The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity
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The Jesus Dynasty offers a startling new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity that is grounded in careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, including the much-discussed "Jesus farnily tomb."In The Jesus Dynasty, biblical scholar James. Tabor brings us closer than ever to the historical Jesus. He explains the crucial relationship between Jesus, a royal descendant of David, and his relative John the Baptizer, a priestly descendant of Aaron and Jesus' teacher. When John was killed, several of his followers-including Jesus' four brothers--joined with Jesus, who continued John's mission, preaching the same apocalyptic message. After Jesus confronted the Roman authorities in Jerusalem and was crucified, his brother James succeeded him as the leader of the Jesus dynasty.James Tabor has studied the earliest surviving documents of Christianity for more than thirty years and has participated in important archaeological excavations in Israel. His reconstruction of the life of Jesus and his followers, and of the early years of Christianity, will, change our understanding of one of the most crucial moments in history.About the Author:James D. Tabor is Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Publishers Weekly Tabor, chair of religious studies at UNC-Charlotte, offers a bold and sometimes speculative interpretation of the historical Jesus and his family, beginning with his paternity. Evaluating several possibilities, Tabor concludes that the most historically plausible claim is that Jesus' father was neither God nor Joseph, but another man, possibly a Roman soldier named Pantera. He also argues that Joseph likely died when Jesus was young, leaving Jesus head of a household that included his six half-siblings. Like many scholars, Tabor emphasizes that we must understand Jesus in the context of first-century Judaism. After Jesus' death, his brother James took over the titular family dynasty. James championed a version of the faith quite different from Paul's, and, although James was more faithful to Jesus' original teachings, Paul's Christianity won. Tabor not only challenges Christian dogma, he also makes some assumptions with which not all scholars will agree: he places a great deal of emphasis on the hypothetical text Q, calling it "our most authentic early Christian document." This book is accessible and sure to be highly controversial, attracting the attention of reporters, spiritual seekers, historians and fans of The Da Vinci Code. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Preface: Discovering the Jesus Dynasty1Introduction: A Tale of Two Tombs6Part 1In the Beginning Was the Family1A Virgin Shall Conceive372A Son of David?483An Unnamed Father of Jesus?594Children of a Different Father73Part 2Growing Up Jewish in Galilee5The Lost Years856A Kingdom of this World957The Religion of Jesus the Jew109Part 3A Great Revival and a Gathering Storm8Hearing the Voice1259A Crucial Missing Year13810Ushering in the Kingdom153Part 4Entering the Lion's Den11Herod Strikes17112Last Days in Jerusalem18713The King Is Dead20814Dead but Twice Buried223Part 5Waiting for the Son of Man15Go to James the Just24316The Challenge of Paul25917The Legacy of the Jesus Dynasty27218The End of the Age284Conclusion: Recovering Lost Treasures305Timeline of Major Events and Figures319Notes321Acknowledgments345Index347Photo Credits365
