Friday, January 16, 2026

Darby, Shaping Text Through Song (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:
Shaping Text Through Song: The Influence of Singing Upon Processes of Textual Interpretation and Variation in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Series:
Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, Volume: 156

Author: Jonathan M. Darby

This book explores the influential role played by singing as a performative medium within processes of textual interpretation and variation during the late Second Temple Period, as reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Singing is argued to be a prominent and widespread mode of performance, and a medium which exerted considerable influence within and upon processes of textual composition, interpretation and transmission. These complex processes result in the variation of textual forms, meaning that sung performance contributed to the widespread pluriformity of textual traditions, including those that were eventually codified in the scriptural canons of Judaism and Christianity.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-74934-4
Publication: 22 Dec 2025
EUR €121.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-74933-7
Publication: 18 Dec 2025
EUR €121.00

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.