Judaism and nascent Christianity....
John Leonard New York Newsday A wonder of savage detail....The
reading of the archaeological, historical and analytic-textual
evidence is always ingenious.
Antiquity (U.K.) An engrossing read....A racy tale of
archaeological sins, religious bigotry, academic megalomania,
misconduct and possible criminality, along with bizarre political
intrigue.
Chicago Tribune Not for the theologically faint of
heart.
Newsweek A lively tale of one controversial interpretation
of the scrolls.
Publishers Weekly Crystalline, well-documented....Baigent
and Leigh advance startling theories that should change the way we
view ancient Judaism and nascent Christianity....
John Leonard New York Newsday A wonder of savage
detail....The reading of the archaeological, historical and
analytic-textual evidence is always ingenious.
This emotional account of the events surrounding the discovery and translation of the scrolls attempts to uncover the theological and political efforts by individuals, governments, and religious institutions to keep controversial documents unpublished, ostensibly to preserve orthodox intepretations. The English authors, Baigent and Leigh, base their study on the work of Robert Eisenmen and other religious scholars who maintain that a conspiracy of consensus led to stagnant reinterpretation of old doctrine, rather than true research which would contest preconceived notions with newly discovered evidence. New theories by Eisenmen and others, which challenge the roots of Christianity as well as New Testament doctrine and history, are discussed. Standard works such as John M. Allegro's The Dead Sea Scrolls & the Christian Myth ( LJ 6/1/84), Roland De Vaux's Discoveries in the Judean Desert (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1977), and Geza Vermes's The Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Viking, 1988. rev. ed.), and many others are preferable to this acrid introductory ``expose.''-- Paula I. Nielson, Loyola Marymount Univ. Lib., Los Angeles
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