[.ca] John Marco Allegro: The Maverick Of The Dead Sea Scrolls (ISBN 0802828493)

Sooner or Later, the Truth will Out:
I just want to express how much the world owes a debt of gratitude to Judith Anne Brown for writing this touching and informative biography of her father, John M. Allegro. As a free-thinking individual who is neither for nor against organized religion, I was always and will always be interested in the origins of humanity's spiritual belief systems and ideologies, its temporal authorities and institutions, and the way in which these forces come together to form 'civilization.' It surprises me how ignorant some people are about the context within which their chosen or inherited faith originated, and I've always thought it important to question established doctrines and particularly rituals, lest they become mindless and mechanical. It still boggles my mind how in the 21st century we are still struggling to reconcile faith with daily living, and how so many conflicts can result from a perceived clash of ideologies that in reality share so much in common. Allegro thought this way over half a century ago when knowledge of ancient history was still not easily accessed by the laity. Allegro was therefore a pioneer thinker whose dedicated work and scholarship helped to propel us forward in our understanding of the nature and origins of Semitic or monotheistic religious traditions, and their relationship to other belief systems that had existed worldwide over thousands of years. The notion that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are not as unique or exclusive as some choose to believe should not threaten or undermine these great faiths; in fact, their claims to 'universality' should be bolstered. At first glance, Allegro seems to have been born in the wrong time, as he encountered so much opposition regarding his open-minded views towards religion from individuals with vested interests and entrenched understandings. Nevertheless Allegro played a brilliant role in history, serving as a catalyst that continues to this day for public debate about Christianity's origins; this debate has far-reaching implications for all Semitic religions, especially insofar as they have shaped the world over two thousand years and culminated in the current stand-off between the so-called West and Islam, or 'Us' and 'Them.' Perhaps humanity will come to understand that in this context there really is no Us or Them; that, in fact, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are branches of the same tree, and not so far removed from other great world religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and even - dare I say it - various 'pagan' traditions. Allegro has authored many books conveying this kind of thought but he, of course, does it far better than anyone in my mind. A master of language, Allegro can articulate with the written word what we so often wish we could express ourselves. A master of philology, Allegro had the tools to fathom what most would overlook: the core significance of language and the written word; namely etymology, which contains the keys to understanding religious thought and development. Speech and later writing were early on perceived as divinely manifested abilities. The very fact that humans ever learned to speak and write was considered inherently sublime in itself, and when one comes to understand this, one is ready to read volumes like "The Scared Mushroom and the Cross" (1970) without becoming perplexed by it, as was the case with Allegro's peers. Brown's book simply sheds light on Allegro's character and scholarship, putting the 'mystery' surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls into context and giving us another chance to bring his work to light after it was so tragically misunderstood, suppressed and wrongfully slandered. The Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery did indeed have mass implications for Christianity, but the Scrolls did not contain anything that directly threatened to shake the very foundation of the Church; like anything that unrightfully attempts to contravene the natural order of things, the Church, in overreacting to proponents of religious debate, shook its own foundation and unwittingly vindicated Allegro's just cause. Sooner or later the truth will out; and, in my opinion, those who attempt to prevent this are simply lacking in faith. Now that a credible and balanced account of John M. Allegro and his legacy has been published, I sincerely hope readers will demand that his books be re-issued, so that Allegro's wonderful thoughts and insights can be more readily available to those who share with him a desire to better understand their religions' origins.