The scrolls of the Essenes and the history of this Jewish sect's possible antecedence to Christianity intrigued Edmund Wilson and drew him, in 1954, to Israel and the revelations contained in the newly discovered scrolls. His resulting account of the scrolls' history and significance was first published in "New Yorker," then expanded into book form, and the revised just before Wilson's death.

"...the result is a provocative and absorbing report."

-The New York Times