John M. Allegro

John Marco Allegro (* February 17, 1923, † 17 February 1988) was a British linguist.

Life

The lifework Allegro were the Dead Sea Scrolls and the resulting conclusions. His reputation as a scientist and as a human being was determined by the negative and disparaging response to his thesis that Christianity was based on a psychedelic cult, which made ​​use of hallucinogenic mushrooms. With this thesis, he had great influence on youth and culture scene in the 1960s. So the duo Witthüser & West Rupp designed his third program completely under the influence of Allegro's theories.

Allegro died on his birthday at the age of 65 years. The cause of death was not known.

Services

The name of John Marco Allegro is inextricably linked to the evaluation of the writings from Qumran. As a young scientist who had studied Hebrew dialects at the University of Manchester and Semitic languages ​​at Oxford, he was appointed in 1953 as one of nine members to the international team of scientists to evaluate the font discovery of the Dead Sea. Allegro was one of the team on the basis of a recommendation of his teacher Godfrey R. Driver. Him recorded his profound knowledge but also his mental attitude as a Protestant -influenced agnostic for the project. The team belonged to him except Frank Moore Cross, Patrick Skehan (both USA ), John Strugnell, Dominique Barthélemy (both UK ), Claus - hunno Hunzinger ( Germany ) and Josef T. Milik (Poland). Thus, Allegro was the only non-Christian scientists in the evaluation of the scrolls, and he saw in it a special responsibility, which caused him to let them participate in the knowledge gained against the wishes of the project manager Roland de Vaux the general public. In 1956 he published his first book The Dead Sea Scrolls ( The Dead Sea Scrolls ). In this book he argues that opened by him Copper Scroll of Scripture discovery would contain an inventory of the treasure of the religious community at Qumran. He eventually undertook in 1959 on his own initiative the unsuccessful attempt by this thesis researches on the spot to prove. A year later he published on this subject the book The Treasure of the Copper Scroll ( The Treasure of the Copper Scroll ). , He used unauthorized images. In a book review Allegro 1961 were accused by his team leader de Vaux inaccuracy and misrepresentation. Further work was determined by this dispute and other controversies. The deviating from the views of his colleagues, Allegro's position won at the lack of information about the finds from the Dead Sea due to the growing attention in public criticism.

John Marco Allegro's public reputation was determined by its public discharged controversy with his colleagues. But he has independently thereof decisive role in the decipherment of the partially coded scrolls, especially those from cave four. In the years 1955-1962 he produced over 1,500 photos of fragments of the scrolls, which are extremely important sources for future generations.

Works

• The secret cult of the sacred fungus, Vienna, Molden, 1971 ISBN 3-217-00220-2
• The message of the Dead Sea, Frankfurt, Fischer, 1957