Saturday, July 27, 2019

Was Jesus Christ Real?

"Abide With Me" by Simon Dewey:
Link:
Altus. Abide With Me by Simon Dewey:
https://altusfineart.com/products/simon-dewey-abide-with-me-jesus-with-open-arms

"seek and you will find," Luke (11:9):
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__PWU.HTM

When I first started this blog, I wanted to investigate whether or not the founder of Christianity was real. If Jesus Christ was a real historical person, and the Son of God, then that would mean that my religion was valid and I have no reason to doubt anymore. However, after five years now, I have come to the conclusion that a lot of what I thought supported my original beliefs about Christianity aren't set in stone, or they're not true. Carefully, we're going to investigate the person of Jesus and see which version (yes, version) of Jesus was real.

Part 1: Who was Jesus?
1.1. The Jesus of the New Testament:
I believe that we all know who Jesus Christ is by now, even if you aren't religious anymore or wasn't religious to begin with. I'll give a brief overview:

According to the New Testament, Jesus or Jesus Christ had a miraculous birth via the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-25; 2; 3:13-17) (Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-20), and is the prophesied Jewish Messiah from the Old Testament (Mark 8:27-30) (Matthew 16:13-18) (John 5:39-47). He is the only Son of God (John 3:16), while being God at the same time (John 14:7-11). However, the Jewish high priests called the Pharisees didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and offered him to the Romans in order to be punished. The Jews influenced the Romans to crucify him, and thus Jesus was killed (Mark 14:43-72; 15) (John 18:28-40; 19). Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and told his disciples to spread his message across the land. After that, he returned to Heaven (Matthew 28). 

Links:

Matthew 1:18-25:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/1.htm

Matthew 2:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/2.htm

Matthew 3:13-17:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/3.htm

Matthew 16:13-18:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/16.htm

Matthew 28:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/28.htm

Mark 8:27-30:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/8.htm

Mark 14:43-72:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/14.htm

Mark 15:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/15.htm

Luke 1:26-38:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/1.htm

Luke 2:1-20:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/2.htm

John 3:16:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/3.htm

John 5:39-47:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/5.htm

John 14:7-11:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/14.htm

John 18:28-40:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/18.htm

John 19:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/19.htm


1.2. Jesus' Real Name:
In my "The Demonic Deity Unveiled" post, I learned that the real name of the god of the Jews, Yhvh, is Ieue. I did this by using the paleo-Hebrew alphabet. Now, Strong's Greek said that Jesus' name in Greek is "Iesous." Iesous is the Greek translation of the name Joshua (Bible Hub, Strong's Greek: 2424. Iesous). Another spelling is "Iesou" (Matthew 1:1 [Interlinear]). In modern Hebrew, Joshua is spelled as "Yehoshua." The name means "Jehovah-saved" (Bible Hub, Strong’s Hebrew: 3091. Yehoshua, Lexical Summary and Strong's Hebrew Concordance), or "'the LORD is salvation,'"  (NAS Exhaustive Concordance). In paleo-Hebrew, the name is spelled "Ieushuo" (pronounced "I-u-shu"). Ieushou is true spelling of Jesus. However, it seems that Ieushuo was a later spelling of the name. In Numbers 13:8, Joshua son of Nun's original name was Hoshea. However, Moses called Hosea Joshua (Numbers 13:16). Using the paleo-Hebrew method, Hoshea is Eusho (pronounced "E-u-sho") (see Bible Hub, Strong's Hebrew. 1954. Hoshea). The name means "deliverer" (Bible Hub, Strong's Hebrew. 1954. Hoshea, Lexical Summary and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance), or "salvation" (NAS Exhaustive Concordance). The root word for the name is yasha (isho) (Lexical Summary), which also means "To save, deliver, rescue, bring to safety," (Bible Hub, Strong's Hebrew. 3467. yasha). At best, Eusho means "deliverer" and Ieushuo means "Ieue's deliverer."

Links:

Bible Hub. Strong’s Hebrew. 3091. Yehoshua:
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3091.htm

Bible Hub. Strong’s Greek. 2424: Iesous:
https://biblehub.com/greek/2424.htm

Matthew 1:1 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/1-1.htm
The Demonic Deity Unveiled:
https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2022/10/was-yhwh-yahwehjehovah-angel.html

Numbers 13:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/numbers/13.htm

Bible Hub. Strong’s Hebrew. 1954. Hoshea:
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1954.htm
Bible Hub. Strong's Hebrew. 3467. yasha: 

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3467.htm


1.3. What Jesus Might've Looked Like:
In 2002, and re-published in 2020, forensic anthropologists re-created what Jesus might've looked like (Fillon, 2002 [2020 edition]).

Jesus' Portrait (Fillon, 2002 [2020 edition]):
On January 9, 2020, Archaeologists discovered a site where Jesus healed the blind man that was born blind (mentioned in the Gospel of John specifically). Not only that, but a painting found in the ruins of a Byzantine church in Shivta, Israel, depict Jesus as having "short curly hair, a long face, and an elongated nose," (Day, 2020, p. 24). It was showing Jesus being baptized (Schuster, 2018, p. 5 and 13). This painting is 1,500-years old, or dated to the 6th century A.D. (Borschel-Dan, 2018, p. 2 and 8) (James Rogers, 2018, p.1).

Jesus' Baptismal Portrait from Byzantine Church (Borschel-Dan, 2018):

The Shroud of Turin by Diego Barbieri (Mauro, 2022):

Finally, we have the Shroud of Turin. This object is an "ancient linen cloth, 4.4 m long and 1.1 m wide," has "the image of a tortured man" with scars coinciding with someone who went through Jesus' crucifixion process. There has been much debate about its dating. Recently, De Caro et al., (2022) did an x-ray scan of the Shroud. Apparently, the results date the Shroud back to 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ was suppose to have been alive (Abstract; Introduction, para. 1; X-Ray Dating of the TS Sample, para. 8-9; Conclusions, para. 3; Figures 2-3 and 5) (Mauro, 2022, WAXS Dating, para. 1-2). 


Dating of the Shroud (De Caro et al., 2022, Abstract):

Dating of the Shroud (Mauro, 2022, WAXS Dating, para. 1-2):
The Shroud shows Jesus with long flowing hair coming down to his shoulders, and with a mustache and beard. Interestingly, this goes against "the earliest pictures of him" in which "his hair is short" (Schonfield, 1974, The Nazorean Scribes). This definitely goes against the depiction of him found in 2020, where he has short curly hair and a long nose (Day, 2020, para. 24). If the earliest depictions of Jesus do not match the Shroud, then it seems that the Shroud of Turin doesn't isn't authentic. The Shroud is discussed further below. 

Links:
Mike Fillon (2002 [2020 edition]):
Joel Day (2020):

1.4. The Science Behind Jesus' Death:
Edwards et al., (1986), who published an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), says that Jesus, given the way He is described during his execution, was indeed dead when he was removed from the cross (Abstract). 

In 2012, Steven A. Austin stated that an earthquake took place in 33 A.D., based on "superb mud laminae exposures." This earthquake was strong enough to destroy the western side of the Temple Mount, and the temple's curtain was torn (Abstract). The temple in question is the Second Jewish Temple. There's a picture of the temple in Ernest L. Martin's book, Secrets of Golgotha (2007) (p. 84). This also point towards Jesus' death occurring in 33 A.D.

Second Jewish Temple/Temple Mount (Reconstruction):
This follows what Matthew said in his Gospel:

"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land... At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split," (27:45 and 51).

Aside from the earthquake, the land went dark after Jesus died, as stated in the Matthew 27: 45. In secular sources, Thallus (52 A.D.), a historian, reported the events of an eclipse. This was quoted by Julius Africanus in 221 A.D. (Wallace, 2017), which was then quoted by George Syncellus in the 9th century in his book, Chronography:

"A most terrible darkness fell over all the world, the rocks were torn apart by an earthquake, and many places both in Judaea and the rest of the world were thrown down. In the third book of his Histories Thallus dismisses this darkness as a solar eclipse, unreasonably, as it seems to me," Chronography, 9th Century A.D., Chapter 391. (Translated by Ben C. Smith in 2019)

This is the earliest documentation of the darkness and earthquake outside of the Gospels. Phlegon (140 A.D.) (Wallace, 2017), as stated by St. Jerome in his book, Chronicle, in 380 A.D. (Roger Pearse, 2005), wrote this about the darkness:

"Indeed Phlegon, who is an excellent calculator of olympiads, also writes about this, in his 13th book writing thus: 'However in the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad, an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea.' These things the aforementioned man (says)," Chronicle, 380 A.D., pp. 256-258, 202nd Olympiad, 19.

Going by these two quotes, and Austin (2012), the darkness and earthquake both occurred on 33 A.D.

Once again, this follows what Matthew said in his Gospel:

"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land... At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split," (27:45 and 51).

Jesus' Actual Tomb?:
Photo from Jarus (2017).

I remember, back around 2016 or so, that the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C. had an exhibit explored on the tomb of Jesus Christ. It was an interactive tour. The real tomb, as stated by Kim (2017), is located "in Jerusalem's Old City." The tomb is located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (para. 2). Inside the church, the tomb is held inside a shrine or Edicule. The tomb was discovered by Constantine's mother Helena in 327 A.D. The shrine is said to have been made by the Romans to protect the tomb (Jarus, 2017, para. 3). Interestingly, scientists tested pieces of mortar from a limestone bed that is said to have been where the body of Jesus was laid (para. 4). The mortar has been dated back to 345 A.D. (Jarus, 2017, para. 5) (Kim, 2017, para. 5), which is about 1,700 years ago (Kim, 2017, para. 6) and just after Constantine's death in 337 A.D. (Jarus, 2017, para. 3 and 5) (Nicole and Matthews, 1999, para. 1). Therefore, it is a possibility that this is the actual tomb of Jesus Christ. Maybe not entirely conclusive, but it's still a possibility.

Links:
Thallus (52 A.D.):
George Syncellus. Chronography. 9th Century A.D. Chapter 391 (Translation by Ben C. Smith in 2019):
http://www.textexcavation.com/thallustestimonium.html
J. Warner Wallace (2017). "Is There Any Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible?":
J. Warner Wallace (2017). "Is There Any Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible?":
St. Jerome:
Chronicle. 380 A.D. Pg. 256-258, 202nd Olympiad, 19:
Roger Pearse (2005). "The Chronicle of St. Jerome." ("Preface to the Online Edition," "Introduction"):
Eun Kyung Kim (2017):
https://www.today.com/news/test-results-reveal-age-tomb-where-jesus-christ-was-reportedly-t119338
Owen Jarus (2017):
https://www.livescience.com/61043-tomb-of-jesus-excavated.html
Nicole and Matthews (2019):
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-I-Roman-emperor

1.5. Lanciano Miracle Eucharist, and Other Relics, Supports a Resurrected Jesus Christ?
Earlier this year (11/15/21), my paster spoke about the Lanciano Miracle Eucharist. I had no idea what it was until that point, and it's probably the coolest evidence for Jesus that I've ever seen! The miracle took place in 750 A.D., during the 8th century, at the Church of St. Francis in Lanciano (The Real Presence, Eucharistic Miracle, para. 1) (HFBG, Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, p. 1). A doubting Brasilian monk was performing mass, and he doubted that Jesus' presence was in the Eucharist. When doing the communal rites, the Eucharistic host turned into actual human flesh, and the wine turned into actual human blood (The Real Presence, Eucharistic Miracle, para. 1-2) (HFBG, Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, p. 1).

Jesus' actual flesh and blood (Lanciano Eucharistic Miracle) (The Real Presence, Eucharistic Miracle):
I'm never going to look at Communion the same way ever again!

The skin color is a light brown (para. 3), which supports the facia reconstruction from Fillon (2002/2020). Testing from the 1970's-1980's concluded that the flesh and blood are real, and the blood type is AB. Interestingly, the tissue come from the heart (para. 6 and 8). 

The flesh's color (The Real Presence, Eucharistic Miracle, para. 3):
The types of testing done, and the tissue comes from the heart (The Real Presence, Eucharistic Miracle, para. 6-8):
Kearse (2019) describes all of the miraculous artifacts ascribed to Jesus, and something struck me. All of the miraculous artifacts stated to have had the blood of Jesus on it have the same AB blood type on them. This includes the Shroud of Turin. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, not when you notice that we have duplicates of the same miraculous artifacts. The robe that Jesus wore when he went to Calvary has been found... However, there's two of them. Multiple eucharists and wine miracles similar to the Lanciano one have also been found, and multiple "reported locations" for "the spear that pierced the side of Jesus after his death," (pp. 1 and 3). Did Jesus wear two robes going to Calvary? From what I can remember, he only had one tunic that wasn't ripped apart by the Roman soldiers (John 19:23-24). If the tunic is suppose to be the robe, then there cannot be two of them. Also, was Jesus stabbed multiple times by different spears while his body was on the cross? No. He was only pierced once by one spear. Interestingly, only the Gospel of John mentions Jesus' body being pierced (John 19:34). Yet, the relics that were studied by Kearse (2019) all have the same blood type on them. Apparently, only 4 percent of the world's population has AB blood type, yet all of these artifacts have the same AB blood type (Kearse, 2019, pp. 1 and 3). Kearse stated that some scrutiny should be involved when dealing with the Lanciano Eucharist, the Shroud of Turin, and other miracles, until more tests could be done (pp. 3-4). Not to mention, false positives for AB tests "without any red blood cells being present are an issue," (pp. 2-3), and the AB blood type conclusion for the eucharistic miracles could very well be "inconclusive on several levels." The blood could also have come from different individuals (p. 3). False positives, duplicate relics, and an ultra rare blood type found on all of the relics, leads to suspicion that these relics could be forgeries.

Let's go back to the Shroud of Turin for a second. It's suppose to be the "burial cloth of Jesus." There is also a "facecloth or napkin" belonging to Jesus that is "referenced in the Gospel of John." It's called "the Sudarium of Oviedo" (Kearse, 2019, p. 1). Dreschnack (2023) said that the Sudarium was wrapped around Jesus' head "as he was removed from the cross," (p. 19). Both of these relics have type AB or AB+ blood on them (Kearse, 2019, p. 1) (Dreschnack, 2023, p. iii). When I checked the Gospel of John, it seems that the Sudarium is mentioned in John 20:7. However, I noticed something else. The "face-cloth" that covered Jesus' head was separate from the "linen wrappings" in Jesus' tomb (John 20:6-7). The linen wrappings were wrapped around Jesus' body before he was buried (John 19:40-41). Notice how it was multiple wrappings of linen, not a single piece of linen like the Shroud of Turin. In Luke 24, the linen wrappings are mentioned again but the face cloth isn't (Luke 24:12). Interestingly, Jesus's body was "wrapped [...] in a linen cloth" in Luke 23:53. In Luke 24:12, the linen cloth is in pieces. The burial cloth/wrappings of Jesus should be in multiple pieces, not as a single piece. A single linen cloth is mentioned in Matthew 27:59 and Mark 15:46, but it's never mentioned again after Jesus resurrects (Matthew 28) (Mark 16). Does this mean that the Shroud of Turin is false? Based on what the gospels say, the answer is yes. Nobody collected the burial wrappings, nor do any of the gospels state that an image of Jesus' body was seen on the wrappings. More importantly, there isn't a single intact piece of burial cloth left behind. It's either in pieces, or Jesus' body was wrapped in pieces of linen to begin with. As stated previously, the image of Jesus on the Shroud doesn't match the earliest depictions of him at archaeological sites. The Sudarium of Oviedo is also not the face cloth of Jesus, since the blood stains on it has the same blood type as the Shroud and no one collects the face cloth in the gospels either. Also, the face cloth is only mentioned in John's gospel.

I want to also talk about the "true cross." There are fragments of the true cross that Jesus supposedly died on all over the place. There's something fishy about how much there is though. According to McKinley (2015), Emperor Constantine sent his mother, Helena, to look for the true cross (para. 7). They found it after Helena tested three crosses by using a sick woman. The sickly woman touched the third cross, and was healed (para. 10). For some reason, Helena "carved it up," and took a part of it back home while the rest remained in Jerusalem (para. 11). WHY!? It would've been better to have the while thing! Anyway, the "chunk" that Helena took back "seemingly multiplied" so much so that John Calvin said that there was enough to "'make a big ship-load,'" (para. 11). Later on in 1870, "French architect Charles Rohault de Fleury" gathered all the pieces of the true cross that were documented, and said that "they wouldn't amount to a third of the cross on which Jesus died on." He speculated that Jesus' cross was "three or four meters high, with a cross beam two meters wide." It would've "weighed 165 pounds," (para. 14-15). Not only that, it's unknown what kind of wood the cross was made of. Some fragments analyzed by Fleury were made of pine wood. Other fragments said to have come from the true cross were examined by scientists later on, and their results said that the fragments were made of olive wood (para. 15-16). One fragment that was suppose to have been in a chest mysteriously vanished in 2013 (para. 1-4). We can't even tell what kind of wood the cross would've been made of....

We have all of these holy relics and miraculous artifacts, yet they are very sketchy if not flat-out false when you really dig deep into them. This also makes wonder: if Jesus can turn the Eucharist into actual flesh and blood, why can't he come back to Earth and stop the many ailments that harm us, stop crime, appear to all of the Atheists and Agnostics and turn them into believers, etc.? This all smells like false claims to me, not truth. I can't say that these so-called holy relics make me a believer.

Links:
The Real Presence: Eucharistic Miracle:

http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/lanciano.html
HFBG. Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano:

https://hfgb.org/wp-content/uploads/Eucharisitc-Miracle-Lanciano.pdf

Kearse (2019):

https://www.academia.edu/39142967/The_Shroud_of_Turin_the_Relics_of_Jesus_and_Eucharistic_Miracles_The_Significance_of_Type_AB_blood
McKinley (2013):

https://www.cnn.com/2015/03/23/living/jesus-true-cross
Dreschnack (2023):

https://www.academia.edu/105318767/An_Analysis_of_the_DNA_and_Hematological_Findings_of_the_Shroud_of_Turin_and_the_Sudarium_of_Oviedo
John 20:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/20.htm
John 19:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/19.htm
Luke 24:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/24.htm

Luke 23:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/23.htm
Matthew 27:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/27.htm
Matthew 28:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/28.htm
Mark 15:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/15.htm
Mark 16:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/16.htm


1.6. Historical References to Jesus Christ?
1. Flavius Josephus (37-101 A.D):
Photo by Whiston (1850):
Flavius Josephus (37-101 A.D), according to J. Warner Wallace (2017), was a Jewish historian, among other things. In 93 A.D, he wrote the Antiquities of the Jews, which has 20 volumes according to Christopher Klein (2019). In Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus says quote about James and Jesus:

"...the brother of Jesus who was called Christ, whose name was James..." Antiquities of the Jews, 93 A.D., Book XX (20) Chapter 9 Verse 1.

Here is the best quote about Jesus:

"Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man; if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was a doer of wonderful works; a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross; those that loved him at the first did not forsake him. For he appeared to them alive again, the third day: as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day," Antiquities of the Jews, 93 A.D., Book XVIII (18) Chapter 3 Verse 3.

According to Pines (1971) (p. 16), this is a Greek version of the passage. It has been criticized as being forged by Christians. In other words, it seems that someone edited this passage long ago in order to make Josephus look positive about Jesus, as Wallace (2017) and McDowell and Wilson (2011) (pp. 39-40) states. However, the passage has been defended as being true (McDowell and Wilson, 2011, pp. 40-41). More importantly, the 4th-century Arabic version is the earliest version of this passage, which means that that version wasn't tampered with. This version was quoted in Pines (1971) (p. 16) and McDowell and Wilson (2011) (p. 42).

"At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good, and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders," Antiquities of the Jews, 93 A.D., Book XVIII (18), Chapter 3, Verse 3 (Original 4th-century Arabic translation by Pines, 1971, p. 16):
More importantly, the 4th-century Arabic version is the earliest version of this passage, which means that that version wasn't tampered with. This version was quoted in Pines (1971) (p. 16) and McDowell and Wilson (2011) (p. 42).

McDowell and Wilson (2011) (p. 42):
McDowell and Wilson (2011) give another translation of the passage here (p. 41):
Josephus also mentions John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin:

"...John, that was called the baptist. For Herod slew him [About Feb. A.D. 32.]..." Antiquity of the Jews, Book XVIII (18), Chapter 5, Verse 2.

It seems that we can also conclude that Jesus, James, and John the Baptist were real people... However, it seems that that is not so easily the case. It seems that these passages in Josephus have been criticized as being Christian forgeries for over a hundred years! In fact, it seems that Josephus never even knew about Jesus... According to Massey (1883 [2000 edition]), Josephus' passages on Jesus were “manifestly interpolated between the two calamities that befell the Jews. Besides which, Photius states explicitly that Josephus made no mention of Jesus Christ.”  Massey names "Another Jewish historian" named Justin Tiberias. Tiberias never mentioned Jesus either (p. 191). Allen (2020) said that Josephus never knew Jesus, John the Baptist, or James the Just (mentioned as Jesus' brother in Josephus' book) (p. 5), and never wrote the passage on Jesus in Book XVIII (18) Chapter 3 Verse 3 (called the "Testimonium Flavianum") (p. 105). The passage was created by Christians (p. 135). This goes for "the Arabic and Slavic versions" as well (p. 143). In fact, Allen said that the Christian Church Father Eusebius created the Testimonium Flavianum! The passages on James, and John the Baptist, in Josephus' book were created by the Church Father Origen (p. 297). Josephus turned against the Jews, and probably "made prophetic statements about Vespasian." He wouldn't have called Jesus the "Christ" because Jesus was Jewish (pp. 107 and 121). Vespasian was a Roman emperor from the first century A.D. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vespasian, para. 1). As for Origen, he stated twice that Josephus never called Jesus "Christ" (p. 131). Baras (1987) stated this too (pp. 338-340). I found one of the statements of Origen in his book Against Celsus (Book 1, Ch. 47):
Origen said that Josephus didn't believe that Jesus was "the Christ." This supports Allen (2020).  

Allen (2020) on Eusebius and Origen forging Josephus's work (p. 298):
Smith (1910) said that a Christian wrote the passage on Jesus (Testimonium Flavianum) in Josephus' book, not Josephus himself (p. 5). He also said that the passages on both Jesus, and James, in Josephus' book are fictitious (p. 32). 

In summation, Josephus never knew about Jesus, James, or John the Baptist. He also never called Jesus "Christ."

Links:
Whiston (1850):
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Works-Flavius-Josephus-Legendary/dp/0890515492
Flavius Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, 93 A.D., Book XX (20), Chapter 9, Verse 1:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-20.html
Flavius Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, 93 A.D., Book XVIII (18), Chapter 3, Verse 3:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-18.html
Flavius Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, 93 A.D., Book XVIII (18), Chapter 5, Verse 2:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-18.html
Shlomo Pines (1971) (pg. 16):
http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/books/pines01.pdf
McDowell and Wilson (2011) (pg. 39-42):
https://books.google.com/books?id=qJDkkQT8oOQC&pg=PA4&dq=He+Walked+Among+Us,+Josh+McDowell,+Bill+Wilson,+Here%27s+Life+Publishers&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiq0Lm36djkAhUIV8AKHfyoB2MQ6AEwAHoECAEQAg#v=onepage&q=josephus&f=false
J. Warner Wallace (2017). "Is There Any Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible?":
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/
Christopher Klein (2019):
https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence
Massey (1883 [2000 edition]) (P. 191):

https://books.google.com/books?id=ctQa-TxSsGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=gerald+massey+christ+rome&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGkuSXpduGAxX7MVkFHf6CB3kQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=gerald%20massey%20christ%20rome&f=false

Allen (2020) (P. 298):

https://books.google.com/books?id=tb_9DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Christian+Forgery+in+Jewish+Antiquities+Josephus+Interrupted+Eusebius&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjuoP3D_NGOAxUmL1kFHS80BHUQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=Christian%20Forgery%20in%20Jewish%20Antiquities%20Josephus%20Interrupted%20Eusebius&f=false

Baras (1987) (PP. 338-340; in Feldman and Hata, 1987):

https://books.google.com/books/about/Josephus_Judaism_and_Christianity.html?id=f3KwlJSQr4cC&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&gl=US&ovdme=1#v=onepage&q=Baras%20&f=false

Origen. Against Celsus. Book 1 Ch. 47:

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/04161.htm 

Smith (1910):

https://books.google.com/books?id=wPzYAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tacitus+on+Jesus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwir8L6a6OGGAxUgEGIAHai9BCgQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Tacitus%20on%20Jesus&f=false

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vespasian:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vespasian


2. Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 A.D):
Photo of a Tacitus "statue at the Parliament building from Vienna" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Tacitus):
Tacitus (55-120 A.D) was a Roman historian who wrote The Annals in 116 A.D., according to Wallace (2017). When he wrote about Nero persecuting the Christians, he stated the reason for why the Christians were being killed:

"...Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular," The Annals, 15.44, 116 A.D. 

This passage mentions Jesus' name ("Christus"), that he was the leader of the Christians and died under Pontius Pilate, and that after he was killed the Christians continued to spread the name of Jesus.

Unfortunately, it seems that this passage isn't trustworthy either. Massey (1883 [2000 edition]) said that Tacitus' passage "was obviously unknown to the Church fathers, and therefore non-extant," (p. 191). Allen (2020) said that, although Conservative Christian scholars believe that the passage by Tacitus is authentic, skeptical scholars believe that it's a Christian forgery (pp. 40-42). In particular, Zindler (1998) said that the passage wasn't mentioned at all until a well-known forger named "Severus (c. 363-c. 425 C.E.)" quotes it "verbatum." Wells (1988a) said that the passage treats the "implied title 'Christus'" as "a proper name." Interestingly, Pilate is called a procurator in the passage. He wasn't a procurator (pp. 41-42). Josephus, "who was in the service of" the royal Roman family of Titus, never mentioned Christians yet Josephus himself lived in the first century A.D. (p. 105 note 146):
In the passage, the Romans are depicted as being responsible for Jesus' death. This wouldn't work because Christians typically stated that they were peaceful (p. 42). Finally, the word "'abominations'" in the passage "is a very Judeo-Christian concept," (pp. 42-43).

