In Search of Lost Years of John The Baptist_ A Scholars Journey to Discovery in 1st Century

All four canonical Gospels record John the Baptist's ministry, as does the non-canonical Gospel of the Hebrews. They depict him as proclaiming Christ's arrival .In the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke), Jesus is baptized by John.

All four canonical gospels relate John's preaching and baptism in the River Jordan. Most notably he is the one who recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and baptizes him. The baptism marks the beginning of Jesus's ministry.

I have discussed this new book Jesus Dynasty written by biblical digger and scholar James D. Tabor.

Yes, there are new hypothesis in this book that is startling in fact. And such hypothesis are also likely uncomfortable for some faithful Christians as religious beliefs often are passed down in every culture that is more on the literary side of arts rather than science.

Movies made about Jesus today, often become mega mass media affairs are far more on the fiction side than a scholarly written books such as The Jesus Dynasty, or another previous massive book written by Eisenman

I have read called James the Brother of Jesus. Both are available at Fairfax County Public Library at Northern Virginia.

This is why the scathing book review of "The Jesus Dynasty" by Robert M. Price, published on the internet is so troubling. I found this review quite accidentally in search more info on Jesus Dynasty book.

I gathered from Price's comments that he is likely a biblical digger himself. Prices concludes that there is nothing new in the Jesus Dynasty book based on scientific evidence. Well, I have to disagree with Price in more than one count. A little deeper scholarship , and appreciation of scholarship would be more appropriate from such apparently knowledable revfewer as Price.

For example, I have not yet seen a single scholar who predicted or even made a hypothesis about the accidental discovery of the Qumran Community in the mid-1940 that has given scholars such deeper understanding of the times when Jesus and John The Baptist lived, and the century before that time as well as the century after.

In conclusion Prices says: One might apply Tabor's own words to his book as an epitaph: "It is amazing what firm opinions have been built upon such shaky foundations" (p. 165).

Thoughtful readers will strongly disagree with Price even if hypothesis made by Tabor is uncomfortable for some and not sufficient scientific evidence exists yet. Scientific knowledge often advances purely by chance and accidental findings.

No Scholar of Biblical Heritage I know who predicted the accidental Qumran find that was made opening a new window to understanding spiritual heritage of humanity east and west

The Dead Sea Scrolls does not directly lead us to understand the short lives of Jesus and John The Baptist. Both were put to death as revolutionaries as we know from the Synoptic Gospels.

Chapter 15 of the Shanks book is titled "The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity" written by Biblical Archeologist, James C. Vanderkam.
"As we have seen, Dumont -Sommer long ago argued that the Teacher of Righeousness, who figures so prominently in the Qumran documents prefigures Jesus.

But even he does not equate the two. I have also mentioned the widely rejected view that Jesus' brother James the Just (proposed by Robert Eisenman) and the Apostle by Teacher) appear in the scrolls.

The most likely candidate to have had contact with the Qumran community, however is John the Baptist.

Page 188, "The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity" , Understanding The Dead Sea Scrolls, Vintage Book, 1993.