Discoveries in the Judaean Desert (DJD) is the official 40-volume publication that serves as the editio princeps for the Dead Sea Scrolls.
[2] The international team of scholars, involved in the publishing project, consisted of 106 editors and contributors, and came from North America, Israel, and Europe.
The first work to appear was the 1955 release of Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 1: Qumran Cave 1, edited by D. Barthélémy and Józef Milik, with contributions by R. de Vaux, G. M. Crowfoot, H. J. Plenderleith, and G. L. Harding.
The publication was overseen by the Jordan Department of Antiquities, École Biblique et Archéologique Française and Palestine Archaeological Museum.
[10][11][12] 1965 saw the publication of Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 4: The Psalms Scroll of Qumrân Cave 11 (11QPsa), edited by James A. Sanders.
Apocryphal psalms included A Plea for Deliverance, Apostrophe to Zion, Hymn to the Creator, and a small text called David's Composition.
Important editorial work on the biblical scrolls were carried out by Ulrich, who, for a number of years, assumed special responsibility for this task.
The volume included the Dead Sea Scroll of the Minor Prophets; Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Zecharia.
[2] 1992 saw the release of Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 9: Qumran Cave 4.IV: Palaeo-Hebrew and Greek Biblical Manuscripts, edited by W. Skehan, E. Ulrich, and J. E. Sanderson.
Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 10: Qumran Cave 4, V. Miqṣat Ma῾ase ha-Torah, edited by Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, included a calendar of Sabbaths and holidays, issues of legal interpretation, and a final hortatory section.
[31][32][33] Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 12: Qumran Cave 4.VII: Genesis to Numbers, edited by E. Ulrich, F. M. Cross, and others, contained the first 4 books of the Pentateuch, and marked the start of the publication of scrolls written in Hebrew.
[34][35][36][37]Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 13: Qumran Cave 4.VIII: Parabiblical Texts, Part 1, edited by H. Attridge and others, included fragments of Jubilees; Reworked Pentateuch; Prayer of Enosh; ParaKings; Paraphrase of Genesis and Exodus.
(The Seiyâl Collection II), edited by H. M. Cotton and A. Yardeni, included legal documents from the Judaean Desert, such as texts related to deeds of sale; a renunciation of claims in a divorce; a promissory note; a receipt for dates; and the "archive" of Salome Komaïse.
[56] Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 26: Qumran Cave 4.XIX: 4QSerekh Ha-Yah ad and Two Related Texts, edited by P. Alexander and Geza Vermes, included the sectarian manuscript Serekh Ha-Yahad, translated as Community Rule, or Manual of Discipline.
[59] Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 34: Qumran Cave 4.XXIV: 4QInstruction (Musar leMevîn): 4Q415 ff, edited by J. Strugnell, D. J. Harrington, and T. Elgvin, in consultation with J.
Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 16: Qumran Cave 4.XI: Psalms to Chronicles, edited by Eugene Ulrich and others, included biblical manuscripts and fragments of biblical manuscripts, including Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Canticles, Qoheleth, Lamentations, Daniel, Ezra and Chronicles.
Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 21: Qumran Cave 4.XVI: Calendrical Texts, edited by S. Talmon, J. Ben Dov, and U. Glessmer, included the 64 day solar year of Jubilees .
XXVII – Textes araméens, deuxième partie: 4Q550–4Q575a, 4Q580–4Q587 et appendices, edited by Émile Puech, marked the end of publication of Aramaic texts from cave 4 and included the following titles: Jews at the Persian Court; Account; Four Kingdoms; New Jerusalem; Prophecy; Biblical Chronology; Magical Booklet; Horoscope; Wisdom Composition; Proverbs; Words of Michael; and Testament.
Part 2: Introductions, Commentary, and Textual Variants, edited by Eugene Ulrich and Peter W. Flint, with a contribution by Martin G. Abegg, Jr.
Roberts[12] reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 3: Les ‘petites grottes’ de Qumrân, and observed a problem with different readings of the Copper Scroll.
Dahood[13] and Di Lella[14] reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 4: The Psalms Scroll of Qumrân Cave 11 (11QPsa).
Brooke,[31] Knohl,[33] and Sievers[32] reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 10: Qumran Cave 4, V. Miqṣat Ma῾ase ha-Torah.
Brooke observed that the editors "with help from other scholars have tried to produce both an edition and a detailed commentary on the text", but "in this volume the two do not sit comfortably together".
Lim,[54] who reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 11: Qumran Cave 4.VI: Poetical and Liturgical Texts, observed syntactical difficulties in relation to the «King Jonathan fragment».
Fitzmyer,[39] who reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 14: Qumran Cave 4.IX: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Kings, observed that even though the texts were fragmentary «the testimony they bear is invaluable and will affect future text-critical study of the Pentateuch».
Davila,[61] who reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 16: Qumran Cave 4.XI: Psalms to Chronicles, noted that the «editor is to be commended for an especially full edition which includes very welcome detailed discussion and evaluation of the variant readings».
Lim thanked the editors for producing «reliable editions of the text», and went on to observe that the «volume, published without delay, more than satisfactorily justifies the new policy of open access to the scrolls and the co-operation of an expanded team of scholars».
Douglas complimented the editors for doing an "exemplary job of transcription", where they have "rendered the Aramaic and Hebrew into prose" and succeeded in making "these Dead Sea Scrolls accessible to the scholarly public".
Garrison,[50] who reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 24: Wadi Daliyeh Seal Impressions, had some minor criticisms to the presentation of seal imagery, but concluded that the «publication marks an extremely important contribution to the study of the material culture of Western Asia in the fourth century B.C.» Douglas,[57] who reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 26: Qumran Cave 4.XIX: 4QSerekh Ha-Yah ad and Two Related Texts, remarked that the volume suffered from «belatedness», since the texts had already been made available in other publications.
Hempel[69] and Kugler[70] reviewed Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, volume 31: Qumran Cave 4.XXII: Textes araméens, première partie: 4Q529–549.