Klaus Berger, The Truth Under Lock and Key?: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, trans by James S. Currie. Westminster/John Knox 1995. Pp. xi, 113. Reviewed by Susan Langley for R. Kraft's RelSt 225 course at UPenn (Spring 1999) In this book, Klaus Berger presents his opinion on the controversy surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls. He examines the relationship between the Judaism of the Qumran Community and Christianity in its formative period. His book attempts to provide information about the Dead Sea Scrolls and their significance for the Christian community. Berger uses his knowledge of the Old and New Testaments to show the parallels in the Christian Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Through these comparisons, he hopes to show that there are, in fact, multiple scrolls that mention Jesus as the Messiah. Berger first attacks the fact that even 45 years after the discovery of the scrolls, there still remains 20% of the Scrolls unpublished. Only lately, in 1992, were the remaining 20% of the documents released. Berger attributes this to the fact that he believes the "keepers are literally sitting on their fragments, from which only death will part them" (6). He goes on to state his opinion that because the scrolls are handled by such a minute group of people, that they have not been compared to the New Testament in any thorough and systematic way. "Scholarly commentaries on the New Testament include references to Qumran texts, though in the footnotes and always with other material" (7). Through Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Berger attempts to make the connection that he feels everyone else has so blatantly overlooked. Before even beginning to compare the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible, Berger attacks Eisenman, whom he believes "in his own publications developed a peculiar view of primitive Christianity" (11). He speaks of Eisenman's "ignorant" views on a religion he knows nothing of. He quotes Eisenman as stating that "Primitive Christianity was a movement of Zealots, who were prepared for violent political subversion and for preliminary terrorist acts of violence in order to expel the Romans from Palestine" (12). He scoffs at Eisenman's claims that the "teacher of righteousness" must be James, who is mentioned in the Qumran writings. He talks of how Eisenman makes the assumption that Paul is a secret agent of the Romans, and that James was not only faithful to the Jewish law, but also extremely militant, prepared to use force, and hostile to foreigners. All of this borders close to blasphemy for Berger, who is adamant about his Christian beliefs regarding the Qumran texts. After attacking Eisenman for making statements and assumptions he feels have no legitimate backing, Berger attempts to show that his opinions on the connections between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible are justified by citing examples. Berger addresses the idea of Jesus and the first Christians as Zealots. He claims that "the New Testament contains no suggestion whatsoever that Jesus or any authoritative persons of early Christianity (besides Simon the Zealot in Luke 6.15 and Acts 1.13) had been Zealots" (18). Yet again and again since the nineteenth century, Jesus has been seen as a Zealot. He tries to explain this falsehood by telling us the only reason this rumor has circulated is because of "combative socialists who make Jesus the forerunner of a violent class struggle" (19) He also attacks Jewish scholars by saying the reason they would say such a thing is to try to weaken the accusation by Christians that the Jews had murdered Jesus, by suggesting that as the number one terrorist enemy of the state, Jesus had been a particular "thorn" in the side of the Romans. Therefore, Berger begins his book by claiming that neither the Bible, nor the Qumran texts, even remotely lean towards this theory and that it is all a creation of Eisenman. Berger does this to try and make the claims of Eisenman's publications irrelevant to the discussion. Berger starts to make his own comparison of the Bible and the Qumran texts at this point. He talks of the Community as a "Holy House" (50). He states that the Community Rule describes the community of Qumran thus: "It shall be that tried wall, that precious corner-stone, whose foundations shall neither rock nor sway in their place [Isa. 28.16]. It shall be a Most Holy Dwelling for Aaron" (1 QS 8.7-9; Vermes, 72-73) (51). Like walls, cornerstone, and foundations, the community itself, seen as a whole, is characterized as something solid and therefore as a temple. The same elements of a building are also mentioned in the letter to the Ephesians: "You are...built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2.19-22) (51). Here also the concern is with the community, with the house, foundation, cornerstone, and temple. It differs from the Qumran text only in that foundation and cornerstone are interpreted allegorically, referring to apostles, prophets, and Jesus Christ. Is the connection valid? Berger seems to think so. This is one of his examples of the parallels of the Qumran text to Jesus Christ and the Bible that he tries to make apparent. He moves on to other examples as the book progresses. Next, Berger tries to find the connection in the "Body of Twelve" (52) mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible. "According to the so-called Community Rule from Qumran (1QS) twelve men out of the whole of Israel played an important part in the group that is described here" (52). "In the Council of the Community there shall be twelve men and three Priests, perfectly versed in all that is revealed of the Law" [1QS 8.1; Vermes, 72] (52). Berger believes this to resemble Matthew where it is stated that the twelve men with whom Jesus surrounded himself were also unquestionable representatives of the renewed Israel. According to Matthew, they are also portrayed as "perfect" (Matt. 19.21: "If you would be perfect" belongs with Matt. 19.28: "You will also sit on twelve thrones") (53). Is there truly a connection here, or is Berger searching for proof that doesn't exist? Only the reader can decide. The book Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls was an interesting book for me personally being a Catholic and searching for my religious beliefs in the Qumran texts. However, I feel that Berger uses his book to personally attack Eisenman, and those who have published things he doesn't agree with, more than just trying to find references to Jesus in the Scrolls. Regardless of the fact that Jesus as the Christ is, or is not, mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Scrolls serve a higher purpose of showing us an example of the written work of a community and a people during a time of religious movement. It helps us to understand the lives of the Dead Sea Sect and how strongly religion played a role in their lives. Berger would have done a much better job with his book if he had left out the personal attacks on other published scholars. //end//