An Interview with John Strugnell

Harvard professor John Strugnell was chief editor of the official Dead Sea Scroll editorial team from 1987 until he was dismissed in late 1990, after giving an anti-Semitic interview to Israeli journalist Avi Katzman, in Ha’aretz, November 9, 1990, and “Chief Dead Sea Scroll Editor Denounces Judaism, Israel; Claims He’s Seen Four More Scrolls Found by Bedouin,” BAR 17:01. An original member of the editorial team, Strugnell had been studying the scrolls for over 40 years and was one of the most significant players in the Dead Sea Scroll drama. A brilliant, complex man, he has dropped from public sight since his dismissal.

Today, on medical leave from Harvard, he is nevertheless back at work on several Dead Sea Scroll texts. He is also writing his memoirs.