Smith (1910) said that Tacitus' passage could've been authentic, but states that the passage was more likely a Christian forgery (pp. 12 and 32). More importantly, Smith said that none of the Christian writers cited any of these sources. This points towards the conclusion that these passages on Jesus, like Josephus' and Tacitus', didn't exist originally (p. 33). 

It's more-than-likely now that Tacitus' passage on Christians didn't exist originally.

Links:

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Tacitus:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tacitus-Roman-historian

Tacitus. The Annals. 116 A.D, 15.44:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0078%3Abook%3D15%3Achapter%3D44
J. Warner Wallace (2017). "Is There Any Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible?":
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/
Massey (1883 [2000 edition]) (P. 191):

https://books.google.com/books?id=ctQa-TxSsGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=gerald+massey+christ+rome&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGkuSXpduGAxX7MVkFHf6CB3kQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=gerald%20massey%20christ%20rome&f=false

Allen (2020) (P. 105 note 146):

https://books.google.com/books?id=tb_9DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Christian+Forgery+in+Jewish+Antiquities+Josephus+Interrupted+Eusebius&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjuoP3D_NGOAxUmL1kFHS80BHUQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=Christian%20Forgery%20in%20Jewish%20Antiquities%20Josephus%20Interrupted%20Eusebius&f=false

Smith (1910):

https://books.google.com/books?id=wPzYAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tacitus+on+Jesus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwir8L6a6OGGAxUgEGIAHai9BCgQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Tacitus%20on%20Jesus&f=false


3. Mara bar Serapion (73 A.D.):
According to Dr. Nelson L. Price and J. Warner Wallace, Mara Bar-Serapion was a Syrian philosopher that lived in the first century A.D. As stated by those two, along with Peter Kirby, in 73 A.D, Mara Bar-Serapion wrote a letter to his son:

"What benefit did the Athenians obtain by putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as judgment for their crime. Or, the people of Samos for burning Pythagoras? In one moment their country was covered with sand. Or the Jews by murdering their wise king?…After that their kingdom was abolished. God rightly avenged these men… The wise king… Lived on in the teachings he enacted," (taken from J. Warner Wallace's website).

The original letter is in the British Museum, according to Price and Vocab Malone. 

Mara Bar-Serapion's Letter (from Malone's blog):
According to Allen (2020), Mara bar Serapion (73 A.D.) "was supposedly a Stoic philosopher, possibly a monotheist but certainly not a Jew or Christian," (p. 52). Regarding the letter, the "'wise king'" mentioned in it is stated to be Jesus. However, Allen said that "Serapion does not provide independent confirmation of the historicity of Jesus. Consequentially, his testimony is worthless." He also condemns some other scholars that stated otherwise (pp. 13, 54, and 97). The "'wise king'" mentioned by Serapion isn't Jesus (pp. 55 and 97). Jesus was "not a king in a secular sense," so the "'wise king'" mentioned in the letter couldn't be him. It could even refer to another person, and event. Second, Allen said that the letter seems to state that "the Jews were removed from their land the very moment their 'Wise King' was murdered (i.e. 'from that very time')." Some scholars stated that this was the fall of the Jerusalem Temple, but that's not correct because the temple fell in 68-70 A.D. Jesus died in 30-33 A.D. Also, Jews were removed from the land even before the temple fell. In totality, the letter isn't very accurate to history (p. 55):
Also, the letter in the British Museum is a 6th-7th-century copy (p. 53). Is there a possibility that the letter, or parts of it, is a forgery? McGill and Watts (2018) said that the mention of the "'wise king'"/Jesus in Serapion's letter, which itself dates from the 1st-4th century A.D., is of "Christian origin" (in McGill and Watts, 2018, Introduction, 3.5. Rhetoric and Epistolography). Mckinsey (2000), in their critique of the letter, said that Jesus wasn't a king, he was executed by the Romans and the Jews, "no part of this passage clearly applies to Jesus," and Mckinsey questions whether or not the Jews killed only one king (p. 312). I do not consider Serapion's mention of the "'wise king'" to be Jesus.

Links:
Mckinsey (2000) (P. 312):
https://books.google.com/books?id=U62kafWMCbYC&pg=PA311&dq=Mara+bar+serapion+forgery&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiq1MrFp-6PAxUTD1kFHYDQAB4Q6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Mara%20bar%20serapion%20forgery&f=false
Dr. Nelson L. Price (2006):
https://www.nelsonprice.com/early-secular-writings-regarding-christ/
Vocab Malone (2013):
https://streetapologist.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/mara-bar-serapion-on-jesus/
J. Warner Wallace (2017):
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/
4. Qur'an:
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Qur'an is "the sacred scripture of Islam," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Qur'an, para. 1). The Oxford Islamic Studies Online website says that the Qur'an mentions Jesus twenty five times ("Jesus, Son of Mary"). Also according to the website, and the website The Noble Quran, in 3:45-48 of the Qur'an, it mentions the Annunciation, and something akin to Jesus' Ascension. Muslims don't believe that Jesus was crucified or resurrected, nor that he was equal to God, but they say that God took Jesus back up to Heaven (Qur'an, Surah Ali 'Imran 3:54-56). The Qur'an backs up Jesus' birth as described in the Gospels, and the Ascension. However, a lot of other aspects of Jesus' life in the Gospels aren't in the Qur'an.

Links:
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Qur'an:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quran
Oxford Islamic Studies Online:
"Jesus, Son of Mary":
http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1196
3:45-64:
The Noble Quran. Surah Ali 'Imran:

5. The Babylonian Talmud and Toledot Yeshu:
According to Wallace (2017) and Neusner (1970), the Babylonian Talmud was written between the fourth and sixth centuries A.D., and contains the writings and beliefs of the Jewish people. It also contains the "history, ideas and ideals" of Judaism "for the past fifteen centuries" (Neusner, 1970, "Foreward," p. 1). Darmesteter (1897) said that the Talmud explains the culture of the Jews in the times before, and after, the rise of Christianity (The Talmud, translated by Darmesteter, 1897, p. 7, "The Talmud").

This is what the Talmud had to say about Jesus:

"On the even of the Passover Yeshu was hanged (or, "On Passover Eve they hung the corpse of Jesus the Nazarene after they killed him by way of stoning"). For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He (Jesus the Nazarene) is going forth to be stoned because has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostacy (or, "because he practiced sorcery, incited people to idol worship, and led the Jewish people astray")," (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 43a).

The passages on Jesus in the Talmud came from an anti-Christian book called Toledot Yeshu: The Book of the Life of Jesus (Toledut Yeshu: The Life Story of Jesus, 2014, Volume 1, Synopsis). It circulated orally during the first century AD before being written down (Huldrich, 1705, Synopsis). It was inserted into the Talmud around 600 AD (Toledot Yeshu: The Life Story of Jesus [Meerson and Schafer, 2014 edition], Volume 1, Synopsis). Apostacy means to abandon something, including a previous religious faith (Merriam Webster, Apostacy). Jesus leading Israel into apostacy means that He was leading the Jews away from Judaism (the Jewish religion), and the Jewish God. According to the Jewish sage Moses Maimon/Maimonides (Rambam) (1135-1204 A.D.), Jesus was a false Messiah, and Christianity caused the Jews to "serve a god other than the Lord" (Jewish Virtual Library, Moses Maimonides (Rambam), para. 1) (Melachim uMilchamot, Ch. 11 Section 4). To the Jews, Jesus wasn't the Messiah. He was also killed by the Jewish "court" for sorcery and idol worship, not by the Romans. Jesus' followers, "Mattai, Nakai, Netzer, Buni, and Toda," were also killed by the court (Tractate Sanhedrin 43a).

According to Massey (1883 [2000 edition]), the Jesus of the Talmud is the only candidate for being the historical Jesus (p. 191). Massey estimated that the Jesus the Nazarene of the Talmud, also called Jesus ben Pandira/Jehoshua ben Pandira, was "born about the year 120 B.C.," (pp. 186-187). Jesus' parents were Pandira and Stada. In Toledot Yeshu, Jesus was originally told by Miriam (his mother/Mary) that he was the son of Miriam and Yohanan. He later finds out from his mother that he is the "bastard son" of Yoself Panderi and Miriam. Yohanan told the Sanhedrin about this, and the Sanhedrin excommunicated Jesus from the community. Yosef Panderi was a womanizer, and the son of a carpenter named Panderi ([Meerson and Schafer, 2014 edition], pp. 323 and 340). In the Talmud, Miriam's "nickname" was "Stada," meaning that she "strayed [setat da] from her husband." Pandeira was still Jesus' father, while Miriam's actual husband was called "Pappos ben Yehuda" (Shabbat 104b:5). Jesus and his teacher, the fifth Sanhedrin president Jehoshua ben Perachia, fled to Egypt in 105 B.C. when the Pharisees revolted against King Jannaeus. Jesus was Perachia's "pupil" in the Sanhedrin (Massey, 1883 [2000 edition], p. 187). The Talmud said that Jesus ("ben Stada") spent time in Egypt, but he brought back magic spells (Shabbat 104b:5). It seems that "Yehoshua ben Perahya's" (Perachia) and "Jesus the Nazarene's" relationship ended badly (Sotah: 47a). 

When Jesus was arrested, King Jannaeus' wife/widow, Salome Jannaeus (also called Alexandra and Oleina) was sympathetic to him (Massey, 1883 [2000 edition], p. 187), and wanted to release Jesus because she was related to him (Massey, 1900, p. 6). This is interesting because the Talmud said that Jesus "had close ties to the government, and the gentile authorities were interested in his acquittal," (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 43a). In Toledot Yeshu, Queen Helene/"Helene of Adiabene, mother of King Monobaz" became the wife of Alexander Yannai in the Talmud and Toledot Yeshu. In real life, Helene of Adiabene lived in the early first century C.E. (A.D.), and she became a "relative of Miriam" in the Talmud. Alexander Yannai had a real wife called Salome Alexandra. She was the sister of Shim'on ben Shetah, who was the teacher of Jesus' father Yohanan in the "Wagenseil version" of the Toledot Yeshu. "Queen Helene" (Salome Alexandra) was a relative of Jesus, and tried to rescue him from death ([Meerson and Schafer, 2014 edition], pp. 43-44, 292-293; p. 293 notes 33 and 35). 

Ultimately, Jesus ben Pandira was executed for being a wizard by hanging on a tree. This is similar to Jesus' death as stated in Acts of the Apostles. Massey said Jesus could not have died "much earlier nor later than 70 B.C." in the city of Lyd or Lydda (Massey, 1883 [2000 edition], pp. 187 and 190) (Massey, 1900, p. 6). Jesus didn't die in Jerusalem (Massey, 1900, p. 6), unlike what is stated in the Gospels (Matthew 21:1-11). Galatians 3:13 said that Jesus was hanged on a tree, and this was a punishment for someone who "has committed a sin carrying a sentence of death," (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). The tree is also just called "wood" (notes w and x). 

The life of Jesus in the Talmud is different from the Jesus of the Gospels. In the Talmud, Jesus is the son of a womanizer named Yosef (Joseph) Panderi-Pandeira-Pandira, and Miriam (Mary) "Stada." He was a pupil of the fifth Sanhedrin president Yehoshua Perahya/Perachia, but their relationship went sour later on. Jesus practiced sorcery, which he seemed to have learned from his time in Egypt with Perahya-Perachia. He had some followers too, and he gained a following. This led to him getting killed by the Jewish council. Salome Jannaeus/Alexandra tried to rescue him, along with other gentiles it would seem, but they failed. Jesus was then hanged from a tree/wood, which was a punishment for sinners in the Old Testament.

To my surprise, other people have written about Jesus and his possible connection to the the Jannaeus family. Norris (2016) said that Alexander Jannaeus and Alexandra Salome were Jesus' "3rd Great-Grandfather" and "Grandmother" (Appendix 1 [p. 1]):
Norris also said that Jesus had "financial supporters," and the people listed in Appendix 1 seem to be Jesus' supporters. These "supporters were his own close relatives," (Conclusion [p. 1]). Herod 1/Herod the Great, who is known as the man who tried to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew), was an enemy of the "royal line of David" whom Joseph and his brother Cleopas belong to (Ch. 7 [p. 1]). 

Another author, Ya'qub Al-Qirqisani, said that "Pandera," who was also called "Isa bin Maryam (Jesus son of Mary)," was extant "in the time of Joshua b. Perahiah, who is said to have been the maternal uncle of Jesus." They lived during the "time of Caesar," and Jesus was killed by the "Rabbanites" (The Book of Lights and Watchtowers, 10th century A.D. [Cheisa and Lockwood, 1984 edition], p. 102):
Part 1:
Part 2:
Rene Salm also quoted this passage. The rest of the passage from the book said that the Jesus that was the nephew of Perahiah was the "Hasmonian Yeshu," which got construed with the "Roman-era Jesus ('in the time of Caesar')," (Mythicist Papers, The Prophet Yeshu: Pt. 12-Family ties [and a correction], 10/24/20):
Salm also stated that Alexander Jannaeus was one of Jesus' uncles, making Salome Alexandra one of Jesus' aunts.

The full version of the quote is in Bekkum (2007; in Bekkum et al., 2007) (p. 183):
Another version (Peters, 1990, p. 178):
Interestingly, the quote says that Jesus was alive during Caesar Augustus' lifetime. He was alive from 63 B.C. to 14 A.D. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Augustus, para. 1). Admittedly, this goes against the dates for Jesus ben Pandira given by Massey.

As to how old Jesus was when he was being taught be Joshuah ben Perahia, Rev. Wolff (1828) said that Jesus "was already grown in years when he became a disciple of Joshuah ben Perahia," (Vol. 2 p. 109). According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the story of Joshua ben Perahyah and Jesus is an "aggadah" in the Babylonian Talmud. This is "an enlarged reworking of an earlier aggadah concerning Joshua b. Tabbai and one of his unknown pupils of unknown name when they were about to return from Alexandria to Jerusalem," (Joshua ben Perahyah, para. 2). There also seems to be a strategic reason as to why Jesus was made a disciple of Joshuah ben Perahyah. Alexander (1999) said that Jesus and Joshua going to Alexander, Egypt is due to Egypt being "closely associated in Rabbinic literature with sorcery." Jesus is accused of being a sorcerer in the Talmud. Second, Joshua ben Perahyah was an exorcist, so Jesus replaced Joshua b. Tabbai in the story (in Dunn, 1999, p. 18).

It doesn't get much better for the Toledot Yeshu either. In the book, Miriam (Mary) was a "relative" of Queen Helene (Meerson and Schafer, 2014, Vol. 1 p. 323). Bear with me for a sec: this is Helene of Adiabene from the first century A.D. She replaced Salome Alexandra by the Slavic A author of the Slavic A version of Toledot Yeshu. Salome was the real wife of Yannai (Jannaeus). Helene is put in the Slavic A version to make Jesus live in the first century A.D. The Italian version of the book has Jesus born in 90 B.C., during the reign of Yannai. Slavin B has 33-32 B.C. The 90-B.C. date seems to be symbolic, making Jesus represent the Pharisees who survived persecution by Yannai (pp. 43-44). There are multiple versions of the book, and different individuals are put in it to fix a date for Jesus. 

The ancient writer Celsus spoke against Christianity, and said that the real Jesus was different (Early Christian Writings, Celsus as quoted by Origen, Jesus and the Jewish Critic). His work is dated to 177-178 A.D. (Early Christian Writings, Celsus). However, according to Larson (1980), the Jesus that Celsus is talking about is the Jesus of Toledot Yeshu (p. 151). The Church Father Epiphanius (315-403 A.D.) (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Saint Epiphanius of Constantia, para. 1) said that Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the reign of Alexander and Salina/Alexandra (The Panarion [Williams, 2009 edition], Book 1 Section 29:3.3-3.6). How interesting. It seems that Celsus and Epiphanius knew about Toledot Yeshu, which means that the story of Jesus told in the Toledot Yeshu might've been around since the second century A.D.

It seemed that this version of Jesus couldn't help me anymore, but this was a premature judgement call. Eisler (1931) wrote a detailed book about Jesus, and John the Baptist. In it, he mentions that "Paul was confused, in particular, with the so-called 'Egyptian,' the messiah who had assembled some thousands of the messianists dispersed by Felix on their attempted exodus, and had suddenly appeared with them on the Mount of Olives. He said that he would make "the walls of Jerusalem" topple "before him, as those of Jericho had once fallen before Joshua, he, too, must have given himself out as the returning 'Joshua.'" Eisler stated that this was a man named "Simon of Gitta, the 'Jesus' son of Sotades" who was later "stoned and hanged at Lydda" by the Jews for trying to convert the Jews into the "worship of foreign gods." Eisler's notes said that this Jesus son of Sotades was mentioned in Shabbat f. 104b and Shabbat 43d (pp. 582-583; p. 583 note 2). Jesus son of Sotades is Jesus ben Stada/Pandeira (The Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 104b:5)! Eisler might've just saved my hypothesis! Eisler's source for equating Jesus ben Stada to the "Egyptian" is Herford (Eisler, 1931, p. 583 note 2). Herford (1903) believed that Jesus ben Stada, and Jesus ben Notzri, were separate individuals. Therefore, he estimated that Jesus ben Stada was the "Egyptian." Jesus ben Stada is the one that practiced sorcery he learned from Egypt (p. 345 note 1). He believed that Jesus ben Pantiri/Pandiri/Pandera was Jesus ben Notzri (pp. 345-346). 

Another scholar who supports the equation of Jesus to the "Egyptian" is Dr. Lena Einhorn. Einhorn (2016) said that Jesus probably didn't leave Egypt until he was an adult. This could be supported with the Talmud (p. 97). Einhorn then stated that Origen agreed that some of Celsus' comments about Jesus were correct, and that Arnobius of Sicca said there were comments about Jesus being as a magician from Egypt. She also mentioned that other Church Fathers used the story of Pandira (pp. 101-102). We've seen this with Epiphanius. As to Jesus staying in Egypt until he was 30, Einhorn said that the Talmud, Celsus, and the early Christian Fathers could be used to support this hypothesis. This can explain why there aren't any documented events in the life of Jesus before he matured (p. 104). In her earlier paper, Einhorn demonstrates that the Egyptian was defeated in the 50's A.D. (Einhorn, 2012, p. 15 Figure 4). Also, she states that "The proceeding messianic leader" to Jesus/"Egyptian" is a man called "Theudas," who "shares distinct characteristics with John the Baptist." Josephus mentions Theudas (p. 2), and the "Egyptian" (p. 16). Celsus did say that Jesus started his movement "a few years ago," (Early Christian Writings, Celsus as quoted by Origen, Jesus and the Jewish Critic, Book 1 Section 26). Since Celsus' work is dated to the second century, this could refer to the first century. I smell smoke!

Eisler (1931) said that Paul was mistaken for the "Egyptian" in Acts 21:38 (p. 582 note 4). This is true. The "Egyptian" is a figure "who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness." Paul denied the accusation (Acts 21:38-40). 

The Jesus in Toledot Yeshu, and the Babylonian Talmud, might just be the real Jesus after all! It seems that he truly lived in the 1st century A.D., and was called the "Egyptian" by Josephus and the New Testament authors.

Links:
The Babylonian Talmud: 
1.) Tractate Sanhedrin Folio 43a ("AND A HERALD PROCEEDS HIM etc."):
http://www.come-and-hear.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_43.html
-V2:
Tractate Sanhedrin a ("AND A HERALD PROCEEDS HIM etc."):
http://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/judaism/sanhedrin43a-eng.html
-V3 (Sefaria):
Sanhedrin 43 a (The William Davidson Talmud, "The mishna teaches that..." paragraph, under "Gemara: Abaye says:" paragraph):
https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.43a?lang=bi
-V4 (Chabad):

Sanhedrin 43a (Gemara: Abaye says, para. 2 to end):

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5458159/jewish/43a.htm
2.) Shabbat 104b:5:

https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.104b.5
3.) Sotah: 47a:

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5452790/jewish/47a.htm
J. Warner Wallace (2017). "Is There Any Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible?":
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/
Jacob Neusner. The Formation of the Babylonian Talmud. 1970. ("Foreward," p. 1):
https://books.google.com/books?id=c-lKAwAAQBAJ&lpg=PR10&dq=talmud%20primary&pg=PR9#v=onepage&q=%22primary%20source%20for%20Jewish%20law%22&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=dLxFo4zNEMQC&lpg=PT6&dq=steinsaltz%20essential%20talmud&pg=PT7#v=onepage&q=%22primary%20source%20of%20Jewish%20law%22&f=false
Toledot Yeshu (Meerson and Schafer, 2014 edition). Volume 1:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Toledot_Yeshu_The_Life_Story_of_Jesus/81hHsItgjqIC?hl=en

Huldrich (1705) (Synopsis):

https://www.kestenbaum.net/auction/lot/auction-16/016-139/

Merriam Webster. Apostasy:
Massey (1883 [2000 edition]) (P. 191):

https://books.google.com/books?id=ctQa-TxSsGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=gerald+massey+christ+rome&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGkuSXpduGAxX7MVkFHf6CB3kQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=gerald%20massey%20christ%20rome&f=false
Massey (1900) (P. 6):

https://thebibleisnotholy.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/the-historical-jesus-and-mythical-christ.pdf

Matthew 21:1-11:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/21.htm

Galatians 3:13:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/galatians/3.htm

Deuteronomy 21:22-23:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/deuteronomy/21.htm

Norris (2016):

https://books.google.com/books?id=l-VpCwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=salome+alexandra+relative+of+jesus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi8lfvy3uOGAxXoMVkFHZTDBDwQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q=salome%20alexandra%20relative%20of%20jesus&f=false

Al-Qirqisani, Ya'qub . The Book of Lights and Watchtowers (10th century A.D. [Cheisa and Lockwood, 1984 edition]) (P. 102):

https://books.google.com/books?id=TV8wAAAAYAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=pandera

Salm, Rene. Mythicist Papers, The Prophet Yeshu: Pt. 12-Family ties (and a correction). 10/24/20:

https://www.mythicistpapers.com/2020/10/24/a-new-account-pt-12-family-ties-and-a-correction/

Rev. Wolff (1828) (Vol. 2 p. 109):

https://books.google.com/books?id=xVQNhNUeEH4C&pg=PA108&dq=jesus+and+perahia+in+alexandria+egypt&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjTuf_d2P6GAxVAF1kFHXYWDPAQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=jesus%20and%20perahia%20in%20alexandria%20egypt&f=false
Bekkum (2007; in Bekkum et al., 2007) (P. 183):

https://books.google.com/books?id=U7tW-jA2yfkC&pg=PA183&dq=joshua+ben+perahiah+uncle+of+Jesus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjj58mw0IGQAxVUKFkFHcLqOb0Q6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=joshua%20ben%20perahiah%20uncle%20of%20Jesus&f=false
Peters (1990) (P. 178):

https://books.google.com/books?id=O-GCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA178&dq=joshua+ben+perahiah+uncle+of+Jesus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp4IPL04GQAxUQMlkFHRD5Gr0Q6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=joshua%20ben%20perahiah%20uncle%20of%20Jesus&f=false
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Augustus:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustus-Roman-emperor/Military-successes
Jewish Virtual Library. Joshua ben Perahyah:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/joshua-ben-pera-x1e25-yah

Alexander (1999; in Dunn, 1999) (P. 18):

https://books.google.com/books?id=9zCh9SBb6Y8C&pg=PA18&dq=Judah+b.+Tabbai+is+Jesus+Christ&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibtanS2oGQAxXyF2IAHXI2O64Q6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=Judah%20b.%20Tabbai%20is%20Jesus%20Christ&f=false
Early Christian Writings. Celsus as quoted by Origen:

https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/celsus.html
Early Christian Writings. Celsus:

https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/celsus.html

Larson (1980):

https://archive.org/details/essenechristianf0000lars/page/154/mode/2up?q=teacher+righteousness+Yeshu&view=theater
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Saint Epiphanius of Constantia:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Epiphanius-of-Constantia

Epiphanius. The Panarion (Williams, 2009 edition) (Book 1, 99, 4.9 [p. 126]):

https://books.google.com/books?id=IKyxt9kyys8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Panarion+of+Epiphanius+of+Salamis+iesous&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCuqGq7c-EAxX-FFkFHelmDAAQ6AF6BAgLEAI#v=snippet&q=jesus%20aramaic%20savior&f=false

-V2:

https://gnosis.study/library/%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/ENG/Epiphanius%20of%20Salamis%20-%20The%20Panarion,%20Book%20I%20(Sects%201-46).pdf

Eisler (1931):

https://archive.org/details/themessiahjesusand/page/n17/mode/1up
Einhorn (2012):

http://lenaeinhorn.se/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Jesus-and-the-Egyptian-Prophet-12.11.25.pdf

Einhorn (2016):

https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Shift_in_Time.html?id=fZOJDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&gl=US&ovdme=1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Acts 21:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/21.htm

Herford (1903) (PP. 345-346):

https://books.google.com/books?id=tA9WAAAAMAAJ&pg=PR3&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1#v=onepage&q=Egyptian&f=false


1.7. The Dead Sea Scrolls:
Epiphanius said that Jesus' followers were called "Jessaeans." This was either due to the man named Jesse who was the father of King David, or because they are named after Jesus. Jesus' name "means 'healer' or 'physician,' and 'savior'." Later on, beginning at Antioch, Jesus' followers "began to be called Christians." Philo met the Jessaeans as well, near Mareotis (The Panarion [Williams, 2009 edition], Book 1 Section 99:1.2 and 4.9 [pp. 123 and 126]). 

