My small connection to the Dead Sea Scrolls was as Emanuel Tov’s assistant many years ago. He was the editor-in-chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls publication project beginning in 1990. I was looking at his CV, his list of accomplishments, and it’s unbelievable! He’s worked in the past on something like 26 projects, each one of those any scholar around the world would be extremely proud to lay claim to. In fact, he wrote the book called Textural Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, which is a textbook of universities around the world, when people study textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible, of what Christians call The Old Testament. Nehemia: Shalom, this is Nehemia Gordon with Hebrew Voices, and I am here at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with Professor Emanuel Tov, who in my humble opinion is the foremost scholar in the world in the field of the Dead Sea Scrolls and what’s called “textual criticism”. Thank you for supporting Nehemia Gordon's Makor Hebrew Foundation. You are listening to Hebrew Voices with Nehemia Gordon. Hebrew Voices #15 - The Bible of the Dead Sea Scrolls An accident of history or Divine Providence? Tune in and decide for yourself. Tov explains the “five families of text” that are progenitors of the Tanakh-their histories, spelling systems, adherents, the liberties taken by their respective scribes, and the events that led to the Masoretic Text becoming the only Bible of Judaism. If you think you know the history of Bible texts, you might want to hang tightly onto your hat. Vyomi wrote: “Thank you Nehemia! That was fascinating information.” In this episode of Hebrew Voices, The Bible of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Nehemia Gordon talks to Professor Emanuel Tov, the world’s foremost scholar on the Dead Sea Scrolls and author of the definitive “Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible.” Gordon and Tov’s discussion yields an enlightening mix of 101 material as well as fascinating (and accessible) post-doctoral details.