The Dead Sea Scrolls Catalogue: Documents, Photographs and Museum Inventory Numbers (review)

Hebrew Studies 37 (1996) 187 Reviews rejected by them. Now while one may not agree with every conclusion reached, the authors are fair and reasonable in recognizing that such mallers are not capable of a firm conclusion and must remain ultimately conjectural. The physical format of this work is worth mentioning. The layout is uncluttered and easy to read, and one of the most impressive features of the book is the effective use of pastel shadings on each page. There are delicately drawn motifs that highlight the introductory page of each division in the book. This is particularly effective in the translation section, a feature that enhances and complements the sensuous nature of the poetry. The Hebrew text type is presented in a large font on one side of the page, with the translation on the page facing. The paper itself is of a very high quality, with a distinctive "parchment feel" to it. All in all, this makes for very pleasurable reading. One might say that here is a book that manages to combine form and content in a refreshingly new way. Overall, this is an excellent contribution to the literature on the "Song of Songs." Stephen Renn . Sydney Missionary and Bible College Croydon. N.S.W. 2132 Australia THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS CATALOGUE: DOCUMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND MUSEUM INVENTORY NUMBERS. By Stephen A. Reed, Marilyn J. Lundberg, and Michael B. Phelps. SBL Resources for Biblical Study 32. Pp. xlvi + 558. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1994. Cloth. $89.95/Paper, $64.95. The Dead Sea Scrolls Catalogue is the most recent and comprehensive catalogue of the texts and photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This volume contains a wealth of meticulously gathered data about each document and photograph. and therefore is an essential research tool for scholars working with the scrolls. In 1988, even before open access was granted to the unpublished texts from Qumran, the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center (ABMC) at Claremont initiated the Dead Sea Scrolr Inventory Project to make a complete inventory of the Dead Sea Scroll documents, photographs, and museum inventory numbers. Stephen Reed began cataloguing the fragments and the photographs of the fragments in 1989 and in 1991 started to pub- Hebrew Studies 37 (1996) 188 Reviews lish his ongoing work in a series of fourteen individual fascicles. In 1993 Reed left the project to accept a teaching position at the Africa University of Zimbabwe and was succeeded by Marilyn J. Lundberg, who revised, edited, and published the current catalogue in 1994. The present volume contains the data found in all fourteen previously issued fascicles, updated, edited, and revised with the more recent bibliographic entries. In one sense, this work represents the completion of the project of cataloging each of the texts and photographs. In another sense, this catalogue is a work-inprogress that will never be completed and will be continuously refmed and updated as work progresses on the documents. For example, as editors prepare the documents for publication, especially from Qumran Caves 4 and 11, the numbering, configuration, and titles of the texts could change. In addition, there will be new bibliographic entries. The editors promise frequent updates through supplements and/or new editions of the catalogue. The Scroll Inventory Project consists of two parts: "a computerized database for on-line access and the publication of a hard copy edition of the information contained in the database" (p. xiii). This catalogue is the "hard copy edition" of the information. The preface to the catalogue notes that the database is updated as new information becomes available. I contacted the ABMC, and they informed me that the database is currently being updated and options are being considered as to how best to make it accessible over the Internet. Researchers interested in using the database are invited to contact the ABMC directly. The catalogue has six parts: an introduction. a catalogue of the texts, a catalogue of the photographs, a list of the museum inventory numbers of the texts, an appendix listing the card concordance correlations, and a bibliography. In the introduction the editors give a brief overview of all the collections of texts and photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including a description and discussion of...