Early in 1947, a fifteen-year-old Bedouin boy discovered a cave at the edge of the Dead Sea. In it were broken jars containing scrolls of leather wrapped in linen cloth, inscribed in a strange writing. Soon recognized as "the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times," the chance finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls touched off furious controversy among Bible scholars and fascinated the public. In this book, the author tells the entire story -- of the discoveries, of the attempts to date the manuscripts, of their content and their significance.