In the Qumran Valley, a young Bedouin named Mohammed edh-Dhib discovered by chance, in a grotto one kilometer from the Dead Sea, a considerable number of ancient scrolls. It is 1947, and this discovery will upset our knowledge of biblical texts, since the scrolls in question are the oldest manuscripts of the Old Testament ever found. Dominique Lormier, historian, tells us in this book the fabulous story of the Qumran manuscripts.
He provides a complete account, based on exhaustive research, of the incredible discovery of the scrolls. He analyzes the content of the texts and their successive decipherments by the greatest specialists in the history of religions. Finally, it joins the polemics and controversies, sometimes very lively, that followed this discovery, in particular the new hypotheses issued concerning the historical figure of Jesus.