However, the "Jessaeans" in Mareotis are called Therapeutae. The Therapeutes (singular), or Therapeutae (plural), were a "Jewish sect of ascetics closely resembling the Essenes, believed to have settled on the shores of Lake Mareotis in the vicinity of Alexandria, Egypt, during the first century A.D.," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Therapeutae, para. 1) (The Panarion [Williams, 2009 edition], p. 123 note 3). The Egyptian Jewish Therapeutae were said to be "pious," "curers" and "healers," and were similar to the Qumran-Essenes (Silver, 2017, p. 190). Even though these people went by a different name, they were similar to a group called the Essenes. Epiphanius called them Christians as well (The Panarion [Williams, 2009 edition], p. 123 note 3; p. 126]). Reber (1872) said that the Therapeutae became Christians, and the full transformations happened around "the second century," (p. 51). According to Burr (1879), Eusebius said that Christianity came out of the Essenes (p. 69). In book 2 chapter 17 of Eusebius' book Church History, Eusebius said that these were ascetics/Therapeutae, based on the work of Philo of Alexandria. The female version is Therapeutrides (para. 1-3). Eusebius said that the beliefs and practices of the Therapeutae resemble that of the Christians (para. 18), and that the Gospel originated from the Therapeutae (para. 24). 

The name Essene, originally "Essenoi" and "Essaioi" were the "Aramaic, ie Semitic, word meaning "'Physician'." They were also exorcisers of demons (Allegro, 1979, p. 12) (Mansur, 1964, p. 126) (Silver, 2017, p. 190). Other spellings of the name Essene are "Asaioi" (also spelled "Iessaioi") (Dunlap, 1894, pp. 468 and 813), "Aschai" (Chaldean name for Essenes that means "a bather") (Graetz, 1893 [2009 edition], Vol. 2, p. 26) (Baldwin, Cradock, and Jow, 1880, Vol. 114-115, p. 123), "Assidei/Hassidim" (Acts 14 International Congress of Orientalists, 1938, Vol. 19, p. 512 [Italian]). Silver (2017) said that the "popular theory today" for the origin of the name Essene is that it "was derived from the Aramaic/Syriac word hasayya, meaning 'the Pious,' or alternatively 'the Healers'." This is due to the idea of the "cure of body and the soul." This was essential to the "Qumran-Essenes" and the "Egyptian Jewish Therapeutae" (p. 190). In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said that the people in the Galilean synagogue would tell him the proverb, "Physician, heal thyself." This was due to Jesus healing people in Capernaum before coming to Nazareth (Luke 4:23). Jesus also said that "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick." This is why he sat and ate with sinners (Mark 2:14-17). Jesus also exercised demons in the gospels (Mark 1:21-28, 32, and 39). Jesus healing people, exercising demons, and being called a "physician," links him perfectly with the Essenes and Therapeutae. The Essenes also liked to pray before the sun rose (Josephus, The Jewish War, Book 2, Ch. 8, 8.5). Jesus did this too (Mark 1:35).

Another key aspect of Jesus that links him to the Essenes are white clothes. During the Transfiguration, Jesus' clothes turned white (Matthew 17:2). The Essenes wore white clothes (Josephus, The Jewish War, Book 2, Ch. 8, 8.3 and 8.5). Bathing was also a part of the initiation process for Essenes, and they had to bathe before meals too (8.5 and 8.7). Sounds like baptism to me. In fact, John the Baptist is said to be John the Aschai (Essene) (Baldwin, Cradock, and Jow, 1880, Vol. 114-115, p. 123). The Jewish Virtual Library said that John the Baptist could've been a Hemerobaptist ("Morning Bathers"), and this was "suggested in the Clementine Homilies (2:23)." This group was "probably a division of the Essenes," and they bathed every morning (Jewish Virtual Library, Minor Sects, Hemerobaptists). Both Jesus, and John the Baptist, were Essenes. Alternatively, Epiphanius said that John the Baptist was a Nazirite, who were "firstborn sons and men who had been dedicated to God." This is why John the Baptist didn't drink alcohol in the Gospels (The Panarion [Williams, 2009 edition], Book 1, 99, 5.7 [p. 127]). It should be noted that the Nazirites "were not a sect, or even a special order." It was a vow (Schonfield, 1974, The Nazorean Scribes). Looks like John the Baptist could've been an Essene, or a Hemerobaptist, that took a Nazirite vow.

Epiphanius said that the Jessaeans, or Essenes, could've been named after Jesus. To go one step further in that direction, Ellegard (1998 [2011 edition]) said that Jesus could be related to "the founder of the Essene community, the 'Teacher of Righteousness.'" The Teacher of Righteousness had a similar fate to Jesus in the Gospels, in which he was "betrayed by a community member and taken prisoner by the priestly establishment that had long planned to have him killed.” The Eucharist and chalice probably came from the Essenes, and Christianity probably came from the Essenes as well (Ch. 1, Paul and the Gnostics [p. 3]). The Teacher of Righteousness might’ve been “a construction to give substance” to the founding of the Essenes. This could be a correlation to the Jesus of the Gospels (Ch. 4, The Teacher of Righteousness [p. 4; p. 111]). The Jewish Virtual Library said that the Teacher of Righteousness was"the organizer of the Qumran community or Yahad," (Jewish Virtual Library, Teacher of Righteousness, para. 1). According to Dupont-Sommer (1950), the Teacher of Righteousness died around 65-63 B.C. (VanderKam and Flint, 2005, p. 322), or 65-53 B.C. (Wilson, 2017, Part II: The Dead Sea Scrolls 1947-1969: The Scrolls from the Dead Sea 1955, Ch. 5: What Would Renan Have Said? [p. 6]). Dimont (2014) said that the Teacher of Righteousness began his ministry "around 105-95 B.C. and ended around 65-55 B.C." After meeting a harsh death, thanks to the betrayal "at the hands of the 'wicked priest,'" the followers of the Teacher of Righteousness believed that he would "reappear among them, resurrected from the dead, his disciples thought of Qumran (at the Jordan River) as the most likely area for him to reappear." During that time, his followers awaited for Judgement Day (Section 15). 

Wise (1999) went even further concerning the relationship between Jesus and the Teacher of Righteousness. Wise said that the Teacher of Righteousness, whom he called "Judah" (p. 41), "was the savior before Jesus." He also said, despite having different messages, Judah's movement was "proto-Christianity" (p. 256). Wise listed numerous parallels between Judah and Jesus:

P. 253:

-Both Judah and Jesus claimed to be “a prophet, and more than a prophet.”

P. 254:
1.) Both Judah and Jesus “proclaimed a completed Law of Moses, perfected by his own revelations from God.”

2.) Both individuals taught the same things.

3.) Both were said to have been predicted to arrive and perform wonders.

4.) Both were rejected (mostly) by the Jews, especially by the Pharisees and “priestly families.”

5.) Both were “tried before the council and sentenced to die.”

6.) Both said Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Romans. This is due to rejection of his teachings. (Also stated on p. 42)

7.) Both started movements that are still extant today.

8.) Both were the “Suffering Servant, the Messiah, Good Shepherd, and other figures foretold by scripture.” (Also stated on p. 174)

9.) Both said their sufferings were for “atonement” (of sins). (Also on p. 212)

10.) Both are said to “sat at the right hand of God.”

11.) Both are said to return, and their followers will rule the world.


Concerning the Pharisees, Judah condemned the laws of the Pharisees in the temple. (p. 43). Wise said that "Judah vilified the Pharisees and their supporters with a variety of epithets.” One of them is “smooth” (p. 48). Both Judas and Jesus accused the Pharisees of neglecting God’s laws to keep their own traditions (p. 90). Judah believed that the Jewish nation had to return to God’s law through repentance, or risk being destroyed and the "Latter Days" would arrive. Judah even had "10 commandments" (which were actually 15) that he believed would help his people to repent. His laws were critiques of "the royal family's behavior." This brought on the wrath of the Pharisees (pp. 42-44). During his teachings, Judah said “I am” statements, like Jesus did, and Gospel of John made Jesus like Judas using those statements (p. 48). Judah was a prophet talking about the “end times.” He said that the “‘kingdom of God’” meant the “glorious but earthly Jewish kingdom of the Latter Days,” (p. 75). I can't help but think of the "Latter Day Saints..." Both Judah and Jesus equated the kingdom of God to a tree that produced good fruit (p. 198). In a Dead Sea Scroll document, called the "Damascus Document," Judah spoke in riddles. This seems similar to Jesus speaking in parables (p. 199). 

The most interesting aspect of Judah's teachings, in my opinion, was that he saw himself as divine. In the Hymn of the Exalted One, a Dead Sea Scrolls document, Judah was elevated “higher even than the archangels,” and close to God. In the Thanksgiving Hymns, Judah met a similar fate to Jesus after his death. Judah’s followers said that he was “semidivine, the highest angel.” This is in “Judah’s own eighth hymn.” The Ebionites said Jesus “assumed that role after the resurrection,” (p. 224). Judah built his foundation based on a person called “the Staff,” like Jesus built his foundation on John the Baptist. People argued over who was better. The Staff was considered to have been an influential figure by Judah's followers, "yet argued the inadequacy of his laws." This seems to be a similar situation between the followers of John the Baptist and Jesus. The Damascus Document was formulated to appeal to the Staff's followers. (p. 206). Judah was "About 60 years old," and originally served in "the highest ranks of the Jerusalem priesthood, a man well acquainted with the corridors of power and the politics of the royal court," (p. 41). This sounds familiar to Jesus in the Talmud, who was taught by the fifth Sanhedrin president Perahya.

The dates given for the Teacher of Righteousness' ministry falls within the range of when the Jesus of the Talmud was alive. In fact, one Church Father said that Jesus lived a long life. Irenaeus (2nd century A.D.) said that Jesus died when he was an old man, a statement he received from the elders. John the disciple said that Jesus “‘passed through every age’.” Irenaeus did this to combat the Gnostics, whom seem to state the death of a 30-year old Jesus (Massey, 1883 [2000 edition], p. 190). In the Gospel of John, the Jews said to Jesus “You are not yet 50 years old,” (John 8:56-57). Irenaeus, in his book Against Heresies, uses this passage (Book 22 Ch. 22 Section 6) to support his claim that Jesus was fifty years old, or more, when he died (Book 2 Ch. 22)! Using this, and the dates given for the life of the Talmud Jesus, we can see that Jesus was active during the time of the Teacher of Righteousness. In fact, Massey's date of 70 B.C. for the death of the Talmud Jesus is really close to the 65-55 B.C. date for the death of the Teacher of Righteousness. Also, the "wicked priest" that betrayed the Teacher of Righteousness sounds like Judas Iscariot's role in the Gospels (Matthew 26:14-16, and 47-50). Wise (1999) said that the Teacher of Righteousness was "About 60 years old," (p. 41). I'm convinced now that Jesus was the Teacher of Righteousness, and the "wicked priest" that betrayed him was Judas Iscariot.

Interestingly, there was a group of Essenes called the Nazoreans/Nazareans. The Nazorean/Nazarean sect of Essenes was located on Mount Caramel (The Nazarene Way, Nazarene or Nazareth?, The Essenes, the Nazarenes) (The Nazarenes of Mount Carmel, Home Page). According to the Essene website The Nazarenes of Mount Carmel, there were originally two sects of Essenes: the Ossaeans (B'nai Zadok ["'Children of Zadok'"]/The Qumran Essenes), and the Nazoreans (B'nai Amen ["'Children of God'"]/the Nazarenes of Mount Carmel). The Nazoreans had a temple on Mount Carmel, and in Jerusalem (The Nazarenes of Mount Carmel, Home Page; Nazoreans and Ossaeans). St. Paul was said to be "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5). Mount Carmel is a "mountain range" located in "northwestern Israel." It was close to Galilee (Ecyclopaedia Britannica, Mount Carmel, para. 1). Galilee is in northern Israel, and Josephus said that "Mount Carmel (is) on the west (of Galilee)" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Galilee, para. 1-2). As to Jesus being in Qumran, Feather (2005) said that "a very strong case can be made" to say "that Jesus was once a member of the Qumran-Essene community (Ch. 6. The Archaeological Evidence for Jesus' Life). According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Teacher of Righteousness was the leader of the Essenes, who led them into the wilderness "when Jonathan Maccabeus, and, later, Simon Maccabeus, usurped the office of high priest." Simon pursued the Essenes because they "opposed the usurpation." This happened "in the 2nd century B.C.E." As for when the Essenes settled in Qumran, "some scholars" give a couple of dates ranging from "143/142-135/134 B.C.E." to "135/134-104 B.C.E" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Qumran, para. 4-5). We'll come back to the Nazoreans/Nazareans in a sec.

Some sources seem to indicate that Jesus, and the Teacher of Righteousness, were part of the Zadokites. Kim (2014), despite being against the Zadokites, said that the belief system of the Zadokites "can be seen as providing the central influence for the Jesus movement." The author cites the scholar Israel Knohl, who stated that Jesus "'inherited'" the role of the "'suffering servant' of the Dead Sea Scrolls." Kim said that the "suffering servant" is the Teacher of Righteousness, who was "a Zadokite priest expelled from the Jerusalem Temple." He then went on to help make the "Qumran community," (Ch. 1, p. 1):
According to Acharya S (1999 [2012 edition]), there have been "several correspondences" that have been noted "between the Zadokites and Christianity." Many of them, according to the scholar Golb, are "found in the scrolls." These would be the Dead Sea Scrolls. One such scroll is the Zadokite Document, which contain phrases that "reflects one school of thought that shaped Christianity, representing one zealous 'Jewish' branch of the ubiquitous pre-Christian salvation cult." The Zadokites also used "a variety of concepts and terms" that are used by Christians today, "such as the 'Holy Spirit,' 'Salvation,' 'sons of Light,' and 'the Elect,' a term also used by the Mandaeans/Nazarenes." Acharya S also stated that the Zadokites were Sadducees who "were attempting to produce a 'future king of righteousness' to restore to them their traditional priestly role, a new Joshua/Jesus of the type of both the Old and New Testament and the Maccabean Revolt." The Zadokite Document also said that "the 'Prince of the entire congregation'," also called "the 'scepter of Israel,'" would "destroy the 'sons of Seth' (as at Num. 24:17). These 'sons of Seth' were evidently the black-robed Pharisees." Interestingly, the Pharisees were a "luni-stellar cult people," while the Sadducees "solar cultists" who wore white robes (19. Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites). The Zadok Document was also called the "'Damascus Rule,'" (19. Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites: The Zadokites/Sadducees [p. 1]). Interestingly, Acharya S said that "according to the genealogy in Matthew, Jesus himself is a 'son of Zadok," (19. Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites: The Zadokites/Sadducees [p. 3]). 

Acharya S then describes the background of the Zadokites, and it it involves Jesus' hometown of Galilee. The Judeans "violently subjugated" Galilee in 104-103 B.C. by Aristobolus I. The Galileans were 'forcibly converted to Judaism, and circumcision was also "compulsory." Qumran was a "Herodian outpost," and after the conversion of the populace it became "swelled, evidently with Samaritans and Galileans, or Zealots 'from Damascus,' who were the Sadducees, or 'sons of Zadok,' i.e., 'the priests who keep the covenant,' as the Zealots of the scrolls identified themselves." The Zadokites of the Dead Sea area/Qumran, along with the Samaritan Sadducees, were an "'offshoot' of the Sadducean sect, 'possibly the Dosithean schism,'" according to the scholar Solomon Schechter. Along with being Samaritans, the "Zadokites/Samaritans" were "also Levites." The Mandaeans "were called "'Nasoreans,' i.e., Nazarenes/Nazarites." They were "designated men" mentioned in the Zadokite Document, according to the scholar Theodore Gaster. "Samaritans and Mandaeans," also according to Gaster, wear white clothes. They still do this in the present day (19. Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites: The Zadokites/Sadducees [pp. 1-2]). Now we know who the Zadokites and Nazoreans/Nazarenes are! The "Levitical priests" were called "sons of Zadok" in Ezekiel 44:15. Most importantly, Acharya S tells us, as well as the Zadokite Document, who the god of the Zadokites were: "Thus, these Zadokites/Sadducees were Syrian/Israelite/Samaritan/Carmelite worshippers of El/Molech" who believed that the "'scepter'"/"'Prince of the entire congregation'" would come out of Israel (19. Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites: The Zadokites/Sadducees [pp. 2-3]). Acharya S also notes of a Jesus who was a "'son of Zadok'" who was "purportedly persecuted 'by the Jews'," but this was in 167 B.C. (19. Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites: The Maccabean Revolt). I think this would've been too early for this Jesus being the Jesus that I seem to be uncovering.

According to Ellegard (1998), Dupont-Sommer said that the Teacher of Righteousness was a "priest of the Levite tribe," an "ascetic monk," and a "Gnostic and esoteric." Jesus, on the other hand, was from the "Judah tribe." This, and other different characteristics, have kept the two individuals separate by other people (p. 121). However, Ellegard said that the Teacher, and the Jesus outside of the Gospels, have a lot in common. In fact, St. Paul called the Teacher of Righteousness Jesus (p. 123). Regarding the Levites, Zadok is said to have been a Levite. Levi is the ancestor of Aaron, and Aaron is the ancestor of Zadok (1 Chronicles 6:1-8) (1 Chronicles 24:3). Ezekiel 44:15 said that the Zadokites were Levitical priests. In Matthew 1:1-14, there is a Zadok that was the ancestor of Jesus. However, this Zadok is suppose to be a descendant of Judah. From what I can find so far, there isn't a Zadok that was the descendant of Judah in the Tanakh/Old Testament. Any Zadok that I can find was a descendant of Levi. In fact, Matthew's genealogy seems to be based on 1 Chronicles 2-4. However, 1 Chronicles 2-4 doesn't match Matthew's genealogy for Jesus. 1 Chronicles 2-4:1-23 describes the descendants of Judah, a son of Jacob/Israel and the ancestor of the Jews. Some of the people mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus aren't mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2-4. Zadok isn't a descendant of Judah. Interestingly, Luke's genealogy for Jesus doesn't mention Zadok and has Jesus as a descendant of Judah via another list of people (Luke 3:23-34). Something screwy is going on here... Based on the Tanakh and Matthew's genealogy, Jesus would've been a Levite Israelite and not a Jewish Israelite. This reinforces Acharya S (1999), and once again helps us to link Jesus with the Teacher of Righteousness. 

As for Jesus being a Hasmonean, the Hasmoneans seem to have been Levites as well. From what I can find, the ancestor of the Hasmoneans, or Asmoneans as they're also called, are the descendants of Chasman, a priest of the family of Joarib (Bible Hub, Topical Bible: Asmoneans, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, para. 1 and 3). This is stated in 1 Maccabees 2:1. In 1 Chronicles, Joarib, also spelled as Jehoiarib, was either a priest of Israel along with Azariah a descendant of Zadok (1 Chronicles 9:10-13); or, he was a descendant of Aaron along with Zadok (1 Chronicles 24:1-19). This would make the Hasmoneans, and the Zadokites, Levitical Israelites. No matter how you try to spin it, Jesus was a Levite and not a Jew. 

I want to make a quick note regarding the Pharisees. They are said to have been the "spiritual descendants of the Hasideans," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Pharisee, para. 2). They were also stated to have been "probably the successors of the Assideans (i.e., the 'pious')," (Bible Hub, Topical Bible: Pharisees, Easton's Bible Dictionary, para. 1). "Assidaean" is another spelling of the name "Hasidaean" (Bible Hub, Topical Bible: Assidaeans, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) The Pharisees also "Associated at first with the Hasmoneans, but later abandoned them," (Bible Hub, Topical Bible: Pharisees, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). The Hasideans have an "uncertain origin," but "they fell into disfavor with the Hasmonean rulers." They seem to have disappeared from history by "merging with the Pharisees." They also probably "had a doctrinal influence on the Essenes," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hasidean, para. 1 and 3). The Hasidaeans were probably "orthodox Jews" who used the name to "distinguish them from the Hellenizing faction." They saw "Judas Maccabeus as their leader," (Bible Hub, Topical Bible: Hasidaeans, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). According to Nitzan (2008), the Qumran community were Zadokites who seem to have been Hasideans. They also matched Josephus' description of the Essenes, yet their "anti-Pharisee" beliefs reflect those of the Sadducees. The Hasideans split when the Hasmoneans came to power, and dethroned the Zadokites. The Hasideans "who remained loyal to the Zadokite priesthood" became the Qumran community. The other Hasideans became followers of the Hasmoneans who "adhere to the Pharisaic halakic approach." The Qumran Hasidim followed an "apocalyptic ideology" who applied the "priestly regulations to all the children of Israel." This was probably due to "apocalyptic hopes for achieving messianic salvation," (in Reventlow and Hoffman, 2008, pp. 85-87). The Hasideans and Pharisees were Zadokites.

To my surprise, the Zadokites seem to not have been Levites. According to Glassman (2017), they were Jebusites. Their legendary history began with Melchizedek, whose name means "King Zadok." Melchizedek was the "priest-king of Salem (Jerusalem)." The human Zadok was later made a descendant of Eli, thus making Melchizedek and Eli the ancestors of the Zadokites. David made Zadok the top priest of Jerusalem, but the Zadokites and Levites seem to have had a rivalry at the temple (p. 663). Grabbe (2019) said that the Jebusites were one of the original inhabitants of Jerusalem before David invaded. He later "made the Jebusite priest Zadok one of his two chief priests," (p. 246). Interestingly, the Jebusites lived in Jerusalem before David invaded. Jerusalem was originally called Jebus (1 Chronicles 11:4). The Zadokites were Jebusites, and not Israelites or Jews at all. This means that Jesus/the Teacher of Righteousness was a Zadokite Jebusite, not a Jew. The Pharisees weren't Jews either, but Jebusites! Jerusalem was more ethnically diverse that I thought! 

The people of the Qumran community were ethnically diverse as well. According to Vermes (1962 [1995 edition]), there are four sectaries, or groups, of people at Qumran: Priests, Levites, Israelites, and Proselytes. The proselytes were "Gentile slaves converted to Judaism," (pp. 14 and 112). Now, I thought that the ten Israelite tribes that made up the kingdom of Israel were lost when the Assyrians invaded the kingdom (Jewish Virtual Library, Ancient Jewish History: The Two Kingdoms of Israel, The Conquest of Israel, para. 2). Now, it seems that some members of the ten Israelite tribes survived and lived at Qumran. Also, the Priests and Levites aren't listed as Israelites either. Even Gentiles were admitted into the Qumran community. Interesting. 

Hyan Maccoby, in his famous book The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity (1986), stated that Jesus was a Pharisee (pp. 29, and 43-44). In fact, even Jesus telling parables "was typical of Pharisee preaching." This is in the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, and Luke. The Jesus in the Gospel of John is completely different, and Maccoby said that this Jesus "spouts grandiose Hellenistic mysticism and proclaims himself a divine personage," (pp. 43-44). 

I thought that Jesus being a Zadokite was settled until I saw some things that made me question this decision. According to Thomas (2011), Elizabeth, the relative of the Virgin Mary, was a descendant of Aaron. This means that Mary, Jesus, and by extension Joseph, were Levites. Jesus being a Jew/descendant of David seems to have been "an afterthought," (Toledoth Yeshu [Kindle version]). In Luke 1, Elizabeth is stated as being from the "daughters of Aaron" (Luke 1:5). So, yeah, one of Jesus' relatives was a Levite. We don't know much about Mary's lineage in the gospels, but she is Elizabeth's "relative" (Luke 1:36). Perhaps she is a Levite too? In the Toledot Yeshu, Miriam (Mary) was a "relative" of Queen Helene (Meerson and Schafer, 2014, Vol. 1 p. 323). Bear with me for a sec: this is Helene of Adiabene from the first century A.D. She replaced Salome Alexandra by the Italian author of one of the versions of Toledot Yeshu. Salome was the real wife of Yannai (Jannaeus) (pp. 43-44). If Mary was a relative of the Hasmonean Salome (not Helene), then this supports Mary, and Jesus by association, being Levites. Finally, Mary is a "sister of Aaron" in the Quran. In the Khattab translation, this is explained as Mary being a "descendant" of Aaron (Quran [Khattab translation], Surah 19. Maryam, 19:28):
At this point, I believe that Jesus/Teacher of Righteousness was a Levite. This matches some of the sources mentioned previously. He wasn't a Jew, an Israelite, or a Zadokite Jebusite. This is actually important because the Dead Sea Scrolls stated that the people of Qumran expected one or two Messiahs. According to Ellegard, one Messiah comes from the line of Aaron, and the other is a King Messiah. However, it later changed to one Messiah coming from both the lines of Aaron and Israel. There's no mention of a Davidic Messiah being emphasized in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Ellegard, 1998 [2011 edition], pp. 100-101). Surprisingly, this means that the Essenes didn't expect a Davidic Messiah. They expected an Aaronic (Levite), or an Aaronic/Israelite, Messiah.

As for who the Zadokite Jebusites were at Qumran, it seems that they were the Priests. In Nehemiah 11, Zadok and his descendants are listed as priests and not Levites (Nehemiah 11:10-18). In 1 Chronicles 6, Zadok is a Levite (1 Chronicles 6:1-15). I'll stick with Nehemiah 11, and place the Zadokites of Qumran as the Priests. 

There's one more group of people that we have to talk about before we're done: The Ebionites. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Ebionites were "an early ascetic sect of Christians" from the first century A.D. The root word for the group is "ebyonim, or ebionim ('the poor')." Interestingly, their belief systems "were anticipated in the teachings of the earlier Qumran sect, as revealed in the Dead Sea Scrolls." They believed that Jesus was a normal human being (the biological son of Joseph and Mary), and that "Jesus became the Messiah because he obeyed the Jewish Law." They believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and the "true 'prophet' mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ebionite, para. 1 and 3). Interestingly, the people of Qumran called themselves ebionim (Theiring, 1992,  p. 63) (Eisenman, 1998, Ch. 11: James' Vegetarianism, Abstention from Blood, and Consuming No Wine: The Sons or Daughters of the Rechabites as High Priests [p. 2]). (Lapham, 2003, p. 29) (Tabor, 12/29/15, para. 5-7). (Seccombe, 2022, p. 26). According to Theiring (1992), Jesus' father Joseph, and his brother James, were Essenes. James was also an Ebionite (p. 63). She also stated that the name "Miriam" was also a title given to women who were Essenes. These women were prophetesses, who took "part in the liturgies of orders like the Therapeutae," (pp. 119-120). In his commentary of the gospels, Harwood (2001) said that Jesus was an Essene and the founder of the Ebionites (p. 656). In his introduction to the Essene Apocalypse (Book of Revelation), Harwood said that Paul's Jesus was different from the Jesus of 2 Corinthians 11:4. This Jesus, Harwood states, was the Righteous Rabbi (Teacher of Righteousness) who was the leader of the Essenes that was killed in 103 B.C. His followers waited for his second coming (p. 707):
In 2 Corinthians 11:1-5, it does seem that another Jesus was being preached about that Paul did not. However, this Jesus seems to have been preached by the apostles:
Harwood also said that the 144,000 chosen people were suppose to be Essenes only (p. 708). However, a rival sect called Nazirites edited the book (p. 707).

