Were first-century Jews expecting a messiah? Were other messiahs mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls? Were key early Christian symbols also found in the Judaism of Qumran? Did the Jews of Jesus's day believe in salvation by works? In the Holy Spirit? How did the New Testament authors think about inspired interpretation?

In Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls, six leading scholars--John Collins, Craig Evans, Martin Abegg, R. Glenn Wooden, Barry Smith, and Jonathan Wilson--examine some of the major issues that the Dead Sea Scrolls have raised for our understanding of early...