The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth

Description

Remaining Dead Sea Scrolls stay unpublished as their contents were found in 1950s to be inimical to Christian dogma. [rear cover blurb:] Christian Redeemer or Essene Messiah? In THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND THE CHRISTIAN MYTH, John Allegro examines the devastating impact of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. To date, the Scrolls have posed more questions than answers, and of these the most important concern has been the relationship between the Essenes - the owners of the Scrolls - and the early Church. The difference between the Scrolls and the New Testament, in their understanding of the messianic office, underscores the fundamental struggle for supremacy which raged between the so-called 'heresies' of early Christianity and their 'orthodox' rival. It now transpires that the battle fought so ruthlessly by the Great Church, to suppress these heresies, was based on completely false assumptions about the historicity and purpose of the Gospels. The orthodox creed prevailed by institutionalising the beliefs and practices of the once great Essene order at the cost of stifling the Faith's true genius for individualism. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth - Front Cover......Page 1 Author Biography......Page 2 Also by John Allegro in Abacus......Page 3 Title Page......Page 4 Printer's Imprint......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 List of Maps......Page 7 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 MAP: Palestine......Page 12 1. The Essene Library......Page 19 MAP: The Caves around Khirbet Qumran......Page 28 2. The Lion of Wrath......Page 34 3. Secacah in Galilee......Page 48 4. Judgement and Hell-fire......Page 63 MAP: The Dead Sea area......Page 72 MAP: The Jerusalem to Jericho road......Page 75 5. Joshua, Son of Nun, and the Teacher of Righteousness......Page 78 6. Mortal Teacher to Immortal Christ......Page 96 7. The Celibate Ideal......Page 109 8. The Love Feast......Page 123 PHOTO-PLATES......Page 130 9. The Noble Lie......Page 147 10. Tyre, Once Proud City......Page 163 11. Helen, the Harlot of Tyre, and Light of the World......Page 179 12. The Day-spring from on High......Page 190 13. 'Will the _real_ Jesus Christ please stand up?'......Page 203 14. 'And on this Rock ... '......Page 218 15. Know Thyself......Page 238 Appendix: 4Q Therapeia......Page 251 Index......Page 258 Rear Cover......Page 267