Along from the term "Ebionite," Dr. James Tabor said that the Essenes/people of Qumran designated other terms to themselves that the followers of Jesus also called themselves. The Essenes and Jesus Movement called themselves "'The Way,'" "'Nazarenes,'" "the Poor, the Saints, the New Covenanters, Children of Light," and "Yachad-the brotherhood or community, and they referred to themselves as brother and sister," (Tabor, 12/29/15, para. 4-8). According to Charlesworth (1995), the following "terms" are found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and are used by the "Qumranites": "Poor Ones," "Belial," "Sons of Light," "Sons of Dawn, Sons of Darkness," "the Way, the way," "Righteous Teacher," "Holy Ones," among others. Charlesworth said that "'Sons of Light'" was the most used term for the community (in Charlesworth et al., 1995, Vol. 2 pp. xiii and 2). Theiring (1979) said that the Teacher of Righteousness was called "Anointed One," "Holy One," and the "Righteous One" in the texts (p. 80). The reason why I chose these terms in particular is because these are all found in the New Testament. Jesus called his followers sons of light (John 12:36 [Interlinear]). Paul uses the term for his followers as well, as well as sons of day. Sons of day could refer to the Sons of Dawn. Paul also stated that his followers were not sons of darkness, which is another Essene/Qumran term (1 Thessalonians 5:5 [Interlinear]). Jesus' followers are called "the Way" (Acts 24:14 and 22 [Interlinear]), "saints" (Acts 26:10 [Interlinear]), and the "Brotherhood" or "Brothers" (1 Peter 2:17 [Interlinear]) (James 5:19 [Interlinear]). According to Freke and Gandy (2001), the Therapeutae called themselves "'the Way'" as well (p. 12). Jesus is also called the "Holy and Righteous One" (Acts 3:14 [Interlinear]). The Devil is called "Belial" in 2 Corinthians (2 Corinthians 6:15; note h). Clearly, Jesus' followers were members of the Essenes. This is the only conclusion that makes sense, given the information that we have.

Let's go back to the Nazarenes. Tabor (12/29/15) believes that "Nazarene comes from the Hebrew word Netzer (drawn from Isaiah 11:1) and means 'a Branch'-so the Nazarenes were the 'Branchites' or followers of the one they believed to be the Branch-that is the Davidic Messiah." Netzer is not related to the Nazirites or Nazir, which "refers to individuals, male or female, not a group, who took on a special vow based on Numbers 6. The two terms can sound alike in English are spelled differently in Hebrew," (para. 6). The Way seems to be another name for Nazarenes when we read Acts 24:2-5, and 22. Schiffman and VanderKam (2000) said that Netzer was used in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and means "'shoot' from the stump of Jesse" from Isaiah 11:1. One of Jesus' followers in the Babylonian Talmud is called Netzer, and refers to Isaiah 11:1. The word "Nazorean" also originated from Isaiah 11:1 (p. 606). Coloe (2014) said that the people of Qumran used the words "netzer" and "tzamah." Tzamah means "'shoot.'" They became "synonymous and the roles of both have became fused," (in Burkett, 2014, p. 76). According to Waltke (2007), the monk/teacher Bargil Pixner said that Netzer was a word that the leader of the "Qumran Essenes" (Teacher of Righteousness) called his followers. This is also documented in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Netzer originated from the word "neser," meaning "'branch sprout, shoot.'" Pixner also says something interesting: "Probably the Davidic clan settled in the area of Nazareth at this time and gave their name to the place as 'Branch Town.'" The dating is the time of the Hasmoneans (134-76 B.C.). It seems that Pixner is saying that Nazareth was named after a group of people. The name of these people is related to neser/Netzer, and Jesus came out of the Davidic clan (pp. 563-564 note 8). Tabor (2007) said that "The name Nazareth [...] comes from the Hebrew name netzer meaning 'branch' or 'shoot.' One could loosely translate Nazareth as 'Branch Town.'" The word "'Branch'" comes from Isaiah 11, and Jesus followers "were called Nazarenes or 'Branchites.'" Finally, Nazareth got its name because the "royal family had settled and were concentrated" there (p. 55). Leske (2009) said something similar as well. They said that the Notzrim/Nazoreans probably created Nazareth in the 2nd century B.C. by Levites. Jesus was a Nazorean (in McNicol et al., 2009, p. 80). Leske also stated that the Teacher of Righteousness referred to his followers "as the shoot of Isa 60:21; 61:3." This word is mentioned in a work by the Teacher called the "Hodayoth" (p. 77). Neser is the word used in Isaiah 60:21 (Interlinear). In the gospels, the names "Nazoraios" (Matthew 2:23 [Interlinear]) and "Nazoraion" (Acts 24:5 [Interlinear]) appeared. Paul was called "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes," (Acts 24:1-5). Nazarenes is spelled "Nazoraion" in Greek. The Netzer/Nazoraion (Nazarenes) were from Qumran, and founded Nazareth.

The people of Qumran were the followers of Jesus (Ebionites, Nazoraion, etc.)! They also seem to have been the Essenes, and the Therapeutes/Therapeutrides. It seems that they split from the Jerusalem temple to start their own community. They were Levites, Priests/Zadokite Jebusites, Israelites, and proselytes. If Jesus was their founder, then that makes him the Teacher of Righteousness. Jesus/Teacher was also a Levite.

I found out that I wasn't the first person to state that Jesus was the Teacher of Righteousness. In the 1950's, Dr. J. L. Teicher equated Jesus to the Teacher, and "that the Covenanters were an Ebionite Christian sect." Interestingly, there was a "Prophet of Untruth" who Teicher equated to St. Paul (Fritsch, 1972, p. 112):
I believe that Dr. Teicher was right.

Larson (1980) stated that the Jesus of Toledot Yeshu was actually the Teacher of Righteousness (pp. 154-155). However, he believes that Yeshu/Teacher and Jesus were two separate people that later became "intertwined" over time (pp. xvii, and 155). He does state that the later Jesus was an Essene though, and that the Essenes that followed him became Ebionites (pp. xvi-xvii). Interestingly, Larson said that Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey, his arrest, and then death, were "conscious re-enactments of the Teacher's" death (pp. xvii and 155). Concerning the Teacher, Larson said that the Essenes saw him as "God himself, appearing as a man in Jerusalem, and that his death was an atoning sacrifice for the elect; that he arose from the grave and returned to heaven; that he would send a representative in a few years; and that he was precisely the kind of Messiah  that Jesus at first proclaimed himself to be.” Jesus would later state that he was the promised Messiah, thus filling in the Teacher's shoes in a way, "and proclaimed that in his Second Coming he would conduct the Last Judgement as the all-powerful Son of Man." The Teacher "was killed by the Jewish leaders in 70 B.C." over "doctrinal, ritualistic, and organizational heterodoxy," (p. xvii). Both the Teacher and Yeshu (the Jesus in Toledot Yeshu) were arrested in the Jewish Temple (p. 154). The Teacher was also a prophet (pp. xvii and 155). Jesus was also called a prophet (John 9:17). Finally, Larson (1980) said that the Essenes might've given the Teacher a virgin birth if he was Jesus from Toledot Yeshu, like Matthew and Luke did later on for the Jesus of the gospels. However, Jesus never had a virgin birth originally. He was adopted by God originally in Matthew 3:17, but this was changed later on. The Ebionites originally stated that Jesus was adopted by God (p. 156). With all due respect to Larson, this reaffirms my belief that both the Jesus of the gospels and the one from Toledot Yeshu, and the Teacher of Righteousness, were the same person.

Theiring (1992) stated that the priests and Levites in the Essene community were considered to have been reincarnated gods and angels. This was based on the “pesher,” and used to make “real people and events” look like “visions and miracles.” Joseph was the Holy Spirit, since “lower priests, kings, and princes were ‘spirits.’” The virgin birth comes from the pesher as well. The word "virgin" was also used in the Essene lifestyle (pp. 63-64). I think I'm starting to understand where the original idea of Jesus being a divine being came from. However, as stated by the Ebionites, Jesus/Teacher of Righteousness was a regular human being. 

Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems with the Teacher of Righteousness. Vermes (1962 [2004 edition]) said that it was perceived that the Teacher wrote the Hymns and that they were "autobiographical." Vermes said that this was "mere speculation" (p. 84 [downloaded]). Johnson (2022) also stated that the Teacher didn't write the Hymns. The true author is "a Maskil," or "the authority of the office of the Maskil," (in Geyser-Fouche and Collins, 2022, p. 336). However, Vermes still believed that the Teacher was a historical person, even if there were no extra extant references to him (pp. 93-94 [downloaded]). His latter statement isn't agreed upon entirely by other scholars. Ben Zion Wacholder believed that the Teacher "is not a figure of history," (Wacholder, 1999, p. 75). 
Angela Kim Harkins has stated that the Teacher was never historical for some time now. Recently, she said that most scholars are now "'highlighting the possibility that the teacher was a conceptual or even mythical figure emerging from the exegesis of biblical prophetic texts,'" (Steinmeyer, 2025, Founding the Dead Sea Community, para. 3). She also stated that the Hymn Scrolls were not autobiographical (Harkins, 2017; in Feldman et al., 2017, p. 504), and that "Scholars today admit that it is no longer possible to optimistically expect to recover the historical Teacher of Righteousness from the Scrolls." Using the Dead Sea version of the Book of Habakkuk, it seems that the Teacher was "presented in such a way as to strategically arouse emotion within the Second Temple reader," (p. 508). Elsewhere, Harkins said that the language of the Hymns in reference to the Teacher is "a marker of a textualized self, a rhetorical persona that seeks to describe phenomenal, extraordinary experiences through a imaginal body," (Harkins, 2012; in Mason et al., 2012, p. 464). 

The clincher for me is that Pardo (2008) conducted an analysis to generate a possible identity for the Teacher of Righteousness. His conclusion is that the Teacher was a composite character, and that the 
"Habakkuk and Psalms commentaries were written by different scribes who used the epithet 'Teacher of Righteousness' in different ways. Moreover, the composite theory accords well with the statistical results of the survey," (Abstract; The Conclusion). 

Taking all the present information in, I'll believe that the Teacher of Righteousness was a composite character for now. With that being said, is there any other character in the Dead Sea Scrolls that could still link to Jesus? Actually, there is. It's also directly linked to the Joshua of the Tanakh/Old Testament. 

Throughout my research, I kept noticing that some of my sources stated that there was a connection between the Joshua/Jesus of the Tanakh/Old Testament and New Testament. Acharya S (1999) said that the "early Church Father Tertullian" stated that Jesus was other people in the Old Testament. This was considered practice for his future "'subsequent incarnation.'" In particular, "Tertullian and the other fathers write is the prophet and warrior Joshua, son of Nun, also translated as Jesus, son of Naue, who allegedly led the Israelites into the 'promised land' and destroyed the city of Jericho, among other such pillage and slaughter," (Ch. 15. The Patriarchs and Saints are the Gods of Other Cultures: Joshua). Acharya S said that Tertullian stated this in his book Against Praxeas (Ch. 6. Further Evidence of Fraud [pp. 1-2]). 

There seems to be a connection between the two characters in the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to Allegro (1979), there was a belief in the Qumran community that the Old Testament Joshua sealed the original Torah in the Ark of the Covenant. The Teacher of Righteousness saw himself as a “second ‘Joshua’” who also made a rule to seal away his texts. Being an “Interpreter of the Law” also made the Teacher the 2nd Joshua as well (pp. 77-79). Allegro then stated that, in the “parchment sheet from the Partridge Cave,” “prophetic blessings” of the coming Messiah as a “Prophet, King, and Priest” are given to Joshua. This is followed by a curse, which seems to have been directed at the Wicked Priest (p. 79). Another collection of books, the “Sibylline Books” (2nd-1st century B.C.), help to conclude that the followers of the Teacher of Righteousness saw him as “a ‘reincarnation’ of Joshua, son of Nun, known in the Greek texts as Jesus,” (pp. 82-83). Josephus mentioned that the Essene had a beloved “‘Lawgiver’” whom they seem to have helped in a really high position, albeit he was second to their god of course. Allegro believed that this Lawgiver was the “‘Joshua/Jesus' of Last Days.” In the 1st century A.D., he was “being accorded semi-divine status, and that his role of Messiah, or Christ, was fully appreciated.” Allegro believed that the Teacher’s “own followers" didn't entirely comprehend "the implications of the nature and likely outcome" the Teacher’s “mission while he lived,” (pp. 92-93). Finally, Allegro said that the "Essene ‘Joshua/Jesus’, the Teacher of Righteousness," was "the real-life personality behind the New Testament Jesus of Nazareth.” In the Gnostic religion, this was Dositheus (p. 189). On another note, Allegro said that Jannaeus was the one that killed the Teacher/"'other Joshua/Jesus.'" Afterwards, the Teacher's followers retrieved his remains (p. 81).

With the present knowledge that we have now, it seems that the Teacher of Righteousness was a creation rather than a historical individual. However, the name "Joshua" still plays an important role in the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to Mitchell (2016), there is a "Josephite Messiah" prophesied to appear along with three other figures in the Scrolls. These figures are listed in the Scroll "4QTestimonia (4Q175)," which "is a polymessianic testimonium which presents four anticipated redeemer figures." These figures are "a prophet like Moses, a priest, a king, and a Joshua hero, son of Joseph." It seems that "the Judeans and Zadokites" of the first century A.D. "were hoping for a coming ruler called Joseph or Joshua." Joseph and Joshua are names of "Ephraimite patriarchs, not Judahites. They were the forefathers of the hated Samaritans, not of the Jews." And yet, the Judeans called their sons these two names a lot along with the name Jacob/James. Jacob/James was the name of the founder of Israel (p. 103). Mitchell hypothesizes that the Jews and Zadokites called themselves Joseph and Jesus in hopes that one of their sons would be the coming savior. An example of this is the James ossuary (pp. 103-104). As for the Jesus Christ of the gospels, Mitchell said that Jesus being the son of Joseph, or "'Bar Joseph,'" would equate him to being "the Ephraimite Messiah." The Gospel of John seems to indicate this the best (p. 119). Interestingly, Mitchell noted that Jesus "never called himself David's son," and the Gospel of John stated that Jesus wasn't born in David's town (pp. 118-119). Jesus was also called a Samaritan in the gospel, and Jesus never denied it (p. 119). The Messiah ben Joseph was a Galilean Messiah (Synopsis) who comes from Galilee to die “at the gate of Jerusalem.” His death “confounds Satan, atones for sins, and abolished death itself. And then he is raised to life again,” (p. 1). This messiah is found in the Scrolls 4Q372, and presumably 4Q521 (p. 103). Doesn't this messiah, or messiahs, sound familiar? Having this Josephite messiah being a Galilean one makes a lot of sense, since Jesus is a Galilean (Mark 1:9) (Luke 1:26-38), dies for our sins, and comes back to life. 

In Numbers 13:8, Hoshea son of Nun was from the tribe of Ephraim. In 1 Kings 12, when the sons of Israel split from the sons of Judah, Jeroboam became the king of Israel. King Rehoboam stayed the king of Judah. King Jeroboam lived "in the hill country of Ephraim," and "built Shechem" there. He seems to have established the worship of two golden calves in Shechem too (1 Kings 12:16-20, and 25-28). Encyclopaedia Britannica said that Ephraim was one of the tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They, along with nine other tribes, are the ten lost tribes of Israel (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ten Lost Tribes of Israel). Their ancestor, also called Ephraim, was a son of Joseph (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ephraim, para. 1). In Genesis 41, the two sons of Joseph are Manasseh and Ephraim (Genesis 41:50-52). 

The "Egyptian" seems to have portrayed himself as a reincarnated Joshua son of Nun. According to Eisler (1931), the "Egyptian" "promised that the walls of Jerusalem would fall before him, as those of Jericho had once fallen before Joshua." As a result, the "Egyptian" "must have given himself out as the returning 'Jesus,'" (p. 583). Brandon (1967) said the "Egyptian Jew" acted "like a second Joshua," proclaiming "that the city's walls would fall at his command and that he would lead his followers in to slaughter the Roman garrison," (pp. 110-111). Lendering (2001) said:

"Like Theudas, the Egyptian prophet took Joshua (the man who made the walls of Jericho fall; Joshua 6.20) as an example. The Roman governor was rightly alarmed: like Joshua and Moses, the Egyptian claimed to lead the Jews to a promised land without enemies. This was clearly a messianic claim, even though Josephus does not mention it," 
                                                                (Comment [Livius]).

In Acts 21:38 (Interlinear), the "Egyptian" is a leader of the assassins called "Sikarion." According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the "Sicarii (Greek sikarioi, 'dagger men')" were "Extremists among the Zealots turned to terrorism and assassination." The Zealots were a "member of a Jewish sect noted for its uncompromising opposition to pagan Rome and the polytheism it professed." It has been noted that "A few scholars see a possible relationship between the Zealots and the Jewish religious community mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Zealot). Brandon (1967) said that the people of Qumran were probably Essenes, and that Jesus might've had a connection with the zealots and Essenes since he did not condemn them (p. 327; note 2). The gospels also tried to hide the fact that some of Jesus' disciples were Zealots (p. 324). Finally, the reason why Jesus was killed was for sedition (pp. 328 and 330). Allegro (1979) said that some of the "Essene factions," and the Zealots, had "close links" (pp. 188-189). Acharya S (1999) said that Jesus was a Zealot. Jesus' disciples were Zealots as well. She also quoted the Church Father Origen, who said that "'the' Zealots were a branch that broke off the Essenes," (pp. 211-212 [Ch. 19]). Price (2003) stated that multiple scholars have concluded that Qumran was the home of the Zealots, and he said that there might not even be a difference between the Zealots and Essenes (p. 104). Essentially, the "Egyptian" was an Essene! The Essenes were also the Zealots, or some of them were.

The Essenes expected a hero named Joshua the son of Joseph. This was the Messiah of Ephraim. Perhaps they saw Jesus/"Egyptian" as a reincarnated Joshua? I believe that Jesus/"Egyptian" saw himself as that character. This helps to explain why he's called Ieushuo in the New Testament. We've come full circle now.

Links:
Graetz (1893 [2009 edition]) (Vol. 2, p. 26):

https://books.google.com/books?id=pnMtoAjig7wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=assyrian+%22aschai%22+community&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-mYjiz6GBAxXpEFkFHWUrBYMQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=Aschai&f=false

Baldwin, Cradock, and Jow (1880) (Vol. 114-115, p. 123):

https://books.google.com/books?id=oSqgAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA123&dq=ashai+jesus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiU6JqKqqf9AhVoGFkFHQ5XAdEQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=ashai%20jesus&f=false
Acts 14 International Congress of Orientalists (1938) (Vol. 19, p. 512 [Italian]):

https://books.google.com/books?id=jBQ_AQAAIAAJ&q=assidei-animi&dq=assidei-animi&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKteTJr8b-AhWsD1kFHTj6A6UQ6AF6BAgMEAM#assidei-animi

Silver (2017) (P. 190):

https://books.google.com/books?id=VkxmEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA190&dq=essene+word+origin&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJkYS91KKEAxU0FlkFHeIuA2A4ChDoAXoECAUQAw#v=onepage&q=essene%20word%20origin&f=false
Mansur (1964) (P. 216):

https://books.google.com/books?id=exAVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA126&dq=essene+word+origin&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUi_360qKEAxVgEFkFHYywBxMQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=essene%20word%20origin&f=false
Allegro (1979) (P. 120):

https://books.google.com/books?id=zpP7xGOaV2AC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Essaioi&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwii8PHqqMeEAxWDElkFHTO4CacQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Essaioi&f=false
-V2:

https://avalonlibrary.net/ebooks/John%20Allegro%20-%20The%20Dead%20Sea%20Scrolls%20and%20the%20Christian%20Myth.pdf

Luke 4:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/4.htm
Josephus. The Jewish War. Book 2. Ch. 8:

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/war-2.html
Matthew 17:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/17.htm

Jewish Virtual Library. Minor Sects:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/minor-sects

The Nazarene Way. Nazarene or Nazareth?: The Essenes, the Nazarenes:

-Nazoreans and Ossaeans:

https://www.essene.com/B%27nai-Amen/NasaraeansAndOssaeans.htm
Acts 24:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/24.htm
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mount Carmel:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Carmel-mountain-ridge-Israel

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Galilee:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Galilee-region-Israel
Mark 1:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/1.htm
Mark 2:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/2.htm

Jewish Virtual Library. Teacher of Righteousness:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/teacher-of-righteousness

VanderKam and Flint (2005) (P. 322): 

 https://books.google.com/books?id=SBMXnB4CRpUC&pg=PA322&dq=essene+teacher+of+righteousness+died+in+65+BC&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwilxb2ljPGGAxWfFFkFHeMfB_QQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=essene%20teacher%20of%20righteousness%20died%20in%2065%20BC&f=false
Wilson (2017) (Part II: The Dead Sea Scrolls 1947-1969: The Scrolls from the Dead Sea 1955, Ch. 5: What Would Renan Have Said? [p. 6]):

https://books.google.com/books?id=dCsxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT150&dq=essene+teacher+of+righteousness+died+in+65+BC&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjz7JyxivGGAxVxFFkFHYhjAGIQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=essene%20teacher%20of%20righteousness%20died%20in%2065%20BC&f=false

Dimont (2014) (Section 15):

Matthew 26:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/26.htm
Schonfield (1974) (The Nazorean Scribes):

https://books.google.com/books?id=yQP8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT320&dq=Jesus+Jessaeans&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjD--Gds_CGAxXFFFkFHXXXCwIQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=Jesus%20Jessaeans&f=false

Feather (2005) (Ch. 6. The Archaeological Evidence for Jesus' Life):

https://books.google.com/books?id=_VkoDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=jesus+at+qumran&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiF4JrmvPOGAxUfFlkFHd7wCdIQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=jesus%20at%20qumran&f=false

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Qumran:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Qumran

Wise (1999):

https://archive.org/details/firstmessiahinve0000wise/mode/1up?view=theater

Kim (2014) (Ch. 1, p. 1):
https://books.google.com/books?id=HI1_AwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=jesus+the+zadokite&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjfnOvkyrGIAxWWEVkFHSrmMdEQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=jesus%20the%20zadokite&f=false

Acharya S (1999 [2012 edition]) (Ch. 19):
https://books.google.com/books?id=yYlXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT328&dq=jesus+the+zadokite+acharya+s&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig1PalzLGIAxVQFlkFHdcuI8oQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=jesus%20the%20zadokite%20acharya%20s&f=false

-Date:
https://books.google.com/books?id=KnIYRi3upbEC&dq=jesus+the+zadokite+acharya+s&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig1PalzLGIAxVQFlkFHdcuI8oQ6AF6BAgIEAI

-V2 (P. 207 for Ch. 19):

https://archive.org/details/acharya-s.-the-christ-conspiracy-the-greatest-story-ever-sold_202308/page/321/mode/1up?view=theater

-V3:

https://issuu.com/giulianovalverde/docs/acharya_s_-_the_christ_conspiracy

Ezekiel 44:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/ezekiel/44.htm

John 8:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/8.htm

Luke 3:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/3.htm

Bible Hub. Topic Bible: Asmoneans:

https://biblehub.com/topical/a/asmoneans.htm

1 Maccabees 2 (NRSVUE):

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Maccabees%202&version=NRSVUE

Bible Hub. Topical Bible. Assidaeans:

https://biblehub.com/topical/a/assidaeans.htm

Bible Hub. Topical Bible: Pharisees:

https://biblehub.com/topical/p/pharisees.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Hasidean:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hasidean

Bible Hub. Topical Bible: Hasidaeans:

https://biblehub.com/topical/h/hasidaeans.htm

Nitzan (2008; in Reventlow and Hoffman, 2008) (PP. 85-87):

https://books.google.com/books?id=xrmoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA86&dq=%C2%A0Hasideans+zadokites&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPgbjGioiJAxUZFVkFHfaGB6QQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=%C2%A0Hasideans%20zadokites&f=false

1 Chronicles 11:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/1_chronicles/11.htm

Jewish Virtual Library. Ancient Jewish History: The Two Kingdoms of Israel:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-two-kingdoms-of-israel
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ebionite:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ebionites
Theiring (1992) (P. 63):

https://archive.org/details/jesusman0000thie/page/63/mode/1up?q=Miriam+Essene
Harwood (2001) (P. 656):

https://books.google.com/books?id=FLotDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA707&dq=The+Protestant+Bible+Correctly+Translated%0D%0ABy+William+Harwood+essene&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiv6P3FkvKIAxWPF1kFHX2YKksQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=The%20Protestant%20Bible%20Correctly%20Translated%20%20By%20William%20Harwood%20essene&f=false

Eisenman (1998) (Ch. 11: James' Vegetarianism, Abstention from Blood, and Consuming No Wine: The Sons or Daughters of the Rechabites as High Priests [p. 2]):

https://books.google.com/books?id=XhJcW8h2BlMC&pg=PT360&dq=ebionim+qumran&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDguih84eNAxWkL1kFHYlaNR0Q6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=ebionim%20qumran&f=false

Lapham (2003) (P. 29):

https://books.google.com/books?id=Rmg8CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29&dq=ebionim+qumran&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDguih84eNAxWkL1kFHYlaNR0Q6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=ebionim%20qumran&f=false
Seccombe (2022) (P. 26):

https://books.google.com/books?id=1ah2EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&dq=ebionim+qumran&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDguih84eNAxWkL1kFHYlaNR0Q6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=ebionim%20qumran&f=false
Fritsch (1972) (P. 112):

https://books.google.com/books?id=KDGl6jGzeOAC&pg=PA112&dq=Dr+J+L+Teicher+Jesus+Teacher+of+Righteousness&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj9t8fg4IaNAxWBEVkFHbUxIrkQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Dr%20J%20L%20Teicher%20Jesus%20Teacher%20of%20Righteousness&f=false
2 Corinthians 11:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/2_corinthians/11.htm
Burr (1879):

https://books.google.com/books?id=XgcZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP9&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1#v=onepage&q=Those%20initiated%20in%20the%20sacred%20mysteries&f=false

-Author’s name:
https://books.google.com/books?id=4d0qvgAACAAJ&dq=Revelations+of+Antichrist,+Concerning+Christ+and+Christianity&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjj2qay9oqOAxXMjokEHTi4NygQ6AF6BAgEEAM

Eusebius. Church History. Book 2:

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250102.htm
Larson (1980):

https://archive.org/details/essenechristianf0000lars/page/154/mode/2up?q=teacher+righteousness+Yeshu&view=theater
John 9:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/9.htm
Hyan Maccoby. The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity (1986):
https://archive.org/details/B-001-001-718
Tabor (12/29/15):
https://jamestabor.com/ebionites-nazarenes-tracking-the-original-followers-of-jesus/

Waltke (2007) (PP. 563-564 note 8): 

https://books.google.com/books?id=G9kSn8K1IywC&pg=PA564&dq=Qumran+Netzer+1QH&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0zdSnrb2PAxX6FlkFHTRPA0YQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=Qumran%20Netzer%201QH&f=false

Coloe (2014; in Burkett, 2014) (P. 76): 

https://books.google.com/books?id=iZV4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA76&dq=Qumran+Netzer&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1h_-brL2PAxXuFFkFHSe5A8MQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=Qumran%20Netzer&f=false

Leske (2009; in McNicol et al., 2009) (P. 80): 

https://books.google.com/books?id=ofDTAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA78&dq=Teacher+of+righteousness+a+Levite&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS-devmIiJAxU5ElkFHRmpICQQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Teacher%20of%20righteousness%20a%20Levite&f=false

Isaiah 60:21 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/isaiah/60-21.htm
Mathew 2:23 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/2-23.htm
Acts 24:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/24.htm
Acts 24:5 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/24-5.htm

Tabor (2007) (P. 55):

-Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/JESUS-100-B-C-Michael-Thomas/dp/1456718444

Luke 1:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/1.htm
Toledot Yeshu (Meerson and Schafer, 2014 edition). Volume 1:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Toledot_Yeshu_The_Life_Story_of_Jesus/81hHsItgjqIC?hl=en

Quran (Khattab translation) (Surah 19. Maryam. 19:28):

https://quran.com/19
Nehemiah 11:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/nehemiah/11.htm

Charlesworth et al., (1995) (Vol. 2):

https://books.google.com/books?id=TDPuIdnZOncC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Belial+Dead+sea+scrolls&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi7k7Dk04aJAxWIFlkFHe9DJ04Q6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=Belial%20Dead%20sea%20scrolls&f=false

John 12:36 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/12-36.htm

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_thessalonians/5-5.htm

Johnson (2022; in Geyser-Fouche and Collins, 2022) (P. 336): 

Wacholder (1999) (P. 75 [Snippet only]).
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23508867 
Steinmeyer (2025):

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/a-dead-sea-scrolls-mystery/
Harkins (2017; in Feldman et al., 2017) (PP. 504 and p. 508): 

https://books.google.com/books?id=ENckDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA504&dq=Teacher+of+righteousness+not+historical&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwia1bv-3vyPAxW1GlkFHWBGMNwQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Teacher%20of%20righteousness%20not%20historical&f=false
Harkins (2012; in Mason et al., 2012) (P. 464): 

https://books.google.com/books?id=aLc4--DQ9v4C&pg=PR7&dq=A+teacher+for+all+generations+harkins+teacher+of+righteousness&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjkrdjz1fyPAxUwD1kFHdqvPHEQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=A%20teacher%20for%20all%20generations%20harkins%20teacher%20of%20righteousness&f=false
Pardo (2008):

https://biblicalstudies.gospelstudies.org.uk/pdf/dss_pardo.pdf

Acharya S (1999):

https://books.google.com/books?id=yYlXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT399&dq=Iusa+egypt&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjr3oGdx5-PAxXfKlkFHaFgM7UQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Iusa%20egypt&f=false

-V2:

https://archive.org/details/acharya-s.-the-christ-conspiracy-the-greatest-story-ever-sold_202308/page/321/mode/1up?view=theater

Mitchell (2016):

https://books.google.com/books?id=KpxGDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=David+C.+Mitchell+Messiah+ben+Joseph&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjRi6mvs_-PAxUjEGIAHc4dIMAQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=David%20C.%20Mitchell%20Messiah%20ben%20Joseph&f=false
Numbers 13:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/numbers/13.htm

1 Kings 12:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/1_kings/12.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ten Lost Tribes of Israel:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ten-Lost-Tribes-of-Israel
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ephraim:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ephraim-Jewish-tribe
Genesis 41:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/genesis/41.htm

Eisler (1931):

https://archive.org/details/themessiahjesusand/page/n17/mode/1up
Lendering (2001). Livius:

https://www.livius.org/articles/religion/messiah/messianic-claimant-10-the-egyptian-prophet/

Acts 21:38 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/21-38.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Zealot:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zealot
Price (2003) (P. 104):

https://books.google.com/books?id=GmlB-KXsX8kC&pg=PA102&dq=John+the+Baptist+Oannes+Mandaeans&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjflZqVpoGQAxXIMlkFHUd2M98Q6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=John%20the%20Baptist%20Oannes%20Mandaeans&f=false

Brandon (1967):

https://archive.org/details/jesuszealotsstud00bran/mode/2up

Freke and Gandy (2001) (P. 12):
https://books.google.com/books?id=swM_6ufZ2P4C&pg=PA12&dq=therapeutae+jesus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZyrfAkv-PAxVjEmIAHab9MG0Q6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=therapeutae%20jesus&f=false

Theiring (1979):

https://archive.org/details/redatingteachero0000thie/mode/1up

Acts 24:

-24:14 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/24-14.htm

-24:22 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/24-22.htm

Acts 26:10 (Interlinear): 

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/26-10.htm

1 Peter 2:17 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_peter/2-17.htm

James 5:19 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/james/5-19.htm

Acts 3:14 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/3-14.htm

2 Corinthians 6:15:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/2_corinthians/6.htm

Mark 1:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/1.htm

Luke 1:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/1.htm


1.8. The "Egyptian":
It's time to return to Josephus in order to understand who the "Egyptian" was. In his books The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus said that Nero became emperor in 54 A.D. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 20 Ch. 8:1-2). He put three people in charge of certain territories. Aristobulus was put in charge of Armenia, and Agrippa ruled Tiberias and Taricheae of Galilee (Ch. 8:4). Felix was made procurator "over the rest of Judea," (The Jewish War, Book 2 Ch. 13:2). The Jews became more rebellious by the day, resulting in the rise of robbers (Antiquity of the Jews, Book 20 Ch. 8:5). 
Felix crucified many of them, but in their wake sprang the Sicarii. They were known for hiding "daggers under their garments, with which they stabbed those that were their enemies." They committed these actions at festivals, and they hid among the people present there (The Jewish War, Book 2 Ch. 13:2-3). Sounds like Assassin's Creed! In 55 A.D., a group of people whom Josephus seems to call "impostors" gained many followers (Antiquity of the Jews, Book 20 Ch. 8:6) (The Jewish War, Book 2 Ch. 13:4). They led their followers into the wilderness, and "would perform manifest wonders and signs, that should be performed by the provenance of God," (Antiquity of the Jews, Book 20 Ch. 8:6). Josephus said that these imposters "deceived and deluded the people under pretence of divine inspiration, but were for procuring innovations and changes of the government." Felix had his hands full capturing them  (The Jewish War, Book 2 Ch. 13:4). Then, the "Egyptian" "came out of Egypt, about this time, to Jerusalem." He said that "he was a prophet" (Antiquity of the Jews, Book 20 Ch. 8:6). He "got together thirty thousand men that were deluded by him: these he led round about from the wilderness to the mount which was called the Mount of Olives," (The Jewish War, Book 2 Ch. 13:5). He then stated that "at his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall down," (Antiquity of the Jews, Book 20 Ch. 8:6). He wanted to invade Jerusalem, and take it over by force! Felix led an army out to combat the Egyptian, and a fight broke out. Amongst the chaos, the "Egyptian" and some of his followers escaped. The rest of his army was either killed, or taken captive (The Jewish War, Book 2 Ch. 13:5). Four hundred of the "Egyptian's" followers were killed, and another two hundred of them were taken away. Josephus said that the Egyptian wasn't seen again (Antiquity of the Jews, Book 20 Ch. 8:6). 

The "Egyptian" in Antiquity of the Jews (Book 20 Ch. 8:6):
The "Egyptian" in The Jewish War (Book 2 Ch. 13:5):
Now, Jesus was called a prophet (Matthew 13:57; 21:11) (John 9:17), he said that the Jewish temple will be brought down (Matthew 24:1-2) (Mark 13:1-2), and he went to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:3) (Luke 22:39) (Mark 13:3) (John 8:1) and even had a large crowd around him there when he entered the Jerusalem Temple (Matthew 21:1-11) (Luke 19:29 and 37-38). He went to the Mount of Olives regularly (Luke 22:39). During Jesus' arrest at Gethsemane, Judas brought the "Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees" who confronted Jesus and his disciples with weapons. Peter used his sword to cut off the ear of "the high priest's slave" called Malchus (John 18:3 and 10). Jesus told Peter to stop his attack, and Jesus went away peacefully. His disciples ran away (Matthew 26:51-56). Luke even said that Jesus healed Malchus' ear (Luke 22:51).

The story of Jesus in the gospels does match the "Egyptian's" for the most part. The most obvious change is Jesus being arrested and killed while his disciples escape. The "Egyptian," and some of his followers, escaped while most of his followers were killed or locked up. Then again, one could say that Jesus' resurrection from the dead at the hands of the Romans is a nod to the fact that the "Egyptian" escaped being captured by them. However, there is another figure that could help raise the idea that Jesus wasn't actually crucified. The man named Barabbas, or Jesus Barabbas, was the man and robber that the Jews wanted released from prison instead of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:16 [Interlinear]; 27:11-26) (Einhorn, 2013, pp. 3 and 17). It has been noted in the past by some scholars that Jesus Christ and Jesus Barabbas could have been the same person (Einhorn, 2013, pp. 3 and 17). 
Also in John, Jesus said that he will rebuild the destroyed Jerusalem Temple in three days. Of course, this is turned into a metaphor for his crucifixion and resurrection (John 2:13-22). In my view, the "Egyptian" does meet the criteria for being the historical Jesus better than anyone else so far.

Links:
Josephus. The Jewish War. Book 2 Ch. 13. University of Chicago:

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/war-2.html
Josephus. Antiquity of the Jews. Book 20 Ch. 8. University of Chicago: 

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-20.html

Matthew 13:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/13.htm

Matthew 21:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/21.htm

Matthew 24:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/24.htm

Matthew 26:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/26.htm

Luke 19:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/19.htm

Luke 22:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/22.htm
Mark 13:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/13.htm
John 2:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/2.htm

John 8:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/8.htm

John 9:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/9.htm
John 18:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/18.htm

Matthew 27:16 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/27-16.htm

Matthew 27:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/27.htm

Einhorn (2012):

http://lenaeinhorn.se/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Jesus-and-the-Egyptian-Prophet-12.11.25.pdf


1.9. Conclusion:
To my surprise, a lot of the "historical references" that I thought supported the existence of the Jesus of the gospels are forgeries or wrongfully equated to him. The gospels, other supposed historical references, and dubious "holy relics" do not definitively prove the existence of Jesus Christ. Using what we know from The Babylonian Talmud, Toledot Yeshu, Celsus, Josephus, and Acts of the Apostles, we can pinpoint a historical person that best matches a historical Jesus: the "Egyptian." The "Egyptian" was an Essene.

Part 2: Jesus Christ as a God.

2.1. Which God was Jesus Christ?

Bacchus Richelieu (100/150 A.D.) (Louvre Collections, statue [Bacchus Richelieu]):
Dionysus is a Greek and Roman god (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dionysus, para. 1 and 6) (Coulter and turner, 2000 [2021 edition], p. 152), and the fact that Jesus has so much in common with him strikes me that the Romans turned him into a secondary Dionysus. Dionysus had different versions of his birth story, but his "birth by Semele, which is comparable to the circumstances surrounding Christ, Adonis, Moses, Perseus, and Llew Llaw," seems to point to Jesus being equated to Dionysus. This is probably how the Jesus Christ of the New Testament was created. In what seems to be the original story of Dionysus' birth, Zeus had sex with the human Semele. Long story short, Semele died after Hera told her to witness Zeus' glory. Zeus put the baby Dionysus in his "thigh and keeping him there until he reached maturity, so that he was twice born," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dionysus, para. 1-2, and 4). Sounds like the "being born again" speech as taught by Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3:3-10. Shaw (2024) gives a deeper description of Dionysus' birth, and resurrection. In the Orphic tradition, Zeus impregnates Persephone (his own daughter!), and she gives birth to Zagreus. Hera and the Titans conspire to kill Zagreus. Hera lures the child out, and the Titans kill Zagreus. He is torn into seven pieces, and eaten. Only his heart and limbs survive. Finding out about this horrific event, Zeus sends Athena to retrieve Zagreus' heart and Apollo to retrieve the limbs. Zeus killed the Titans, and then fell in love with the human Semele. Zeus put Zagreus' heart into Semele's womb. Here found out about the affair, and told Semele to look at Zeus' glory. Semele died, but Zeus took her child and put him in his thigh. The child was born from Zeus' thigh as Dionysus (Ch. 11. Theurgic and Tantric Deification: Dionysus and Shiva [pp. 3-4]). Zagreus'-Dionysus' death and resurrection sounds like the death and resurrection of Jesus (John 20:24-29).

Dionysus was "a god of the vine," and was associated with wine. Wine in Dionysus' religion, and specifically red wine, "symbolizes blood and sacrifice and youth and eternal life." As a result, Dionysus represented "the fertile energy of all growing things," (Coulter and turner, 2000 [2021 edition], p. 153). He also "apparently represented the sap, juice, or lifeblood element of nature," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dionysus, para. 3). Dio Nysus means "'Dios the Son,'" or "'Son of Zeus.'" Dios is Zeus (Cook, 1914, Vol. 1, p. 277). This means that Dionysus is "Dios-Zeus the Son!" In fact, Cook said that "Dionysos or Zagreus was in some sense Zeus reborn," (p. 647). 

Jesus also quotes Dionysus in the Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 26:14, the risen Jesus appears to Saul (soon to be called Paul) on the road to Damascus. Jesus says, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" (KJV) (YLT). This phrase came originally from Dionysus: "Better to yield in prayer and sacrifice than to kick against the pricks, since Dionyse is god, and thou but a mortal," (Eurypides, The Bacchae, p. 46). The only conclusion that I can come to is that the Bible is equating Jesus with Dionysus! It doesn't get any better from there! In Acts of the Apostles, Paul says a quote straight out of Aratus of Soli's The Phainomena. Paul said that the "poets" of Athens spoke about his god, in which "'We are all his offspring'" (Acts 17:22 and 28 [NIV] [KJB] [YLT]). Aratus in his poem said about Zeus, "We are his offspring" (The Phainomena, R. Brown translation, p. 13) (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Aratus, para. 2). The NIV translation of Acts 17 even stated that this phrase came straight out of Aratus' poem (Acts 17:28, note c)! Bacchus (Dionysus) was also the sun god, like Jesus (Rev. Taylor, 1833 [1996 edition], p. 43). Dunlap (1858) said that Dionysus, El, Jehova, Baal-Saturn, Bel-Mithra, Sol, Typhon, "the Tyrian Uso(v) (Mars)" who was called Chom in Egypt, and Vulkan-Vulcan-Hephaestus (Baal-Chon), were Malach-Moloch. "Molech was the sun," and "Saturn, Sol, and Mars," are the "Winter, Spring, and Summer Sun" (pp. 109-110). Finally, according to Kavanagh (1871), both Bacchus and Jesus are represented by the fish. The "monogram of the Savior" for Jesus is the same for Bacchus, meaning that Jesus and Bacchus are the Savior. In fact, "the Savior, the cycle, and the fish," are symbols of the sun and are identical for both Jesus and Bacchus. Kavanagh goes on the say that "Bacchus may well be regarded by all true Christians who believe in religious symbols, as a genuine type of the Founder of their holy religion," (p. 279). 

The crown of thorns, as well as the purple cloak that the Romans put on Jesus, also seem to have come from Dionysus. According to MacDonald (2017), during the trial of Jesus, a purple cloak called himation, and a crown of thorns, are put on him. This can be seen in the gospels. Dionysus is depicted wearing "a crown of ivy," and a himation, in artwork. Regarding the color purple, MacDonald states that it "was associated with the god of wine." For example, Dionysus wore a purple cloak in the Homeric Hymn to Dionysus (p. 91). It also seems that Jesus being called the "Son of God" in John 19:7 equates him to Dionysus as the son of Zeus in Bacchae 466-467 (p. 93). In summation, the crown of thorns and the purple himation are indicative of the god of wine (p. 115). Freke and Gandy (2001) also stated that Dionysus had a crown of ivy, and wore a purple cloak (Death of the Godman). An alternate explanation for the crown of thorns comes from Shaw (1904). He said that the crown of thorns came from "The sun-god of Autumn," representing "the idea of life and power." It later became known for "suffering and death" (p. 285). According to Brown (1877), the oracle of Apollo Klarios (or Clarius) stated that Adonis-Dionysus is the autumn sun (Vol. 1 pp. 46-47). Acharya S (1999) said that the crown of thorns, also called a "corona [...] or halo," belonged to the sun god (Ch. 11 [p. 8]). This can be seen in a relief of the sun god Helios.


Helios on his chariot (300-280 B.C.) (State Museums of Berlin) (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Helios):
Date of 300-280 B.C. comes from the University of Cambridge's Museum of Classical Archeology Databases.

In the relief, Helios is wearing a "disk (nimbus) with rays coming out of it," (University of Cambridge's 
Museum of Classical Archeology Databases, Temple of Athena at Ilion, Helios metope). It seems that the crown of thorns belongs to the sun god and Dionysus, which matches the fact that Dionysus was stated to be the sun in autumn. Not only that, but Dionysus and Helios were equated as the same god. Dunlap (1894 [1898 edition]) quotes Macrobius who said that "'Helios (the Sun) whom they call by the appellation Dionysus.'" Dunlap then states that Helios/the sun "is the Winter Sun, Dionysus, Saturn," (p. 74). The oracle of Apollo Klarios/Clarius stated that Adonis-Dionysus, Helios, Zeus, and Hades were the sun and the god Iao (Brown, 1877, Vol. 1 pp. 46-47). Iao (or Iaw) is the god of the Bible, Ea/Ieue. See my "The Demonic Deity Unveiled" and "Who is YHVH?" posts for more information. Dionysus-Helios had the crown of thorns, or nimbus with rays. Dionysus also had the purple cloak, or himation.


Mithras slaying the bull (2nd century) (The British Museum):
As for Jesus' birthday being on December 25th, it originally belonged to the god Mithras. It was also the "dies Natalis Invicti" ("birth of the sun"). Originally, Jesus' birthday was January 6th, but the Christian converts who originally worshipped the sun god seem to have celebrated Jesus' birthday on December 25th. This was to the dismay of the fourth-century Church Fathers though (Halsberghe, 1972 [2015 edition], pp. 120, 159, and 174). Hyde (1946) also said that Jesus' birthday was originally January 6th, but was moved to December 25th. Mithra's birthday was December 25th. "Many Christians opposed" this, including Church Fathers like Tertullian and Augustine. However, the Roman Church officially changed the date to December 25th in 353-354 A.D. Some Christians accepted this, like St. Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzen (pp. 250-251). January 6th, on the other hand, were sacred to "the priests of both Osiris and Dionysus" in which "the sacred waters were blessed" by them (p. 251). Bacon (1915) said that January 6th was the Epiphany of Dionysus, but was also the first date of the Nativity. Later on, the Nativity was celebrated on December 25th (in The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 8 pp. 108 and 110). Chacko (2022) said that Dionysus' feast was on "January 5-6," and "Christ's Baptism at his epiphany" was celebrated on January 6th by the "early church." There is also a "tradition" that places the wedding at Cana on January 6th (p. 165 note 285). The wedding is where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-12). We already know that Dionysus was the god of wine. Mithra was also the Indo-Iranian "god of light," and the sun god. His cult was also the "chief rival" to Christianity. Mithras was also the "Greek sun god Helios, and the Roman Sol Invictus," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Mithras, para. 1 and 3). These are more facts that link Jesus Christ to Dionysus-Helios. 

Tammuz (1,500 B.C.) (Staatliche Museum zu Berlin) (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Tammuz):

Dumuzi is an interesting deity. His name was spelled as Dumuzi-Abzu (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dumuzi-Abzu), and Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana). 
Dumuzi-Abzu was both a goddess, and a god. In Eridu, he was the son of Enki/Ea and the god of the Steppe (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dumuzi-Abzu). Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana was the Dumuzi of the Steppe, and the "young bridegroom" of Inanna-Ishtar (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana). Dumuzi was also called Tammuz. The spelling of the name Tammuz was based on the "early Sumerian Damu-zid," which later became "Dumu-zid or Dumuzi." Tammuz was the son of Enki, and married to Inanna. He was the god of "new life in nature in the spring," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Tammuz, para. 1-2, and 4). I'll just call him Dumuzi. Dumuzi is a dying-and-rising god. He even had a dream about his death in the "'Dumuzi's Dream'" text. Although he tried to fight it, his death was inevitable. In the "'Descent of Inanna,'" Tammuz spends "half the year among the living," and the other half in the netherworld. Originally, Inanna was in the netherworld. However, Inanna asks Dumuzi to take her place (para. 6). The main cause of his death was "at the hands of demons from the netherworld." The god was lamented during the celebrations of his death. This happened between spring, or summer (para. 5). Another god Dumuzi was equated to was Damu (para. 9). Coulter and Turner (2000 [2013 edition]) also said that Dumu-zi, Dumuziapsu, Damu, and Tammuz, were Dumuzi. Dumuzi was also the son of Ea, represented by the bull, and was brought down to the underworld and killed by the demons (p. 158).

I must admit that I encountered this god a lot, but didn't think too much of him before. Now, I must add him to the list because he answers another piece of the Jesus puzzle. Dumuzi had three main female supporters: his "devoted sister Gestinanna, his wife Inanna, and his mother Ninsun. The three women are depicted "surrounding" the "dying Dumuzi," (Coulter and Turner, 2000 [2013 edition], p. 158). This reminds me of Jesus' female followers at his death, and resurrection. For example, in Mark, there are three women who see the empty tomb: Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James. Interestingly, this happened when the sun rose (Mark 16:1-2). During Jesus' crucifixion, there seems to be three or four women present in John: Mary (Jesus' mom), "His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene." I don't know if Mary's sister is Mary the wife of Clopas, so I'll say that three-four women were there (John 19:25 [NASB]). The BSB version of this passage has four women present, so I'll go with four women (John 19:25 [BSB]). The other gospels have a different count for how many women were present at Jesus' death, and resurrection. 

Compared to other dying-and-rising gods, Dumuzi (or as Tammuz) was equated to Adonis (Coulter and Turner, 2000 [2013 edition], p. 158) (Claus, 1972, Vol. 4 p. 46) (Langdon, 1931 [1964 reprint], pp. 51-52) (Bremmer, 2019, p. 293-294) (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Adonis, para. 2) (Hewitt, 1901, p. 29), Melkart (Langdon, 1931 [1964 reprint], pp. 51-52) (Claus, 1972, Vol. 4 p. 46), Marduk (Brown, 1899, Vol. 1 p. 231) (Langdon, 1931 [1964 reprint], pp. 51-52) (Hommel, 1897, p. 68), and Itanos/Tan who later became Zeus (Hewitt, 1901, p. 29). Adonis, in particular, spends half the year with Aphrodite (Ishtar), and the rest of the year in the underworld. Interestingly, Adonis was killed by a boar (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Adonis, para. 1). Elyon was also killed by a boar, and was Adonis (Langdon, 1931 [1964 reprint], p. 66) (L'Heureux, 1979 [2019 edition], p. 44). It should be noted that Melchizedek was a "priest of El Elyon," (Genesis 14:28 [Interlinear]):

Langdon (1931 [1964 reprint]) said that El was Adonis (pp. 66-67). Once again, this helps to explain Jesus Christ as a dying-and-rising god. Itanos'/Tan's mother was "Brito-martis the virgin (martis) cypress tree (berut)." She was also the mother of Adonis (Phoenician), Tammuz (Hebrew), and Dumu-zi (Akkadian) (Hewitt, 1901, p. 29). Adonis was also Dionysus (Brown, 1877, Vol. 1 p. 47). Ausonius, who seems to have been channeling Dionysus (maybe as a prophet), quotes the deity saying that he was Bacchus, Osiris, Phanax, Dionysus, Liber, and Adonis. Blavatsky said that Dionysus was also Adoni (Adonay), and Iah-Jehovah (Ie-Ieue) (Blavatsky, 1891, Vol. 2 p. 302). Dumuzi, Ea/Ieue, El Elyon, Adonis, and Dionysus were all the same god!

As for Dumuzi's connection to Ea/Ieue (also called Enlil/'l), the god of the Bible, according to Maranz (2023) (preprint), the "E" in Ea's name is "I3." This represents the number 4. Tammuz (Dumuzi) is d4, and Ea is d40. Together, they make the name "I3.A"/"'I.A." Both Ea and Tammuz were also symbolized by the ram (pp. 22-23; p. 23 note 38). Marduk was also syncretized to Dumuzi in Babylon (p. 33). Brown (1899) also said that Tammuz (Dumuzi) was associated with the ram (Vol. 1 pp. 54 and 198). Dumuzi is Ea! This also means that Elyon-Adonis was Ea/Ieue as well. Since Jesus was the son of Ea/Ieue in Christianity, this equates Jesus to Dumuzi. For more info. on Ieue (YHVH) being Ea, check out my "The Demon Deity Unveiled," and "Who is YHVH?," posts.

Finally, Tammuz (Dumuzi) was weeped for in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8:14), and worshipped in Bethlehem (Ball, 2016, p. 491). As if there wasn't enough evidence to link Jesus Christ to Dumuzi already...

Archangel Michael in The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Luca Giordano (1666) (Wikipedia, Michael [archangel]):
Jesus was the sun god. As an angel, this would equate him to the Archangel Michael. The Archangel Michael represents the sun, and every other sun god (Archangels and Angels, Archangel Michael-Angelic and Planetary Symbols). Michael also sits on the right side of the Jewish god (Jewish Encyclopedia, Michael, Michael and Gabriel, para. 1-2). Jesus said that he will "sit on the right hand of power/power of God" (Matthew 26:63-64) (Luke 22:69) (Mark 14:62). In Mark 16:19, the risen Jesus "was received up into heaven and sat down on the right hand of God." Steven saw the risen Jesus "standing on the right hand of God," (Acts 7:54-55). Jesus also equates himself with light. He calls himself "the light of the world" (John 8:12), and equates himself with light in other passages (John 12:35-36 and 46-50). The Urantia Book said that Jesus was Michael of Nebadon, and he created our universe (Paper 33:3.2 [368.2]; Paper 120:0.2 [1323.2] and 120:0.9 [1325.2]). Hannah (1999) stated one particular link Jesus has to Michael that interested me the most. Christ, he said, "taken over Michael's role as leader of the heavenly hosts--he also possesses the divine Name as Michael does in II En. 69.13-25." Christ was also probably linked to the Exodus angel since he has the "ineffable name of God" on his diadem (p. 145). Some Christians have even agreed that Michael and Jesus could be the same individual. The Seventh-day Adventist Church Biblical Research Institute said that "So even though the Bible does not clearly identify Michael with Christ, there is enough biblical information to warrant the view that they are the same person," (The Seventh-day Adventist Church Biblical Research Institute, Is Michael another name for Jesus?, para. 8). The Gnostics equated Jesus to Michael as well (Blavatsky, 1910, Vol. 2 p. 452). Being the sun also equates Michael to Dionysus.


Gold-plated silver figure of Amun-Ra (The British Museum):

Jesus was also "Jupiter Ammon"/"Jupiter-Ammon," according to Rev. Taylor (1833 [1996 edition]). Rev. Taylor also said that "both Jupiter, Ammon, and God Ammon, and Jesus Christ, Amen, are personifications of the Sun, who is Jupiter, in the Spring; Christ, in Summer; Jesus, in Autumn; and Amen, in Winter," (p. 276). Ammon is Amen, and saying the name of this god at the end of our prayers equates him to Jesus. In fact, Ammon is one of Jesus' names (p. 187). In other words, Jesus is Zeus! Adonis-Dionysus was also the Autumn sun (Brown, 1877, Vol. 1 p. 47). Remember that the Nazorean/Nazarean Essenes called themselves "B'nai Amen (Children of God)." Amen-Ammon is their god. In Revelations 3, Amen is an actual entity. He is "the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the Creation of God." Amen is talking to John here. He also said that he "sat with My Father on His Throne," (Revelation 3:14 and 21). However, John called Jesus the "faithful witness" (Revelation 1:5). It seems that Amen is the one who appeared to John at the beginning of Revelation. Amen said that he "was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore," (Revelation 1:18). Jesus also sat on the right hand of God, as we've stated before. He also died, and rose from the dead. There can only be one solution here: Amen, or Jupiter-Ammon, IS Jesus Christ!


Another god that we can equate to Jesus is Seth/Set. The "Alexamenos Graffito," which is graffiti, showcases a man worshipping a crucified man on a T-shaped cross. The crucified man is wearing the head of a donkey. It dates to the second-third century A.D. (Yarbrough, 2015; in Yarbrough, 2015, pp. 231-233), or 200 A.D. (University of Chicago, Encyclopaedia Romana: Notae: Gladiators: Graffiti: Alexamenos Graffito). Interestingly, this graffiti is "The earliest representation of the Crucifixion" (University of Chicago, Encyclopaedia Romana: Notae: Gladiators: Graffiti: Alexamenos Graffito).


Alexamenos graffito/Graffiti (Yarbrough, 2015; in Yarbrough, 2015, pp. 232):

The donkey is the symbol of the Egyptian god Seth. According to Blavatsky (1891), in the 2nd century BC, it was said that the Jews had a "'golden head of an ass'" in their temple. Antiochus Epiphanes took it away. According to The Gospel of the Birth of Mary, an introduction to said gospel had Zacharias (father of John the Baptist) seeing a "man in the form of an ass" in the Jewish temple. Zacharias tried to tell everybody, but he lost his voice. When he regained it, he told the other Jews but this led to him getting murdered by them. The ass (donkey) is associated with the Egyptian god Set or Seth, who is the same Seth that was the third son of Adam (p. 523; notes) (The Gospel of the Birth of Mary [Platt, Jr., 1926 translation, p. 17]) (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Seth, para. 3) (Genesis 4:25). Wake (1888) stated this too, saying that the Semites, who are the descendants of Shem, one of the three sons of Noah (Genesis 10:1, 21-31 [BSB] [NIV]), saw themselves as the descendants of Seth (both the god and the son of Adam). Seth was also a solar deity, and the "kings and priests" that worshipped him called themselves "'children of the sun'." In fact, Seth was a "serpent sun-god" (pp. 99-100). Jesus said that anybody who believes in the light (him) will become "children of light," or "sons of Light" (John 12:36 [NIV] [NASB]). This is interesting because the Sons of Light are mentioned in "The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness" scroll from the Qumran Essene sect. To quote from the Encyclopaedia Britannica article on the subject, "The Essenes thought themselves to be the holy elect of Israel, the Sons of Light, who would at the end of time engage in a catastrophic war with the enemies of Israel, the Sons of Darkness," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness, para. 1). This adds more evidence that Jesus was an Essene, and the sun god. Jesus also rode on a donkey during the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11). 

The cross can also tell us which god was Jesus as well. For instance, one of the symbols for Anum (Uranus) is the Maltese Cross (Smith, 1876, p. 54) (Laughlin, 1900; in The Open Court, Vol. 14, p. 235) (Rev. Fradenburgh, 1893; in Whedon, 1883, p. 114). The Maltese cross was worn by Assyrian kings (Laughlin, 1900; in The Open Court, Vol. 14, p. 235). It was also the symbol of the Knights/Order of St. John (Gainesville.org, The Maltese Cross) (Sovereign Order of Malta, The Eight-Pointed Cross, para. 1), and it was used during the Crusades. It is currently used as a symbol for firefighters (Gainesville.org, The Maltese Cross). The cross has "eight points symbolizing the eight Beatitudes to Saint Matthew and the eight virtues that a member must possess," (Sovereign Order of Malta, The Eight-Pointed Cross, para. 4). Laughlin said that the "equilateral Pre-Christian cross" might've had a different origin from the crosses of other deities, but the four corners of the cross in general are for "mapping out thereby the four quarters of the universe" and "sun worship appears from the fact that the solar disk is frequently inserted in the four corners, to designate the rising sun, the midday sun, the setting sun, and the invisible sun in the realm of the dead," (Laughlin, 1900; in The Open Court, Vol. 14, pp. 235-237). As for the "equilateral cross with dots on its four corners," it was a symbol of Hathor (p. 237). In Greece, the cross was also "on the dresses of various deities, such as Aphrodite and Dionysos," (p. 239). It is said that Constantine saw the cross in the sky before his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge. This led him to "adopt Christian beliefs" (Ryan, 2022, para. 2, and 4-6). The Assyrians reported seeing crosses in the sky too, and it they said it represented "divine protection" (Laughlin, 1900; in The Open Court, Vol. 14, p. 235). Looks like Jesus was Anum/Uranus as well. This makes sense, since Anum was "the Assyrian Zeus" (Rev. Fradenburgh, 1893; in Whedon, 1883, p. 114). It is also noteworthy that the cross was associated with Dionysus too.

The Assyrian cross in the sky (left), and the Maltese Cross of Anum on an Assyrian priest (right) (Laughlin, 1900; in The Open Court, Vol. 14, p. 235):
Vision of the Cross (Vatican Museums, Museums: Raphael's Rooms: Vision of the Cross):

Dumuzi and Anum were also equated on the "reverse" side of the tablets O 175/Ra 16 145, and AO 17626 (RA 41 31) (Livingstone, 1986, pp. 187, 194, and 198-199). On the Shorter An = Anum list, Damu, who seems to be similar or identical to Dumuzi, is equated to Anum as "dDamudAnum" (Lambert and Winters, 2023; in George and Krebernik, 2023, pp. 6, 31, 49, 274, and 292). Dumuzi and Anum also seem to have been equated as well (pp. 274 and 292). Damu has been equated to Dumuzi before, as stated previously. Since Dumuzi is Dionysus, then that means Anum was Dionysus too. The cross truly belongs to Dionysus!


According to Gerald Massey, "The Egyptian 'mesu,' to anoint, and as the name for the Anointed, is earlier than the Jewish Messiah. Nor would there have been any typical Christ to anoint but for the making of the Karest-mummy." He says that "The Jesus legend is Egyptian," and that "The Messu, or the Messianic prince of peace, was born into the world at Memphis in the cult of Ptah as the Egyptian Jesus, with the title of Iu-em-hetep, he who comes with peace or plenty and good fortune as the type of an eternal youth," (Massey, 1907 [2008 edition], p. 563).


Ptah was an Egyptian "creator-god and maker of things, a patron of craftsmen, especially sculptors." He was a "mortuary god" as well, "represented as a man in mummy form." As a result, he was "often fused with Seker (or Soker) and Osiris to form Ptah-Seker-Osiris." He was equated to the Greek god Hephaestu-Vulcan (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ptah). Hephaestus-Vulcan was also called Chrysor, and Diamichius-Zeus Michius (Sanchoniatho, Phoenician History [Rev. Cumberland, 1720, translation], pp. 26-27). Osiris was Hades and Dionysus as well (Unwin, 1996, p. 79). Ptah does sound a lot like Jesus, doesn't he? Jesus was the son of a carpenter (Matthew 13:55), and is a dying and rising god. Massey also said that Osiris is the "krast, or embalmed and mummified for the resurrection [...] Thus the Egyptian krast was the pre-Christian Christ, and the pictures in the Roman Catacombs preserve the proof." The "Egyptian karast" is the same as "the Greek Christ, Christos, Krstos, or Latin chrestus, and account for the Corpus Christi, the anointed, the Savior," (Massey, 2005 [2013 edition], Vol. 1, p. 219).


This would be the perfect time to say that Dionysus was equated to the gods Hades, and Osiris. Osiris was a god "who is a symbol of resurrection." In one version of Osiris' death, he was "reincarnated" as the god "Apis." Osiris was "the sun who is overcome by night but who rises again the next morning," (Coulter and turner, 2000 [2021 edition], pp. 152-153, and 367).


The Lord's Prayer also originated from Ptah. "Pater Noster," or "Ptah Noster," means "Our Father," and Ptah means "Father," (Glorian, The Prayer of the Lord). Rev. Vernon-Harcourt (1838) said that "Phtha," written as "Ptah" in Coptic, is "pater" in Latin and is "father" in English (Vol. 1 p. 365). Massey (1907) said that "Ptah-Tanan" was "Dis pater, the Demiurge." He is the "god of Hades," (Vol. 2 p. 636). Churchward (1924 [2000 edition]) said the same thing (p. 349). This makes Ptah the god Zeus-Hades/Pluto. Acharya S (1999) said that Ptah is Dyaus Pitar/Zeus Pateras, and Pitar and Ptah lead to "'pater,' or 'father,'" (p. 179). Mackenzie (1917) said that the "mountain god" became Thor, Tarku-Teshub, Indra, Zeus, and Ptah. Ptah created the potter's wheel, in which he created the sun, moon, and mankind, on. He also had a hammer, which seems to have caused thunderstorms (pp. xxvii-xxviii). Ptah was Zeus.


Ptah means "Father" (Glorian, The Prayer of the Lord, Ptah, para. 4-5):

In summation, Jesus was the sun god. In particular, he was Dionysus. Who turned him into a deity? My answer is the Greeks, and then the Romans. In 2 Maccabees 6, the Greeks were trying to force the Jews to worship Zeus and Dionysus. The Jews refused, and even died in revolt (2 Maccabees 6:1-12). Interestingly, as stated by Thiering (1979), Josephus stated "that Greeks became members of the Essenes," (p. 99):

I hypothesize that, since the Greek's first attempt to make the Jews worship their gods failed miserably, the Greeks turned the leader of the Essenes into one of their deities: Dionysus. I'm thinking that Jesus was a normal man that was turned into a deity after his death. Not to mention, Euripides, the author of The Bacchae, was an ancient Greek dramatist born in Athens in 484 B.C. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Euripides; para. 1). The Romans worshipped Dionysus under the names Bacchus, and Liber Pater (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dionysus; para. 6). Since Jesus quotes Dionysus from The Bacchae in Acts, and he has Dionysius' characteristics, this cements in my mind that the Greeks and Romans turned the original Jesus/"Egyptian" into the mythical Jesus Christ. He was turned into the Christian Dionysus. 

Links:
The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Luca Giordano (Wikipedia, Michael [archangel]):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_%28archangel%29

Archangels and Angels. Archangel Michael-Angelic and Planetary Symbols:

http://www.archangels-and-angels.com/aa_pages/correspondences/angel_planet/archangel_michael.htm

Jewish Encyclopedia. Michael:

https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10779-michael

Matthew 26:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/26.htm

Luke 22:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/22.htm

Mark 14:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/14.htm

John 8:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/8.htm
John 12:
-NASB:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/12.htm
-NIV:

https://biblehub.com/niv/john/12.htm

Urantia Book:
-Paper 33:3.2 (368.2):

https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-33-administration-local-universe?term=%2233%3A3.2%20%28368.2%29%22#U33_3_2
-Paper 120:

https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-120-bestowal-michael-urantia

Cook (1914) (Vol. 1, p. 277):

https://books.google.com/books?id=xXzQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA280&dq=Zeus+dios%C2%A0&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2i8KPz7SCAxVXMlkFHUD6B0UQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=Zeus%20dios%C2%A0&f=false

Acts of the Apostles 26:
KJV:

https://biblehub.com/kjv/acts/26.htm
YLT:

https://biblehub.com/ylt/acts/26.htm
Eurypides. The Bacchae:

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Bacchae.html?id=43BXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0#v=onepage&q=kick%20against&f=false

Aratus of Soli. The Phainomena (R. Brown translation):

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Phainomena_or_Heavenly_displays_of_A.html?id=lwJ9CiCvVPcC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0#v=onepage&q=we%20are%20his%20offspring&f=false

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Aratus:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aratus-Greek-poet

Acts of the Apostles 17:
KJV:

https://biblehub.com/kjv/acts/17.htm
NIV:

https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/17.htm

YLT:

https://biblehub.com/ylt/acts/17.htm

Dunlap (1858) (PP. 109-110):

https://books.google.com/books?id=90ACAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA109&dq=El+was+called+moloch+more+than&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwimh8HOptSEAxU8EGIAHfZUB3kQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=El%20was%20called%20moloch%20more%20than&f=false
Rev. Taylor (1833 [1996 edition]):

https://books.google.com/books?id=0mYWcpMPtLkC&pg=RA1-PA294&dq=jeue+jew+jupiter&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigvozEhIaEAxUnEVkFHWTMB844FBDoAXoECAMQAw#v=onepage&q=Jesus&f=false
Yarbrough (2015) (in Yarbrough, 2015):

https://books.google.com/books?id=HFh2CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA233&dq=Alexamenos+graffito&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiLkNaXk_SEAxWsMmIAHdLfAncQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Alexamenos%20graffito&f=false

University of Chicago. Encyclopaedia Romana: Notae: Gladiators: Graffiti: Alexamenos Graffito:

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/graffito.html#anchor5371

Blavatsky (1891) (Vol. 2):

https://books.google.com/books?id=WSSmcfz3_LEC&pg=PA523&dq=did+the+hittites+worship+seth?&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSrsPU1_v8AhVOFlkFHSNiDt4Q6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=did%20the%20hittites%20worship%20seth%3F&f=false

The Gospel of the Birth of Mary (Platt, Jr., 1926 translation, p. 17):

https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/lbob/lbob05.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Seth:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Seth-Egyptian-god
Genesis 4:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/genesis/4.htm

Wake (1888):

https://books.google.com/books?id=R8qAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA99&dq=seth+solar+deity&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiBlISQtIH9AhWOFlkFHfr7BAAQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=seth%20solar%20deity&f=false

Genesis 10:
BSB:

https://biblehub.com/bsb/genesis/10.htm
NIV:

https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/10.htm
KJB:

https://biblehub.com/kjv/genesis/10.htm
Matthew 21:1-11).

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/21.htm
Encyclopaedia Britannica. The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-War-of-the-Sons-of-Light-Against-the-Sons-of-Darkness

Smith (1876):

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Chaldean_Account_of_Genesis/wqHj8AWy9C0C?hl=en
Gainesville.org. The Maltese Cross:

https://www.gainesville.org/215/The-Maltese-Cross#:~:text=The%20Maltese%20Cross%20is%20known,John

Sovereign Order of Malta. The Eight-Pointed Cross:

https://www.orderofmalta.int/history/the-eight-pointed-cross/
Laughlin (1900; in The Open Court) (Vol. 14, p. 235):

https://books.google.com/books?id=custAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA235&dq=anu+symbol+winged+disk&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwifjL-z_sGCAxUlEGIAHWXOBqgQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=anu%20symbol%20winged%20disk&f=false
Rev. Fradenburgh (1883; in Whedon, 1893) (P. 114):

https://books.google.com/books?id=TpVJAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA114&dq=anu+symbol+maltese+cross&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiorIXVgsKCAxWuEVkFHXtAAlMQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=anu%20symbol%20maltese%20cross&f=false
Ryan (2022) (Para. 2, 4-6). 

https://ucatholic.com/blog/constantine-converted-after-seeing-this-vision-in-the-sky-from-god/
Vatican Museums. Museums: Raphael's Rooms: Vision of the Cross:

https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/stanze-di-raffaello/sala-di-costantino/visione-della-croce.html

Hannah (1999) (P. 145):

https://books.google.com/books?id=qKtXVU9EQTIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Essenes+angel+messiah&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjv5rDFrvyEAxWaMlkFHXOqAxgQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Jesus%20Michael&f=false

The Seventh-day Adventist Church Biblical Research Institute. Is Michael another name for Jesus?:

https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/is-michael-another-name-for-jesus/

Massey (1907 [2008 edition]) (P. 563).

https://books.google.com/books?id=z5brNhqPpkcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=christ+egypt&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiyjc3KzauEAxWCKFkFHXfaDtIQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=christ%20egypt&f=false
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ptah:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ptah

Unwin (1996) (P. 79):

https://books.google.com/books?id=U6XRp6gY8ucC&pg=PA79&dq=gods+associated+with+vines&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1voybxMOBAxUTGVkFHTo9CuQQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=gods%20associated%20with%20vines&f=false
Matthew 13:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/13.htm

Massey (2005 [2013 edition]) (Vol. 1, p. 219):

https://books.google.com/books?id=QcBYAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA219&dq=horus+the+karast&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigkPCgjquEAxV0F1kFHZ32DyYQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=horus%20the%20karast&f=false

Sanchoniatho. Phoenician History (Rev. Cumberland, 1720, translation):

https://books.google.com/books?id=g94TAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

-V2:

https://archive.org/details/SanchoniathosPhonicianHistory/page/n47/mode/1up

Glorian. The Prayer of the Lord:

https://glorian.org/learn/courses-and-lectures/defense-for-spiritual-warfare/the-prayer-of-the-lord

Mark 16:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/16.htm

Acts 7:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/7.htm

Coulter and Turner (2000 [2021 edition]) (P. 152):

https://books.google.com/books?id=QEJUEAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=coulter+and+turner+dionysus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwis49mJss2HAxXeEFkFHaTsKxAQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=coulter%20and%20turner%20dionysus&f=false

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Dionysus: 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dionysus

John 3:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/3.htm

John 20:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/20.htm

Rev. Vernon-Harcourt (1838) (Vol. 1 p. 365): 

https://books.google.com/books?id=BC5dAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA365&dq=Ptah+pater%C2%A0&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiN5OCqsqaKAxUWEVkFHXZnFYA4FBDoAXoECAgQAw#v=onepage&q=Ptah%20pater%C2%A0&f=false

Massey (1907) (Vol. 2 p. 636):

https://books.google.com/books?id=t00XAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA636&dq=Ptah+pater%C2%A0&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNu7ays6aKAxWeMVkFHemaC0I4KBDoAXoECAUQAw#v=onepage&q=Ptah%20pater%C2%A0&f=false

Churchward (1924 [2000 edition]) (P. 349):

https://books.google.com/books?id=LWoPgpKajJAC&pg=PA349&dq=Ptah+pater%C2%A0&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAxsuXsaaKAxW6AHkGHS2HCHU4ChDoAXoECAQQAw#v=onepage&q=Ptah%20pater%C2%A0&f=false

Acharya S (1999) (P. 179): 

https://archive.org/details/acharya-s.-the-christ-conspiracy-the-greatest-story-ever-sold_202308/page/n177/mode/1up?view=theater&q=Ptah+pater

Halsberghe (1972 [2015 edition]) (PP. 120, 159, and 174): 

https://books.google.com/books?id=d-l5DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Sol+Invictus+december+25&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZ1qbu0qqKAxXKhYkEHdZbFg0Q6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=Sol%20Invictus%20december%2025&f=false

Bacon (1915; in The Harvard Theological Review) (Vol. 8 pp. 108 and 110):

https://books.google.com/books?id=v5lJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA108&dq=january+6th+dionysus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWttW9pa2KAxVbFFkFHWgGOesQ6AF6BAgKEAI#v=onepage&q=january%206th%20dionysus&f=false

Chacko, 2022, p. 165 note 285):
https://books.google.com/books?id=959vEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA165&dq=january+6th+dionysus&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicyITGqa2KAxVSElkFHUxbEdE4FBDoAXoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=january%206th%20dionysus&f=false

John 2:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/2.htm

Bacchus Richelieu (100/150 A.D.) (Louvre Collections, statue [Bacchus Richelieu]):
-Pic:
https://images.app.goo.gl/95Gn7iFAVLdyfWzS6

-Website:
https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010279168

Mithras slaying the bull (The British Museum):
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1825-0613-1

-Pic:
https://images.app.goo.gl/UoRJmmRVLMfWLU6c9

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mithras:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mithra

Shaw (2024) (Ch. 11. Theurgic and Tantric Deification: Dionysus and Shiva [pp. 3-4]):

https://books.google.com/books?id=6jL8EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT181&dq=zagreus+ouranos&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp5e3_tpSLAxUOFFkFHTIjNGA4ChDoAXoECAoQAw#v=onepage&q=zagreus%20ouranos&f=false

Brown (1877) (Vol. 1 p. 47):

https://books.google.com/books?id=gnQBAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA46&dq=Helios+summer+sun&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik0fCQkq6FAxXXvokEHYfKDVEQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=Helios%20summer%20sun&f=false

2 Maccabees 6:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Maccabees%206&version=GNT

Thiering (1979) (P. 99):

https://archive.org/details/redatingteachero0000thie/page/99/mode/1up?q=Levites

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Dumuzi-Abzu:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dumuzi-Abzu
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana#:~:text=Dumuzi%2DAmaushumgalana%2C%20in%20Mesopotamian%20religion,Lady%20of%20the%20Date%20Clusters.
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Tammuz:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tammuz-Mesopotamian-god
-Pic:
https://images.app.goo.gl/CgMM1BzFbadGDksm8

Livingstone (1986) (P. 194): 
https://archive.org/details/mysticalmytholog0000livi/page/194/mode/1up?q=o+175+Enki 

Lambert and Winters (2023; in George and Krebernik, 2023) (PP.  266, 268, 270, 518, and 586):
https://dokumen.pub/an-anum-and-related-lists-god-lists-of-ancient-mesopotamia-orientalische-religionen-in-der-antike-1-9783161613821-9783161613838-3161613821.html
Coulter and Turner (2000 [2013 edition]) (P. 158):
https://books.google.com/books?id=sEIngqiKOugC&pg=PA158&dq=dumuzi+planet%C2%A0&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi_x9bclsmKAxVZEFkFHdikBRsQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=dumuzi%20planet%C2%A0&f=false
Claus (1972) (Vol. 4 p. 46):
https://archive.org/details/historyofoldtest0004sche/page/46/mode/1up?q=Asherah
-V2 (Snippet):
https://books.google.com/books?id=mRUbkByWSL4C&q=History+of+the+Old+Testament%0D%0Aby+Schedl,+Claus+vol.+4+melkart&dq=History+of+the+Old+Testament%0D%0Aby+Schedl,+Claus+vol.+4+melkart&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIycWansOJAxVWKlkFHR0-FXYQ6AF6BAgMEAM#melkart%20setting%20sun 
Brown (1899) (Vol. 1 p. 231):
https://books.google.com/books?id=WW5AAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA357&dq=poseidon+dagon&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenv209cOJAxW7M1kFHSjwMnoQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=Ea&f=false
Langdon (1931 [1964 reprint]):
https://archive.org/details/MythologyOfAllRacesVolume5/page/n59/mode/2up?q=Yahweh
Hommel (1897) (P. 68):
https://books.google.com/books?id=l6o2AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=professor+hommel+ancient+hebrew+tradition&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj5zszthrGFAxVOFlkFHSQeApgQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Ea%20&f=false
Bremmer (2019) (PP. 293-294):
https://books.google.com/books?id=5I_HDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA292&dq=dumuzi+adonis&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiC1Lrm5-KKAxWEMVkFHYsgHv0Q6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q=dumuzi%20adonis&f=false
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Adonis:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Adonis-Greek-mythology
Hewitt (1901) (P. 29):
https://books.google.com/books?id=AV0AAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA29&dq=Tan+Akkadian+god&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihmP6g-MiKAxXPk4kEHXBuMdUQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=Tan%20Akkadian%20god&f=false
Mark 16:1-2: 
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/mark/16.htm
John 19:25:
-NASB:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/19.htm
-BSB:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/19.htm

