Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Stephen Goranson <goranson AT duke.edu>]

I'm reading the significant new contribution to learning, The Dead Sea 
Scrolls: A Full History, vol, 1 1947-1960 (Brill, 2010) and find it 
fascinating.I recommend it to all who are interested in Qumran history of 
scholarship. When I'm finished I may review some of its more  interesting 
data.

For now, here's the document about which Weston Fields wrote (page 339):
"No written record of Albright's accusation seems to have survived, but 
Harding mentions it in a letter to the BBC on 8 June 1956:...." (and cf. p. 
552 n. 78 "...I have been unable to trace down what this statement of 
Albright's might be.") 
Albright later said the report--about the new Qumran Cave Eleven finds-- was 
rather inaccurate, but Associated Press ran a story that appeared in several 
papers. Here's the version from the Ottawa Citizen, May 24, 1956, page 1 
col.2:
"Arab Stole Old Scrolls
Baltimore (AP)--
At least two newly discovered Dead sea scrolls have been stolen by Arabs and 
are being held for ransom, a Johns Hopkins University professor said 
Wednesday.
Dr. William F. Albright, professor of semitic languages, said in a lecture 
that discovery of these scrolls had not been previously announced...."

So far I've found one significant error and various minor ones (e.g. p. 105 
Dhormes for Dhorme; p. 103 the dates Strugnell taught at Duke [correct 
elsewhere] etc.)
On page 175 it's reported that on 14 January 1953:
"He [Milik] also congratulated Brownlee on his identification of the 
Righteous Teacher with Judas Maccabaeus, an identification that he accepted." 
This should read "Judah the Essene." Apparently later Milik changed his mind. 
But Field's book strengthens (in my view) reasons for considering Jannaeus 
the "Wicked Priest," as many of the early scholars did.

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson