Providential Accidents: An AutobiographyGeza Vermes is known world-wide as an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and for his pioneering work, Jesus the Jew. But in addition to that he is the living embodiment of Jewish-Christian relations in the context of an honest quest for the truth. Few scholars have had such a colorful and eventful life, the course of which he describes here. Born into a Hungarian Jewish family which later converted to Christianity, he received a Catholic education and was later ordained priest after the turmoil of the War. The quest for membership in a religious order led him to the Sion Fathers, in Louvain and then in Paris, where among other things he was introduced to biblical studies and became fascinated with the newly discovered Dead Sea Scrolls. Subsequent emotional turmoil from conflicting pressures made him ill, but a series of "Providential Accidents" which gave this book its title brought him to England, marriage, and a new fulfilled life, first in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and then in Oxford, and to a public reassertian of his Jewishness. As well as telling a fascinating personal story, this book provides a vivid insider's account of developments in Scrolls research and of the lengthy battle with procrastinating editors over the "academic scandal of the century." These memoirs shed much light on the deep personal friendships and antagonisms and the complex, non-scholarly factors which accompany even committed study of the Bible, Qumran, and the Gospels. |
Contents
10 June 1993 | ix |
Roots | 3 |
Childhood Memories 19261937 | 10 |
Unread Signs of Doom 19381942 | 18 |
From Boredom to Nightmare 19421944 | 27 |
From Darkness to Light 19451946 | 40 |
The Fathers of NotreDame de Sion Prelude 19461948 | 53 |
Discovery of the Bible 19481950 | 62 |
Finding my Feet in Newcastle 19571958 | 123 |
Laying the Foundations 19581965 | 134 |
The Wonderland of Oxford | 155 |
The Journal and the New English Schurer | 171 |
The Battle over the Scrolls A Personal Account | 188 |
Jesus the Jew and his Religion | 210 |
Harvest Time | 225 |
Late Afternoon Sunshine 1993 | 231 |
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academic ancient appeared Aramaic arrived asked attended became Bible biblical Biblique Biddick Hall Boobyer British Budapest Cahiers Catholic Cave Centre century Christian church colleagues College Dead Sea Scrolls decided delighted doctorate Dominican earlier École edition editor Emanuel Tov English final followed French German Geza Gospels Gyula Hebrew Hungarian Hungary Institute invited Isaiah Israel Israeli Jerusalem Jesuit Jesus the Jew Jewish Studies John Bradburne John Strugnell Judaism knew late later learned lectures letter London Louvain Makó manuscripts Martin Goodman months mother Nagyvárad never Newcastle Notre-Dame de Sion Oriental Ottery Oxford Pam's Paris Paul Démann photographs priest Professor providential accident publication published Qumran rabbinic religion religious Renée scholars Schürer Scripture seminary Sisters of Sion soon spent Strugnell Szatmár Testament theology told took turned University Vaux Vermes volume weeks Wolfson College Yarnton Yigael Yadin