Blavatsky (1891) (Vol. 2):

https://books.google.com/books?id=WSSmcfz3_LEC&pg=PA523&dq=did+the+hittites+worship+seth?&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSrsPU1_v8AhVOFlkFHSNiDt4Q6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=did%20the%20hittites%20worship%20seth%3F&f=false

Langdon (1931 [1964 reprint]):
https://archive.org/details/MythologyOfAllRacesVolume5/page/n59/mode/2up?q=Yahweh
L'Heureux (1979 [2019 edition]) (P. 44):
https://books.google.com/books?id=9vb7EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA44&dq=Elioun+Adonis&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhnfSJydKHAxXHD1kFHTpaAH4Q6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Elioun%20Adonis&f=false

The Demon Deity Unveiled:

https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2022/10/was-yhwh-yahwehjehovah-angel.html
Who is YHVH?

https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2025/01/who-is-yhvh.html
Genesis 14:28 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/14-18.htm

Mackenzie (1917) (PP. xxvii-xxviii):

https://books.google.com/books?id=7hIaAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Did+Zeus+originate+in+Crete?&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi44dCO0ZGKAxUXlIkEHWpeD0Q4ChDoAXoECAkQAw#v=onepage&q=Did%20Zeus%20originate%20in%20Crete%3F&f=false

Revelation 1:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/revelation/1.htm

Revelation 3:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/revelation/3.htm

Gold-plated silver figure of Amun-Ra (The British Museum):

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA60006

-Pic:

https://images.app.goo.gl/L66rg4mbfVKb4pRr5

Blavatsky (1910) (Vol. 2 p. 452):

https://books.google.com/books/about/Isis_Unveiled.html?id=h_M7AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&gl=US&ovdme=1#v=onepage&q=Saturn%20star&f=false

Ball (2016) (P. 491):

https://books.google.com/books?id=hblTDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA491&dq=tammuz+melqart&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQxpPUrc6NAxWkF1kFHfD1FaYQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=tammuz%20melqart&f=false
Ezekiel 8:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/ezekiel/8.htm
MacDonald (2017) (PP. 91, 93, and 115):

https://books.google.com/books?id=H3KjDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA91&dq=Dionysus+crown+of+thorns&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVvP7jgIaNAxW6KFkFHSIFGZ8Q6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Dionysus%20crown%20of%20thorns&f=false

Freke and Gandy (2001) (Death of the Godman):

https://books.google.com/books?id=fH39Zlg0YjYC&pg=PT33&dq=Dionysus+crown+of+thorns&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVvP7jgIaNAxW6KFkFHSIFGZ8Q6AF6BAgEEAM#v=onepage&q=Dionysus%20crown%20of%20thorns&f=false

Shaw (1904) (p. 285).

https://books.google.com/books?id=cA2gAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA285&dq=sun+god+crown+of+thorns&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjnsfPqg4aNAxW6KFkFHSIFGZ8Q6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=sun%20god%20crown%20of%20thorns&f=false

Acharya S (1999) (Ch. 11 [p. 8]):

https://books.google.com/books?id=yYlXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT167&dq=sun+god+crown+of+thorns&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjnsfPqg4aNAxW6KFkFHSIFGZ8Q6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=sun%20god%20crown%20of%20thorns&f=false

Brown (1877) (Vol. 1 pp. 46-47);

https://books.google.com/books?id=gnQBAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA46&dq=Helios+summer+sun&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik0fCQkq6FAxXXvokEHYfKDVEQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=Helios%20summer%20sun&f=false

University of Cambridge's Museum of Classical Archeology Databases. Temple of Athena at Ilion, Helios metope:

https://museum.classics.cam.ac.uk/collections/casts/temple-athena-ilion-helios-metope

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Helios: 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Helios-Greek-god

Dunlap (1894 [1898 edition]) (P. 74):

https://books.google.com/books?id=gY1AAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA74&dq=Dionysus+Saturn&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNsOKomPWNAxVFElkFHbqTITgQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=Dionysus%20Saturn&f=false
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Euripides:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Euripides


2.2. The Saul, Paul, Herodian, and Greco-Roman Connections:
St. Paul the Apostle (19th-20th century A.D.) by Friedrich Stummel and Karl Wenzel (Encyclopaedia Britannica. Saint Paul’s Contributions to the New Testament):

Now, we need to take a deep-dive into the Greek and Roman world, also called the Greco-Roman world. According to Brown (n.d.), "Between 215 and 146 BCE," the Romans "gradually conquered the Greek cities, only to absorb much of Greek culture into their own," (Athens and Greece, para. 11). By 133 B.C., the Romans completely conquered Greece, along with Egypt and the Middle East (Rome and Empire, para. 2). They conquered Judea in 6 A.D. (para. 8). The Romans seemed to have liked mystery religions, which included Mithras', Cybele's, and Isis'. Not only that, the Romans were a great "vehicle for the spread of Greek culture." They even took the Greeks gods "as their own," and renamed them (para. 7). It is also attested in the Acts of the Apostles that the Romans spoke Greek as well (Acts 21:31-32, and 37-39). Basically, the Romans adopted and dispersed the Greek gods, religion, and culture. In my mind, this helps to explain why the Gospels were written in Greek and why Jesus Christ has characteristics of Dionysus'-Mithras' religions. In fact, Brown later stated that Christianity became famous amongst Roman "lower classes, women, and urban populations" in the "third century CE." It became "legalized" by Constantine "In 313 CE [...] after his own conversion." At "the end of the fourth century," Christianity became "the official state religion," (Rome and Empire, para. 10). The reason why Christianity became so popular amongst the more impoverished is because the Romans were a patriarchal society, while women and children didn't have many rights. Slavery was also popular in Rome (para. 5-6). It seems that Christianity was very attractive to the lower-class. However, it was Paul's Christianity that became so widespread in Rome (para. 10). 

I have heard, and read, a lot of things that people have said about St. Paul, originally called Saul of Tarsus. Some say that he was Jesus' "true follower," or even the creator of Christianity. Others say that he "hijacked," or "ruined," Christianity. He was a misogynist, or he was a progressive. So many things have been stated about the man, but I think it's time to investigate the man myself. One thing sticks out to me: Paul seems to have been related to the Herodians, and worked with the Romans! That will be explored below.

According to the New Testament, Saul of Tarsus was originally a Pharisee (Acts 26:4-5) who went to capture the followers of Jesus the Nazarene. This was commanded by his bosses, "the chief priests" (26:9-11). However, while on the road to Damascus, he met the resurrected Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ ordered Saul to go and preach his name amongst the Jews and Gentiles to free them from darkness, sin, and the "power of Satan" (26:12-20). Later on, Saul became Paul (Acts 13:9). That's the typical story of Paul that I'm sure we've all heard of before. However, the more I read about Paul's adventures in the Bible, I keep noticing something weird between him and the Romans...

In Acts 25, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem. He was charged with stirring up trouble amongst the Jews, attempting "to desecrate the temple," and for being "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes," (Acts 25:1-5). The Romans were going to let Paul go, but the Jews didn't want that. Festus wanted to take Paul to Jerusalem to be tried as "a favor" to the Jews. However, Paul said that he "'ought to be tried'" in Caesarea by Caesar instead. Festus allowed this to happen (Acts 25:2-4, and 9-12) (Acts 28:17-19). In Acts 26:32, it was said by King Agrippa to Festus that Paul "'appealed to Caesar'" for protection. Later on, Paul goes to Rome. Interestingly, he had a "soldier [...] guarding him." He stayed there for two years (Acts 28:16 and 30). 

From what I can tell, the Romans seemed to have liked Paul, but why is that? This can be seen in Acts 21. While in Jerusalem, Paul is attacked by a Jewish mob in the temple. Roman soldiers appeared and handcuffed him, but Paul did something interesting. He told the commander of the soldiers, in Greek by the way, that he was a "'Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city.'" He asked the commander to let him speak to the Jewish people, and the commander and the soldiers let him do so (Acts 21:27-40). According to Dr. Eisenman (Eisenman, 1996, para. 1, 8, and 16) (Creating Christ, 37:10-39:35) and Cresswell (2016) (Ch. 9 [p. 3]), these events in Acts supports Paul as having a Roman citizenship. Paul's letters seem to state that Christians are ordered to bow down to the (Roman) "governing authorities" as well. This can be seen in, ironically enough, Romans 13:1-7. Paul also had Greeks in his movement (Acts 21:28) (Eisenman, 1996, para. 6-7). Not only did the Essenes/Ebionites have Greeks in their religious group, but so did Paul. Paul also seems to have had Roman stroke. In fact, Voskuilen (2007) and Voskuilen and Sheldon (2008) said that Paul was a Roman agent!

This leads to Paul's ties to the Herodians. According to Dr. Eisenman (Eisenman, 1996, para. 1-2) (Creating Christ, 41:57-42:31) and Cresswell (2016) (Ch. 9 [p. 3]), Paul wasn't Jewish but Herodian. In Romans 16, Paul has a list of greetings to certain people. One of them is "Herodion, my kinsman" (Romans 16:11). Eisenman said that this was Paul's cousin (Creating Christ, 41:57-42:31). Eisenman (1996) said that Paul survived with the help of the "Herodian/Roman forces" (para. 16). Not only that, but Paul's followers also consisted of Herodians (para. 2 and 8). This fits with a messiah who took pity on sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, etc. These were part of Herodian "religio-political" occupations (para. 2). Cresswell (2016) said that Herodian/"'little Herod'" and Aristobulus were Herodian relatives of Paul. Aristobulus is mentioned in Romans 16:10. Cresswell later states that Paul having a Roman citizenship links him to the Herodians because the citizenship was a gift to the Herodians by the Romans "for restoring Palestine to Roman rule." Paul also associated himself with "Herodian kings and Roman emperors," (Ch. 9 [p. 3]). Not only was Paul friendly with the Romans, but so were the Herodians. It also seems that Paul was a Herodian!

I found the Bible passage where Paul says he has a Roman citizenship. In Acts 22, after Paul is handcuffed in front of the Jewish temple, the Roman commander has Paul transported "'into the barracks'" to be "'interrogated by flogging.'" Paul tells the centurion, who was in charge to flog him, "'Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?'" The centurion goes to the commander, who goes back to Paul and asks Paul if he is a Roman. Pauls's response is "'Yes.'" The commander seems skeptical, saying that his citizenship cost him a lot of money. Paul's retort is "'But I was actually born a citizen.'" The Roman soldiers ended up not laying a finger (or whip) on Paul (Acts 22:22-29). There you have it! Paul was a Roman by birth. Not only that, but our old friends the Ebionites said that Paul wasn't an ethnic Jew! According to Epiphanius, the Ebionites said that Paul "was Greek and of gentile parentage, but that he had later become a proselyte," (The Panarion [Williams, 2009, second edition], Book 1 section 2 para. 25.1 [p. 152]). Oh boy... 

If Paul was a Herodian then he was an Edomite/Idumaean, but let's not stop there! Let's investigate the people of Cilicia, where Paul is from. According to Bryce (2009), Cilicia is a "country in southern Anatolia." The original inhabitants of Cilicia seems to have been the Indo-European Luwians in 1,000 B.C. However, the Luwians were in Anatolia since 2,000 B.C. (pp. 166 and 427). Encyclopaedia Britannica said that the Luwians "were related to the Hittites and were the dominant group in the Late Hittite culture," (Luwian, para. 1). As for Cilicia, it was taken over in the 8th century B.C. by the Assyrians. In the 6th-4th century B.C., Cilicia was "semiautonomous" under the Persian empire. In the 4th century B.C., the Macedonian and Seleucid Greeks took over. The Romans later conquered Cilicia in the 1st century B.C. (Cilicia, para. 2). There's a lot of historical support here for a Gentile Paul after all. In fact, Maccoby (1986) stated that the Ebionites'/Nazarene's comments on Paul "could claim the possession of authoritative traditions." They claimed that "Saul was not a Pharisee and not even a Jew by birth," (p. 60). Sources from "the Church fathers Justin Martyr (second century), Irenaeus, Hippolytus and Tertullian (end of the second century and the first half of the third), Origen (middle of the third century), and Epiphanius and Jerome (fourth century) [...] confirm that the Ebionites opposed Paul as a false prophet," (p. 180). Maccoby also stated that Epiphanius quoted the Ebionites of accusing Paul of being a proselyte to the Jewish faith in order "to marry the daughter of the priest." When the daughter rejected Paul, Paul went on to attack Judaism. Maccoby said that most of this is not historical, but the historical aspects seem to be that Paul "was a 'Greek' (i.e. a Hellenistic Greek), and that he was involved with the High Priest (here simply called 'the priest')." Paul probably defected from the Jewish priesthood and joined "the Jesus movement" when he failed "to achieve an ambition." Paul's true love, according to Maccoby, was Judaism. This led him to create "Pauline Christianity" (pp. 182-183). I stated this before, but I want to reiterate it again. Maccoby said that the Jesus in the Gospel of John is completely different from the Jesus in the other three gospels. The Jesus in John "spouts grandiose Hellenistic mysticism and proclaims himself a divine personage," (pp. 43-44). According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hellenism was the "the spread of Greek (Hellenic) culture" by intermingling it with "other populations." This also included "the fusion of Greek and Eastern elements" (Hellenistic age, para. 1). Saul/Paul of Tarsus was a Gentile, and he believed in Hellenism. The Ebionites didn't like him, and accused him of spreading false information.

By the way, who were the Herodians? From what I can tell, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Herod or Herod the Great and Herodes Magnus was the son of an Edomite/Idumaean father named Antipater and an Arabian Nabataean woman. Some researchers believe that the Edomites/Idumaeans were Arabian as well. The Edomites/Idumaeans "converted to Judaism in the 2nd century BCE." Thus, Herod the Great was an Arabian Edomite/Idumaean practicing Jew. In 63 B.C., Pompeii invaded Palestine. He and Antipater began a working relationship, which is how the Herods became associated with the Romans. Julius Caesar made Antipater the "procurator of Judea in in 47 BCE, and conferred on him Roman citiizenship." This was also given "to Herod and his children." Herod later became the governor, and then tetrarch, of Galilee. In 40 B.C., the Parthians invaded Palestine and caused a "civil war." Herod had to "flee to Rome." In 37 B.C., the Romans put Herod in charge of Judea as its king. He married the "Hasmonean princess" named "Mariamne." The Hasmoneans were a "priestly family of Jewish leaders" who initially didn't like Herod. His marriage to Mariamne seemed to have settled that (Herod, para. 1; Family and early life; King of Palestine, para. 1). Herod is also mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. In it, he tries to kill the infant Jesus Christ in order to, seemingly, protect his throne. He even tried to use the magi to get Jesus' location. When the magi are warned in a dream by God that Herod was trying to kill Jesus, they left. In retaliation, Herod killed the baby boys of Bethlehem. However, the Holy Family had already left (Matthew 2). Herod isn't the only Herodian mentioned in the gospels. In fact, one of them was one of Jesus' female followers! Her name is Joanna, who was Herod’s steward and the wife of Chuza (Luke 8:3). Interesting...

Paul was biologically related to the Herodians, and the Herodians were friendly with the Romans. Could the Romans and Herodians conspired together to help create the Jesus Christ of the gospels? Well, Gassner (2019) said that Herod got rid of the priests hired by the Hasmoneans and inserted his own "priests from Jewish families that came from the diaspora." This "ruling religious class [...] was loyal to the king and was more open-minded than its predecessor." Gassner said that Herod was "seeking a more sympathetic religious order" because the Pharisees and Sadducees "were unhappy with the king in some way," (A Complex Relationship with Judaism, para. 1-2). According to Davis (2018), the Romans were scared of the rampant growth of Judaism and feared that it "would become the main religion of the empire." It was a threat to Rome's view on slavery, "which is how the Roman aristocracy fed, lived, and ruled." Eventually, the Jewish zealots rose up to challenge the Herodians. The Pharisees also became too influential, beating the Hasmoneans/Maccabeans in popularity, so their power was removed from them by their Roman overlords. Judaism also seemed to have been popular during the Roman empire, which was also detrimental to the Romans. Later on, Jewish zealots rose up against the Herodians. Davis suggests that, since the Jewish books fed the zealots' fire to riot against the Romans, the Romans needed to manufacture "a new 'Jewish book' [...] to control the beliefs of the Jewish people," (Ch. 5 [pp. 1-4]). Voskuilen (2007) said that Paul's Jesus was "meant to divide the Jewish resistance organization and pacify it," (Abstract). Hm... Eisenman (1998) said that the zealots were connected to the Ebionites, Essenes, and Qumran. These groups came after "James' Jerusalem Church or Jerusalem Community," and "can be thought of as opposed to the reining Herodian Establishment and looked on as the various constituents of the Opposing Alliance." This alliance was the "Pharisee Roman/Herodian Establishment," (Ch. 3. Romans, Herodians, and Jewish Sects: Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots [p. 6]). Jesus' followers opposed the Pharisees, Herodians, and the Romans. As a result, the Romans had to have known about Jesus and his activities (Brandon, 1967, p. 330). 

Did you know that Paul had his own gospel!? According to Mount (2022), Marcion stated that "Paul preached the true gospel" while "All the other apostles corrupted" it. Marcion favored Paul's teachings, and "elevated Paul at the expense of the other apostles and replaced the Jewish scriptures." He also stated that the Jewish "creator god," and the Christian god, were different deities. As a result, Marcion created the first Christian canon consisting of "one Gospel" that seems to be similar to Luke and Acts, "and a collection of ten Pauline letters." Interestingly, the Church Father Irenaeus made his own canon based on Marcion's in order to retract Marcion's canon (in Moessner et al., 2022, pp. 97-98). According to the Early Christian Writings website, this gospel was called The Gospel of the Lord (Marcion, Text). In this gospel, there is no report of John the Baptist's birth, the Annunciation, virgin birth, a 12-year old Jesus staying at the Jerusalem temple, or an adult Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. It starts with an adult Jesus going to Capernaum (Gospel of the Lord [at the Gnostic Society Library], Section 1) (Gospel of Marcion, Section 1: The Arrival of Jesus at Capernaum). Jesus either just "came down to Capernaum" (Gospel of the Lord [at the Gnostic Society Library], Section 1), or "Jesus descended [out of heaven] into Capernaum," (Gospel of Marcion, Section 1: The Arrival of Jesus at Capernaum). A Roman centurion asks Jesus to heal his sick servant, and Jesus said that he had the best faith out of anyone in Israel (Section 1: Faith of the Centurion). It also mentions "Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward" too (Gospel of Marcion, Section 2: Women Ministers). Near the end of the gospel, when Jesus is arrested, Pilate sends him to Herod since Jesus was Galilean. Galilee was "Herod's jurisdiction." Herod wanted to see a sign from Jesus, but Jesus just remained silent. Herod, and his soldiers, mocked Jesus and put "a gorgeous robe" on him. This, interestingly, ends the bad blood between Herod and Pilate (Section 6: Jesus Before Pilate and Herod, para. 3). This is also in Luke 23:8-12. I should mention that this Herod was Herod Antipas, the "son of Herod the Great and Malthace, a Samaritan woman." He is also the one who had John the Baptist beheaded (Bible Hub, Strong's Hebrew. 2264. Herodes, Thayer's Greek Lexicon, number 2). Going back to the gospel, Pilate tried to free Jesus from captivity but the Jews wanted him crucified (Section 6: Jesus Crucified). After Jesus died, the Roman centurion present there said that Jesus "was righteous" (Section 6: Jesus Crucified, para. 5). Finally, Joanna, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, went to Jesus' tomb and found it empty. They ran back to tell the disciples about it (Section 6: Jesus Crucified, para. 6; The Empty Tomb, para. 1-3). The Herodians, and Romans, were written in a positive light in Paul's gospel. They were followers of Jesus, or converted to believing in him. They even tried to help him. This was necessary because Jesus' true followers hated the Herodians and the Romans, and were causing for the ruling classes. The narrative had to change. The Herodians and Romans were "good guys who loved Jesus," and not his enemies. This was historical revisionism. 

In his Gnostic and Historic Christianity (1887) lecture, Gerald Massey explained that the Church Father Tertullian stated that the Jesus in the Gospel of the Lord "was a phantom, who appeared suddenly at the synagogue of Capernaum in the likeness of a full-grown man for the purpose of protesting against the law and the prophets," (para. 47). Massey then stated that the Jesus of Marcion, Paul, and the Gnostics, was "mythical and not historical" and "has no Jewish father or mother." In fact, the Jesus of the Gospel of the Lord has a "Gnostic nature," and was "Gnostic" period. Finally, Massey said that the Christian Fathers Irenaeus and Tertullian claimed that Marcion edited Luke, but it seems that the Christians changed the Gospel of the Lord into the Gospel of Luke. The Gnostics didn't change anything (para. 47-48). Was Paul a Gnostic!?

It has been assumed by scholars, according to Matthews (2018), based on the testimonies of the Church Fathers/"heresiologists", that Marcion took the Gospel of Luke, redacted some stuff out of it in order to support "his heretical teaching," and spread it out as his own gospel called the "Evangelion" (Matthews, 2018; in Muller and Omerzu, 2018, pp. 253-254). Klinghardt (2008) also stated that Marcion's gospel has been assumed to have been "a redaction of Luke," (Abstract). However, both sources state that Marcion's gospel proceeds the canonical Luke. Klinghardt said that Marcion's (which is actually Paul's) "gospel is not a redaction of Luke, but rather proceeds Matthew and Luke," (Abstract). Matthews (2018) said that, along with other scholars, Marcion editing Luke doesn't make sense. In fact, Marcion would've been "a very incompetent redactor" because some passages in the gospel go against Marcion's belief. Either Luke is an expansion of Marcion's (Paul's) gospel, or both Marcion's and Luke's gospels came from a previous version of said gospel. There also seems to be the matter of the gospel being edited to fight Marcion's belief. One good example is Luke 1 and 2, which seem to emphasize a divine Jesus who became a human and was circumcised, and that he was "a savior" whose god was a "militant, battle-ready" deity (in Muller and Omerzu, 2018, pp. 254-256). An earlier scholar named Charles Waitte said that "Marcion's Gospel was probably first written," (Waitte, 1906, p. 20). He seems to be referring to Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and is using John the Baptist as an example (check pp. 18-19). He stated earlier that Paul's gospel, which he called "the Gospel of Paul," was the foundation for Luke's gospel (pp. 4-6). Paul's gospel was earlier than Luke's, and it later became the Gospel of Luke. It seems that the Church Fathers did this.

I want to point out that the Gospel of Matthew portrays the Herodians as villains. As noted previously, Herod the Great tried to kill the infant Jesus. This isn't in The Gospel of the Lord, nor in Luke. This is because The Gospel of Matthew was the Ebionite and Nazarene (Nazoraion) gospel originally. According to Nicholson (1879), this gospel was The Gospel according to the Hebrews (pp. 9-10). It had no genealogy of Jesus, Annunciation, virgin birth, Magi, or Herod the Great attempting to kill Jesus or killing the baby boys. The Ebionite prologue starts with an adult Jesus going to "Capharnaum" (Capernaum) (pp. 9-10, and 28-29). The Nazarene into has Jesus coming out of Egypt
(pp. 30-31). Since the Ebionites and Nazoraion were the original followers of Jesus, it seems that a lot of events in the gospels today were added in at a later date. The Ebionites/Nazorain had their gospel first, and it's possible that Saul/Paul added his own spin to it. Both the Ebionite and Saul's gospels started with Jesus going to Capernaum, so that could be a hint. This could explain why the Ebionites called Paul a false prophet. 

If we take in all of this information together, a picture starts to emerge: The Herodian family was friendly with the Romans. Herod the Great was put in charge of Judea. Herod married into the Hasmoneans, got rid of their previous priestly group, and superseded it with his own. The Pharisees, and seemingly the Sadducees, lost their power. The Jewish zealots rose up in protest against the Herodians, and then we see Saul/Paul of Tarsus spreading the message of a new religion that preached pro-Roman/Herodian beliefs. The Ebionites condemned Paul's teachings, and called him "a Greek" (Hellenist) who was a Gentile. Paul was a Herodian, a Roman citizen, and was protected by the Romans. I'm starting to see why Christians are so split on Paul. Paul was working for, and was biologically related to, the bad guys! Paul being a Hellenist can help explain why Paul's Christianity was so popular in Rome, and today. The Jesus Christ of the modern-day gospels is a Hellenistic creation (a mortal Jewish man combined with a Greco-Roman deity). Later on, the Church Fathers edited Paul's gospel to be the Gospel of Luke. I also suspect that they took the Ebionite gospel, and edited it to make it the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew, Herod was probably turned into a bad guy in order to align with what the Jews thought of him. Some support for this comes from Eisenman (1996), who said that the people in Qumran were "anti-Herodian" (para. 3). That anti-Herodian belief seems to have been added to the Gospel of Matthew.

Paul inserting himself into the Ebionites seems to have splintered the group. According to Fitzmyer (1971 [1997 edition]), the Church Fathers Origen and Eusebius said that there were "two kinds of Ebionites." He then states that Epiphanius named the groups as "Nazoraioi" and "Ebionaioi." The Nazoraioi were "orthodox," and "probably admits the virgin birth of Christ." The Ebionaioi were "heterodox" (pp. 443-444). Epiphanius said that a man named Ebion created the Ebionites. He was a Nazoraean who left to start his own movement (The Panarion [Williams, 2009, second edition], Book 1 section 2 number 30 para. 1.1 [p. 131]). As we already know, the Ebionites were the Essenes and from Qumran. They knew Jesus. Epiphanius is wrong about a man named Ebion starting the group. In the New Testament, Paul was called "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes," (Acts 24:1-5). As stated above, the Nazoraion was one of the names for the people of Qumran. Perhaps they were the ones that welcomed Paul, and became the "orthodox group of Ebionites" mentioned by Origen, Eusebius, and Epiphanius? I believe that this is where "Pauline Christianity" (Bible Hub, What are Pauline Christianity's beliefs?) began. The Ebionites kept to the original teachings of Jesus, while the Nazoraion became followers of Paul. This could also be the reason why Jesus was called "'a Nazarene'" only (and not an Ebionite), and grew up in Nazareth, in the gospels (Matthew 2:22-23) (Luke 2:4 and 39). This also solidifies my idea that Paul took the Ebionite/Nazoraion gospel, the Gospel according to the Hebrews, and turned it into his Gospel of the Lord. 

