Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

1 A New Day Dawns in Dead Sea Scrolls Research

1 Is This Work "Fringe" Scholarship?
2 A Question of Science
3 Paleography
4 Let the Reader Decide
5 Unashamedly Apologetic

2 Identifying the Essenes in the New Testament

6 The Historical Paradox
7 Recovering Jesus's Formative Background
8 The Christology Question
9 A Dynamic Relationship
10 Did Jesus Himself Lead an Essene Schism?
11 The Real Jesus
12 The Essenes: Still a Mystery
13 Herodians: A Minor New Testament Name for the Essenes
14 A Door Is Opened
15 Scribes: The Primary New Testament Name for the Essenes
16 Etymology: The Essenes Are "The Pious"
17 The Scribes Emerge as an Order
18 The Pious/Hasideans Are the Scribes
19 The Curious Copper Scroll Explained
20 The Scribes Are the Essenes
21 An Exegesis Showing the New Testament Scribes Are the Essenes
22 We Have All Missed the Forest for the Trees

3 Understanding the Essene Pesher Method

23 The Furious Young Lion
24 Pesher as Sympathetic Magic
25 Interpreting the Nahum Pesharim
26 Unacceptable Anomalies
27 Who Is the Furious Young Lion?
28 Paul's "Damascus"
29 Identifying the Manneseh and Ephraim
30 A New Paradigm

4 The Lost Christian Doctrine of Reincarnation

31 A Brief History of Reincarnation within Christianity
32 Origen's Unique View of Reincarnation
33 The Essene Belief in Reincarnation
34 Did Pythagoras Learn Reincarnation from the Essenes?
35 Reincarnation in Judaism and Early Christianity
36 Hasidism and the Kabbalah
37 Angels in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Jewish Literature
38 Melchizedek
39 Enoch
40 Christian Reincarnation Doctrine

5 The Teacher of Righteousness Revealed

41 Three Messianic Figures Expected by the Jews
42 Three Messianic Figures Expected by the Essenes: The Prophet, the King, the Priest
43 John the Baptist, the Prophet
44 Elijah Come to Life
45 Essene Baptism as Early Christian Baptism
46 Telltale Essene Lifestyle and Doctrines
47 An Identifying Exegesis
48 Jesus the King
49 A Divergence in Doctrine: Early Gnostic Influences
50 A Difference in Messianic Expectations
51 A "Pierced" or "Piercing" Messiah? (4Q285 v)
52 The Teacher of Righteousness, the Priest
53 Astrology
54 The Birth of Noah
55 The Teacher of Righteousness Prophesied by Malachi
56 The Messianic Anthology (4Q175) Revisited
57 A Brief Scroll Exegesis on the Teacher's Self-understanding
58 The Historical Name of the Teacher Revealed

6 The Secret Role of Gabriel in the Virgin Birth

59 Parthenos or Almah?
60 The Septuagint
61 How Far Back Does the Doctrine Go?
62 Is the Virgin Birth Doctrine Traceable to the Essenes?
63 Thiering's View
64 A Knights Templar Tradition and Thiering's Identification of Gabriel
65 Jesus's First Birthday Hymn
66 Gabriel's Reflection on His Secret Task
67 Comments in Anticipation of My Critics

7 The Teacher of Righteousness and the Passion of Christ

68 The Trial According to Nicodemus
69 The Sabbath and the "Son of Man"
70 The Prosecutors Cut Their Losses
71 The Aftermath
72 Pilate Passes from the Scene
73 Assessing the Real Responsibility for the Crucifixion
74 Recovering the Teacher of Righteousness's "House of Exile"
75 Recovering the "Nahum" of the Nahum Pesharim
76 Why Write Pesharim on the Book of Nahum?
77 Capernaum: The Birthplace of Christianity
78 Capernaum: The Center of an Essene Schism
79 Correlating the Scroll and Gospel Descriptions
80 Amassing Further Evidence
81 The Crucifixion Mentioned
82 The Fatal Law
83 The Teacher Passes from the Scene
84 The Akedah
85 "Righteousness Is Not in a Hand of Flesh"

Benediction

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index of Ancient Writings

Index of Modern Authors

Index of Subjects

About the Author

Marvin Vining, an attorney who is in the process of ordination in the United Methodist Church, spent 14 years researching and writing this book. He is a Biblical scholar who holds a master's degree in philosophy and has studied theology for many years. He lives in Mississippi, and his website is www.MarvinVining.com.

Reviews

"Marvin Vining has produced a fascinating and engaging book with a provocative thesis--namely that the Dead Sea Scrolls refer directly to Jesus of Nazareth and that the Essene movement that they represent opposed him as the character they called 'The Wicked Priest.' This sort of connection between Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, both in terms of chronology and history, has been dismissed by almost all scholars in the field. Vining skillfully puts the case back on the table. He deserves a careful reading by non-specialists and those in the academy alike." * James D. Tabor, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Religious Studies, UNC Charlotte, and author of *
"Vining's work is remarkable Christian scholarship. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Essenes, Jesus, and the early Christian Church." * Clayton Sullivan, Ph.D., author of Rescuing Jesus from the Christians *
" . . . an attention-getting and provocative title. Appropriate, too, for the inevitably controversial ideas put forth in Vining's book. . . . The premise for this interesting interpretation comes from the Dead Sea Scrolls, which speak of the Teacher and the Wicked Priest." * Curled Up with a Good Book *
" . . . Vining stuck with standard resources and presented the theories in a well thought manner." * Gesigewigu, Spiralnature.com, Jan 2009 *
" . . . takes a hard look at the historical Jesus . . . a startling new look at Christianity." * The Midwest Book Review, Jul 2008 *
"[Vining] makes no excuses for his leaps of faith, but instead documents them as the insights they are. While this is hardly the first or last word on any of these topics, Vining's unique reconstruction is a valuable contribution to the field." * The Pokey Finger of God, June 08 *
"While this is a book aimed at a Christian audience, it does offer some perspective on Pagan beliefs in the early Common Era. Whether or not you find it useful in your own understanding of Christian origins, it should encourage an open-minded approach to religion in general." * Michael Gleason, Witchgrove.com, April 08 *
"Vining shows the reader why Jesus is the Wicked Priest for reacting against some of the strict ascetic and often self-defeating doctrines of the Essenes. . . . This is a controversial work. It does challenge many Christian doctrines. Vining has done detailed research and it is apparent in his writing that he is a man of great faith. . . . suitable for both the interested lay person as well as the biblical scholar." * Jennifer Hoskins, New Dawn, No. 113, Mar/Apr 2009 *