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The third chapter on the Septuagint was full of detail. Their content is shown by isolated examples such as the differences between the Damascus Document and Community Rule, how some of its psalms are those included in the Old Testament, and some of the elements of the War Scroll. The next Chapter tells how the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, bought/sold, preserved and assembled. The first 43 pages, or almost 20% of the book, is a history of Jerusalem for which connections to the later material are never made. This review is by chapter, because, until the “Big Picture” chapter that loosely ties them up, chapters read like independent units. (It is noted in the Appendix where I found it when I was done). The book has a web site that gives a sense of its organization. It would have been better (for me) with the last chapter reworked as an introduction.
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In some places it seemed like a collection of facts. The author pulls from multiple sources to tell a fuller story of Adam and Eve, the Apocrypha to tell more about Abraham and concludes with the book of Enoch and a chapter on “The Big Picture”. It begins with a history of Jerusalem followed by discussions of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint and the works of Josephus. This book presents material that would enhance our understanding of the Bible if it had been included. An impressive blend of history, linguistics, and religious scholarship, The Bible's Cutting Room Floor reveals what's missing from your Bible, who left it out, and why it is so important. Hoffman deftly brings these and other ancient scriptural texts to life, exploring how they offer new answers to some of the most fundamental and universal questions people ask about their lives. And while there are only 150 Psalms in today's Bible, there used to be many more.ĭr. The Bible introduces us to Abraham, but it doesn't include the troubling story of his early life, which explains how he came to reject idolatry to become the father of monotheism. The Book of Genesis tells us about Adam and Eve's time in the Garden of Eden, but not their saga after they get kicked out or the lessons they have for us about good and evil. Hoffman provides the stories and other texts that didn't make it into the Bible even though they offer penetrating insight into the Bible and its teachings. In The Bible's Cutting Room Floor, acclaimed author and translator Dr. Some passages were even omitted by accident. At times, the compilers of the Bible skipped information that they assumed everyone knew. Some holy writings were left out for political or theological reasons, others simply because of the physical restrictions of ancient bookmaking technology. The Bible you usually read is not the complete story.