Just when I thought that this investigation into Saul/Paul couldn't get any more complicated, it seems that Saul and Paul were actually two different personages. According to Eisenman (1998), "Josephus identifies a 'Saul or 'Saulus'" who was a "Herodian ('a relative of Agrippa')" and had a relative named "Antipas." He also had a brother named "Costobarus." These figures were identified in Josephus' book Antiquities of the Jews (Ch. 13. James as Opposition High Priest and Oblias). Cresswell (2016) also believes that the Saul/Saulus mentioned by Josephus could be the Saul of the New Testament (Preface [p. 5]; Ch. 9 [p. 3]). This Saul was "the Herodian Saul, who persecuted the weak and plundered their property and then sided with the Romans in the Jewish uprising from CE 66-70," (Preface [p. 5]). Cresswell also stated that Saul's converts "brought with them their existing pagan beliefs" into Saul's Christianity. In particular, Cresswell mentions "Mithras and Dionysus." (Ch. 9 [p. 4]). We already know that Mithras and Dionysus were incorporated into the creation of the Jesus Christ of the gospels. Unlike the forged Christianized passages about Jesus Christ, Josephus' passages on Saul the Herodian seem legit. We have extra-biblical evidence that Saul was a historical person, and a Herodian that worked with the Romans.

Meanwhile, Paul might actually have been the "Egyptian!" In Acts 21, when Paul was arrested at the Jewish Temple when he came to Jerusalem, the Roman commander was surprised to learn that Paul spoke Greek. He then exclaimed that Paul was "'not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?'" Paul then retorts, "'I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city,'" (Acts 21:27-40). I first heard of this from a YouTube video by Reconstructed Bible. Author Ahmen Osman said that some people believed that the "Egyptian" was Jesus ben Stada, but he doesn't agree. He believes that Josephus' account of the "Egyptian" fits with Paul's arrest in Acts 21:37-38. Osman later states that Josephus said that the "Roman procurator" Felix, of 52-60 A.D., battled the "Egyptian" and his followers. The "Egyptian" evaded being captured by Felix, and disappeared (Osman, 2004, Ch. 6. Another Time, Another Place). Paul met "governor" Felix in Acts 24. How interesting... If this Felix was the same Felix that fought the "Egyptian" and his followers, Paul was a leader of the Nazoraion, and the "Egyptian" is Jesus, then it is probable that Paul was Jesus/"Egyptian" while Saul is the Saint Paul of the New Testament! It's crazy to think that Jesus and Paul were the same person. However, Einhorn made a similar conclusion (Gray, 2016, Ch. 5 note 3) (History Valley, Jesus the Egyptian - A Shift in Time with Lena Einhorn [YouTube]). I'm going to keep Saul and Paul as two different figures for now.

Why would Saul create his own gospel? I think the reason is due to the Jews' hostile attitude towards the Herodians (his own people), and the Romans. The Jews who were rebelling were members of Jesus'/Teacher of Righteousness' own community. I believed he infiltrated their ranks, converted some of the members, and helped to spread his own beliefs that were more positive towards the Herodians and Romans. How did he achieve this? Well, the Essenes believed that Jesus/Teacher would come back at the Last Judgement, as stated previously. Why not say that he has already come back... in a vision (Galatians 1:11-17) (Acts; 26:4-20)? That's what Saul did, and it spread like wildfire. Saul used Jesus/Teacher as a tool to spread his own religion: Orthodox Christianity.

Why did the Church Fathers edit the Gospel according to the Hebrews and the Gospel of the Lord? I think the answer lies at the First Council of Nicaea of 325 A.D. I've heard of this event back in private school, but more predominantly after I started my investigation back in 2019. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the belief in Arianism, "that Christ is not divine but a created being," and "the controversy over the relationship between the persons of the Trinity," were the catalysts for the creation of the Council (First Council of Nicaea, para. 1; Arianism, para. 2). The main point of the Council seems to have been "To further define orthodoxy." Arius of Alexandria, the creator of Arianism, was "exiled" by "Constantine" after he "refused to sign the formula of faith stating that Christ was of the same divine nature as God." After that, "a creed" was made "to signify the absolute equality of the Son with the Father," (para. 1; Arianism). What does this have to do with the two gospels? It demonstrates that the controversy over who Jesus Christ was persisted for a couple hundred years after the real Jesus/Teacher of Righteousness died. I believe that the Ebionite, and Saul's, gospels started this. Arianism added more fuel to the fire. At the First Council of Nicaea, Jesus being divine was made orthodox.

I also believe that other story elements were added to the gospels later on as well, including Jesus being a descendant of David. Perhaps this was done to draw in more Orthodox Jewish converts?

I truly believe now that Saul, and the Greco-Roman culture, created the supernatural Jesus Christ of the gospels. He was finalized as a god at the First Council of Nicaea. According to the Ebionites, it seems that Saul tried to sneak into the their community but they didn't want anything to do with him. They knew that he was making false statements about their leader. That didn't stop Saul from converting the Nazoraion, or some of them at least. It's all coming together now! As to why this happened, it seemed that the Herodians wanted their own version of Judaism in which they could control. They also needed their own version of Judaism to combat the rebellious followers of Jesus. The Herodian/Greco-Roman version of Judaism, soon to be called Christianity, was started by Saul and his Nazoraion group. It was more open to Gentiles/Goyim (non-Jews) like the Greeks and Romans. All of this can be seen in Saul's Gospel of the Lord, which is probably a modified version fo the Ebionite/Nazoraion Gospel according to the Hebrews.

Additionally, I would like to make an edit as to who I think the identity of the Wicked Priest was. I stated previously that I thought it was Judas Iscariot, but now I believe that it was Saul. This decision stems from the statements made by the Ebionites.

Links:
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Saint Paul’s Contributions to the New Testament:
https://www.britannica.com/list/st-pauls-contributions-to-the-new-testament
-Pic:
https://images.app.goo.gl/yqTyWMGvVm3mogG88
Khan Academy. Brown (n.d.). READ: Greco-Roman:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/big-history-project/agriculture-civilization/first-cities-states/a/greco-roman
Acts 21:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/21.htm
Acts 26:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/26.htm
Acts 13:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/13.htm
Acts 25:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/25.htm
Acts 28:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/28.htm
Eisenman (1996):
https://depts.drew.edu/jhc/eisenman.html
Creating Christ (YouTube):
https://youtu.be/gHOK66qj9xc?si=gIMpwpv-tpHv6sPy
Cresswell (2016):
https://books.google.com/books?id=zqPACwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Peter+Cresswell%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwifqoD2qf2OAxUlGVkFHfmyO2kQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false
Romans 13:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/romans/13.htm
Romans 16:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/romans/16.htm
Acts 22:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/22.htm
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Herod: 
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea#:~:text=Herod%20(born%2073%20bce%E2%80%94died,intrigues%20in%20his%20later%20years.
Matthew 2:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/2.htm
Luke 8:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/8.htm
Epiphanius. The Panarion (Williams, 2009, second edition) (Book 1 section 2 para. 25.1 [p. 152]): 
https://books.google.com/books?id=IKyxt9kyys8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Panarion+of+Epiphanius+of+Salamis+iesous&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCuqGq7c-EAxX-FFkFHelmDAAQ6AF6BAgLEAI#v=snippet&q=Ebionites%20Paul&f=false 
Bryce (2009) (PP. 166 and 427): 
https://books.google.com/books?id=E1aF0hq1GR8C&pg=PA429&dq=The+Routledge+Handbook+of+the+Peoples+and+Places+of+Ancient+Western+Asia:+From+the+Early+Bronze+Age+to+the+Fall+of+the+Persian+Empire+luwians&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj81_KMp4OPAxV-EFkFHXpkA6kQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=The%20Routledge%20Handbook%20of%20the%20Peoples%20and%20Places%20of%20Ancient%20Western%20Asia%3A%20From%20the%20Early%20Bronze%20Age%20to%20the%20Fall%20of%20the%20Persian%20Empire%20luwians&f=false
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Luwian:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Luwian#:~:text=Luwian%2C%20member%20of%20an%20extinct,(See%20Luwian%20language.)
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Cilicia:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cilicia
Hyan Maccoby. The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity (1986):
https://archive.org/details/B-001-001-718
Gassner (2019):
https://www.thetorah.com/article/how-jewish-was-herod
Davis (2018):
https://books.google.com/books?id=-M1VEAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Did+the+Romans+invent+Christianity&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj31tHL-sGGAxUjpIkEHeqjAisQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q&f=fa
Voskuilen (2007):
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09592310500079940
-V2:
https://www.scribd.com/document/347850907/Documents-mx-Operation-Messiah-Did-Christianity-Start-as-a-Roman-Psychological-Counterinsurgency
Voskuilen and Sheldon (2008):
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Operation_Messiah/0l0RAQAAIAAJ?hl=en
-V2:
https://ebin.pub/operation-messiah-st-paul-roman-intelligence-and-the-birth-of-christianity-0853037027-9780853037026.html
Mount (2022) (in Moessner et al., 2022) (PP. 97-98):
https://books.google.com/books?id=I_qCcuRR30oC&pg=PA98&dq=gospel+of+the+lord+paul+marcion&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiD14bIho2PAxWHFlkFHf3GIsUQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=gospel%20of%20the%20lord%20paul%20marcion&f=false
Early Christian Writings. Marcion: 
https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/marcion.html
Bible Hub. Strong's Hebrew. 2264. Herodes:
https://biblehub.com/greek/2264.htm
Nicholson (1879): 
https://archive.org/details/thegospelaccordi00nichuoft/page/n48/mode/1up
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Hellenistic age:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Hellenistic-Age
Matthews (2018; in Muller and Omerzu, 2018) (PP. 253-254): 
https://books.google.com/books?id=5UxNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA254&dq=The+Evangelion%22.+The+First+New+Testament:+Marcion%27s+Scriptural+Canon&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjtiK-DmKr7AhUCKFkFHfCwD1wQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=The%20Evangelion%22.%20The%20First%20New%20Testament%3A%20Marcion's%20Scriptural%20Canon&f=false
Klinghardt (2008) (Abstract):
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25442581
Waitte (1906):
https://books.google.com/books?id=WSW4Sv2JheIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=History+of+Christianity+to+the+year+200&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiR4sqyme6IAxXbF1kFHe1vBCsQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false
-V2 (Date):
https://books.google.com/books?id=D3tbAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=History+of+the+Christian+Religion+to+the+Year+200&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAiN-BlZCPAxXcFlkFHYWQCmMQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=History%20of%20the%20Christian%20Religion%20to%20the%20Year%20200&f=false
Encyclopaedia Britannica. First Council of Nicaea:
https://www.britannica.com/event/First-Council-of-Nicaea-325
Gerald Massey. Gnostic and Historic Christianity. 1887: 
https://tringlocalhistory.org.uk/massey/dpr_04_gnostic_and_historic.htm
-V2 (Date):
https://books.google.com/books?id=yYW0RBXZSVMC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Fitzmyer (1971 [1997 edition]) (PP. 443-444):
https://books.google.com/books?id=ElJQNk_r9AEC&pg=PA435&dq=Ebionites+qumran&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwii8pjloaePAxWLK1kFHdFaFQoQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q=Ebionites%20qumran&f=false
Acts 24:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/24.htm
Bible Hub. What are Pauline Christianity's beliefs?
https://biblehub.com/q/what_are_pauline_christianity's_beliefs.htm
Eisenman (1998) (Ch. 3. Romans, Herodians, and Jewish Sects: Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots [p. 6]):
https://books.google.com/books?id=XhJcW8h2BlMC&pg=PT72&dq=ebionites+zealots&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCtLuklKqPAxUJGVkFHXD_CUwQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=ebionites%20zealots&f=false
Matthew 2:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/2.htm
Luke 2:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/2.htm
Reconstructed Bible. Was the Apostle Paul the Mysterious Revolutionary Known as "The Egyptian"? YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdjJjW7pYZU&list=LL&index=1
Osman (2004): 
https://books.google.com/books?id=9VkoDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Was+Jesus+an+Egyptian+Pharaoh&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwii_aH67NePAxXcF1kFHRvPF-QQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=Was%20Jesus%20an%20Egyptian%20Pharaoh&f=false
Galatians 1: 
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/galatians/1.htm
Gray (2016) (Ch. 5 note 3): 
https://books.google.com/books?id=BQ4_CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT165&dq=Are+Paul+and+Jesus+the+same+person?&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCs578yO2PAxVzF1kFHbjDAeYQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Are%20Paul%20and%20Jesus%20the%20same%20person%3F&f=false
History Valley. Jesus the Egyptian - A Shift in Time with Lena Einhorn. YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/dROaTxbHNYY?si=xeoW_gZzRD4djzFD
Brandon (1967):
https://archive.org/details/jesuszealotsstud00bran/mode/2up

Part 3: Was Jesus the Jewish Messiah?
3.1. The Origin of the Word "Christ"-"Messiah":
Finding out the history of the word "Christ"/"Messiah" helps to shed some light on how Jesus being the Christ/Messiah in Christianity doesn't mix well with the Jewish Christ/Messiah. According to Gerald Massey, "The Egyptian 'mesu,' to anoint, and as the name for the Anointed, is earlier than the Jewish Messiah. Nor would there have been any typical Christ to anoint but for the making of the Karest-mummy." He says that "The Jesus legend is Egyptian," and that "The Messu, or the Messianic prince of peace, was born into the world at Memphis in the cult of Ptah as the Egyptian Jesus, with the title of Iu-em-hetep, he who comes with peace or plenty and good fortune as the type of an eternal youth," (Massey, 1907 [2008 edition], p. 563).


Massey also said that Osiris is the "krast, or embalmed and mummified for the resurrection [...] Thus the Egyptian krast was the pre-Christian Christ, and the pictures in the Roman Catacombs preserve the proof." The "Egyptian karast" is the same as "the Greek Christ, Christos, Krstos, or Latin chrestus, and account for the Corpus Christi, the anointed, the Savior," (Massey, 2005 [2013 edition], Vol. 1, p. 219).


According to Graves and Graves (1879), the Chaldean word "Chris" is a "term for the sun." The word Christ is derived from Chris. The authors also said that the name Jesus meant "'the one great fire of the sun'." (p. 191). A scholar named Bochart said this as well, concerning the Chaldean word Chris ("hrs") (Kavanagh, 1871, p. 390).


In summation, the word Christ-Messiah is Egyptian and Chaldean in origin, and the Egyptian form is older than the Jewish form. The Egyptian Messiah was an anointed peaceful god who was then mummified for a resurrection. Jesus ben Pandeira went to Egypt, and learned "sorcery" there. Is it possible that Jesus learned about the Egyptian Christ-Messiah, and saw himself as that instead? 


Links:

Massey (1907 [2008 edition]) (P. 563).

https://books.google.com/books?id=z5brNhqPpkcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=christ+egypt&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiyjc3KzauEAxWCKFkFHXfaDtIQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=christ%20egypt&f=false

Massey (2005 [2013 edition]) (Vol. 1, p. 219):

https://books.google.com/books?id=QcBYAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA219&dq=horus+the+karast&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigkPCgjquEAxV0F1kFHZ32DyYQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=horus%20the%20karast&f=false

Graves and Graves (1879) (P. 191):

https://books.google.com/books?id=0ODxdkxgh_0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Bible+or+bibles+graves&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiMqZWehbiEAxVMLFkFHTGhAqIQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=Christ%20chris&f=false

Kavanagh (1871) (P. 390):

https://books.google.com/books?id=3XNap2OyPt8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Origin+of+language+and+myth+kavanagh&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiopJfx9uiEAxUvFVkFHX9zD8IQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=Christ&f=false

Maranz (2023 [Preprint]):

Zenodohttps://zenodo.orgPDFAkkadian Vocabulary of Noah's Ark – N. Maranz

-V2:
https://www.cambridge.org/engage/coe/article-details/6642adcb418a5379b02ebadc
Brown (1899) (Vol. 1 pp. 54 and 198):
https://books.google.com/books?id=ouF5_WqiploC&pg=PA54&dq=ram+of+athamas+tammuz&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj0v4HDjs-NAxW6D1kFHbVsDNcQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=ram%20of%20athamas%20tammuz&f=false

3.2. Was Jesus the Jewish Messiah or Not?

According to the Jewish sage Moses Maimon/Maimonides (Rambam) (1135-1204 AD), Jesus was a false Messiah, and Christianity caused the Jews to "serve a god other than the Lord" (Jewish Virtual Library, Moses Maimonides (Rambam), para. 1) (Melachim uMilchamot, Ch. 11 Section 4). This answers another nagging question that I've had as to why the Jews don't believe in Jesus being their Messiah. Modern Rabbis tell Christians that Jesus didn't match the requirements to be the Jewish Messiah (Ohr Somayach, Ask the Rabbi: Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus) (Rabbi Simmons, n.d.). One of the worst offenses was that Jesus wasn't born in the lineage of David. In order to do this, Jesus' father had to have been a descendant of David. Jesus didn't have a biological Father, so He isn't worthy of being the Jewish Messiah (Ohr Somayach, Ask the Rabbi: Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus, Jesus-Not the Messiah: 2. Genealogy) (Rabbi Simmons, n.d., (2) Jesus Did Not Embody the Personal Qualifications of Messiah: B. Descendant of David) (Norman, 2007, pp. 59 and 61) (Ciss, n.d., Six reasons why Jews don't believe in Jesus, Reason #1). 

This is also confirmed in the Gospel of John. In John 7:40-43, the Jews were confused as to whether or not Jesus was the Prophet (a.k.a the prophet Elijah; see Malachi 4:5), or the Christ. Some Jews said that Jesus wasn't a descendant of David, nor was He a native of Bethlehem (Jesus was born in Bethlehem but He was a native of Galilee). This is why the Jews were conflicted as to who Jesus was. In John 7:52, the Jewish chief priests and Pharisees said that the Tanakh/Old Testament stated that no (Jewish) prophet comes out of Galilee. One of Jesus' 12 disciples, Nathanael, said that nothing good comes from Galilee (John 1:45-46). When interrogating the blind man that was healed by Jesus, the Pharisees said that they knew that God spoke to Moses, but they didn't even know where Jesus came from (John 9:29). The Jews couldn't tell if Jesus was talking to God, nor did they know where He came from... If Jesus followed the qualifications of being the Messiah, then no one would be questioning Him, especially not his Jewish brethren...

Larson (1980) said that the Jewish Messiah was different from the Essene Messiah. Interestingly, the Essene Messiah seems to have shared similarities with Zoroastrianism. The Orthodox Jewish Messiah "was not a moral judge; there was no Last Judgement; and his projected kingdom was not one of saints or righteousness." This kingdom was suppose to be an earthly one. The Essene Messiah borrowed the Jewish concept, and modified it. This includes Zoroastrian influences (pp. 13-14). The Orthodox Jewish Messiah is different from the Essene Messiah.

All of this information states the fact that Jesus was not the Orthodox Jewish Messiah. However, as stated before, Jesus matches the Joshua ben Joseph/Ephraimite Messiah. The "Egyptian" modeled himself after Joshua son of Nun. Jesus would match the Samaritan Messiah better. This means that Christians, and any Jew, who believe that Jesus was the Orthodox Jewish Messiah are wrong in forcing the Jews to worship Jesus as such. Not only that, the Jesus Christ of the gospels was also the Herodian/Greco-Roman Messiah. No wonder he didn't fulfill the Orthodox Jewish Messianic requirements.

Links:

Melachim uMilchamot. Ch. 11 Section 4:

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1188356/jewish/Melachim-uMilchamot-Chapter-11.htm

Jewish Virtual Library, Moses Maimonides (Rambam):

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Maimonides.html
Ohr Somayach. Ask the Rabbi: Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus:

https://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/2637/Q1/

Rabbi Simmons (n.d.) (Retrieved on 4/2/23):

https://aish.com/why-jews-dont-believe-in-jesus/

Norman (2007):

https://books.google.com/books/about/Twenty_six_Reasons_why_Jews_Don_t_Believ.html?id=tx5qrKz6dRMC&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&gl=US#v=onepage&q&f=false

Ciss (n.d.) (Retrieved on 4/2/23):

https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/videos/six-reasons-why-jews-don-t-believe-in-jesus
John 7:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/7.htm
John 1:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/1.htm
John 9:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/9.htm
Malachi 4:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/malachi/4.htm
Larson (1980) (PP. 13-14):

https://archive.org/details/essenechristianf0000lars/page/154/mode/2up?q=teacher+righteousness+Yeshu&view=theater


3.3. Why did Jesus have to Die?
There was always a question as to why Jesus had to die. I found an answer in studying the god of Christianity. Check out my "The Demon Deity Unveiled" post. The god of Judaism, Christianity, and Muslims, demands human sacrifice. However, a second answer can be found in Vermes (1962 [1995 edition]). In the Rules for the Qumran/Essene community, two goats were offered up to YHWH (Ieue) and Azazel. The goat offered to Ieue symbolized the "iniquities," "guilt," and "sins," of the "children of Israel." Ieue's goat was sacrificed, and burned. This was done on the Day of Atonement, which is the tenth day of the seventh month (pp. 159-160). Jesus said that his blood will be "poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." Jesus' spilled blood is the "blood of the covenant," (Matthew 26:26-28). There are other New Testament passages that said that Jesus was a human sacrifice to Ieue (Hebrews 9:11-15) (Hebrews 10:10 [NASB] [NIV]) (Romans 3:21-26 [NASB] [NIV]) (Ephesians 2:11-16). In fact, the NIV translation of Romans 3:25 said that "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement": 

Larson (1980) said that both the Teacher of Righteousness, and Jesus, believed themselves to have been an "atoning sacrifice" or "atoning Christ" (p. xvii).

Jesus Christ was a human sacrifice to Ea/Ieue made to take away the sins of the believers. If you read my "The Demon Deity Unveiled" post, you'll find out that Ieue/Ea is Saturn, the god of human sacrifice.

Link:
The Demon Deity Unveiled:

https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2022/10/was-yhwh-yahwehjehovah-angel.html

Vermes (1962 [1995 edition]) (PP. 159-160):

https://books.google.com/books?id=KXJu5A-MmMMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Geza+vermes+the+Dead+Sea+scrolls&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjzo5fqnY6JAxVHFlkFHS24E0cQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=snippet&q=priests%20levites%20israelites%20proselytes&f=false

Matthew 26:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/26.htm

Hebrews 9:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/hebrews/9.htm

Hebrews 10:
-NASB:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/hebrews/10.htm
-NIV:

https://biblehub.com/niv/hebrews/10.htm

Romans 3:

-NASB
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/romans/3.htm
-NIV:

https://biblehub.com/niv/romans/3.htm

Ephesians 2:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/ephesians/2.htm
Larson (1980) (P. xvii):

https://archive.org/details/essenechristianf0000lars/page/154/mode/2up?q=teacher+righteousness+Yeshu&view=theater


Part 4: Conclusions:

The real Jesus, or Joshua (Ieushuo), was the historical figure known as the "Egyptian" who was extant in the first-century A.D. He also seems to have been the apostle Paul. He was a member of the Essenes/Zealots, who also called themselves the Nazoraion, Ebionites, the Way, Sons of Light, etc. The Nazoraion were the founders of Nazareth. One can speculate that Jesus/"Egyptian" went to the Nazoraion after he returned to the Middle East from Egypt. Jesus/"Egyptian" saw him as a reincarnated Joshua son of Nun, and matches the Ephraimite Messiah/Messiah ben Joseph rather than the Orthodox Jewish Messiah. It's even stated in the Gospel of John that Jesus wasn't a descendant of David. Jesus was an ordinary man, as stated by the Ebionites and Nazoraion. This can be seen in their gospel, the Gospel according to the Hebrews. Jesus/"Egyptian" did see himself as a prophet and warrior, but he wasn't divine. Was Jesus the Orthodox Jewish Messiah? No. Based on the Jewish scriptures, Jesus didn't fulfill the Jewish Messianic prophecies or rules. The Herodians and Greco-Romans would later turn him into Jesus Christ, and those converts later became the Orthodox Christians. The Zealots rebelled against the Herodians, and the Romans. To counteract these Jewish rebels, Saul was probably ordered by the Herodians and Romans to create his own gospel. This is the Gospel of the Lord, which was probably an edited version of the Gospel according to the Hebrews. Saul was a Herodian himself, and his gospel has the Herodians and Romans being portrayed as loyal converters to, or followers of, Jesus Christ. Saul infiltrated the Essenes, converted some of them (namely the Nazoraion), and started his own movement. This became Christianity or "Pauline" Christianity, which was more Gentile-friendly. Later Orthodox Christian Fathers edited the gospels of the Ebionites and Saul in order to add in more story elements. Examples include the Annunciation, virgin birth, or an evil Herod the Great, a Jewish ancestry, etc., in order to satisfy a specific audience's beliefs and get them to convert. At the First Council of Nicaea, Jesus was turned into an official deity. As a deity, Jesus was turned into Dionysus mainly. The Archangel Michael sat on the right hand of the Jewish god, which fits with Jesus saying that he will sit on the right hand of God. Being the sun, Michael would also be Dionysus. This means that Jesus Christ, and the Archangel Michael, were the same individual as well. The body and blood of Jesus Christ is the body and blood of Dionysus. The death and bodily resurrection of Dionysus fits with the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus. The crown of thorns comes from Dionysus-Helios, and the purple cloak comes from Dionysus as well. Jesus Christ was also the gods Zeus-Hades, Seth, Hephaestus-Ptah-Osiris, and Anum-Uranus. 


It is with a heavy heart that I must leave Jesus Christ behind. He was not real. The real Jesus, the "Egyptian," was a regular human being. The Jesus Christ of the gospels was manufactured.

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