The Jesus Dynasty - A book review
The Jesus Dynasty: A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity
By Dr. James D. Tabor
Almost daily, religious scholars and historians propose a new way of understanding the life and impact of Jesus Christ. In his new book The Jesus Dynasty, Dr. James Tabor is the latest author to add his ideas to this hotly contested topic.
Given the dominance of Western culture, no single person has had as much impact on world history as Jesus Christ. Fantastic acts of kindness have been carried out in his name; miracles have been attributed to Him, as have wars and genocide. To many, He’s the son of God, sent to die for Christians so their sins will be forgiven, while to others he’s just a mortal prophet.
Tabor offers an alternative version of Christian origins, one that takes the reader closer than ever to the historical Jesus, His immediate family and His early followers. The story is surprising and controversial, but also a fascinating look into the lives of the people living during this tumultuous time in history.
Jesus, as most know, was the son of the virgin Mary, a young woman who became pregnant before her marriage to a man named Joseph. The Gospels tell us that Jesus had four brothers and two sisters, all of whom were probably the legitimate children of Joseph and Mary. That revelation goes against established Catholic beliefs as Tabor points out: "Catholic dogma holds that Mary remained a perpetual virgin her entire life." Tabor also delves into the possibility Jesus actually had a human father and it was only after Jesus’ death that the Holy Spirit and virgin birth were added to the story, thus ensuring Jesus’ divinity.
Tabor suggests Jesus’ brother James, John the Baptist and Jesus himself likely viewed themselves as faithful Jews. None of them believed that their movement was the start of a new religion. It was the apostle Paul, who, through his ministry, transformed both Jesus and his message, breaking with James and the other followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. Most interesting is how Paul’s message, based on his own revelations, defined what would eventually become Christianity while Jesus became a figure whose humanity was obscured; John became merely a forerunner of Jesus; and James along with the rest of Jesus’ extended family were all but forgotten.
Tabor sheds light on what it was like living during the first Century A.D. and the time of Jesus. From the Roman occupation of the region to life in places such as Nazareth and Galilee, Tabor immerses the reader in history, settings and the people. The most interesting information is offered on the historical Jesus himself. The book delves methodically into the life of Jesus from his birth to his death by throughly examining the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John but also other unedited sources from the same time period. Tabor examines The Dead Sea Scrolls, which remained hidden until 1947, the Gnostic Gospels such as that of Thomas, which were edited out of the New Testament because they depicted a Jesus who was not divine.
Tabor delves into Jesus’ bloodline, his connection to King David and his legitimate claim to the throne of Israel. Tabor quotes the book of Samuel: "Shortly before David’s death God promised him that his throne would last forever and that only those of his seed could occupy it as rulers over the nation of Israel." Tabor then breaks down the traditional lineage on Joseph’s side. But if Jesus was not biologically related to Joseph and was in fact a step-son, how could he lay claim to the throne through his bloodline? Tabor answers this mystifying question by showing Jesus’ lineage from an unorthodox perspective, while offering a plausible theory on the scandal of Mary being pregnant before her marriage to Joseph.
And it’s with regard to Jesus’ family that Tabor levels his most controversial claim. Jesus had a father, a biological human father. Tabor even offers a potential name for the father of Jesus. Jesus is sometimes called ‘bar Pantera,’ or son of Pantera. There’s even documentation to back up Tabor’s radical claim in the form of an early Greek text by a philosopher named Kelsus. He says that Jesus was the son of a man named Pantera, who either was, or became, a Roman soldier.
In addition to Tabor’s claims that Jesus had an earthly father, his book also argues it was Jesus’ intention to build a dynasty on earth. Tabor says that it was Jesus’ half-brother James who was to inherit the title role of dynastical king after the prophesied crucifixion, though that’s mostly speculation on Tabor’s part.
The Jesus Dynasty is bound to raise many more questions than it answers while sparking furious debates among Christians and non-Christians alike. The conclusions Tabor offers are shocking, interesting and offer a fascinating glimpse into the past.
With Biblical archeology a popular conversation topic of late thanks to the discovery and subsequent publication of the Gospel of Judas after more than 1,700 years, more and more people are looking into the veracity of the canonical Gospels and searching for the historical Jesus. The argument about the historical Jesus will continue for now, without a definitive answer coming anytime soon, but Tabor’s book offers an interesting and fascinating new approach to the subject.
By Dr. James D. Tabor
Almost daily, religious scholars and historians propose a new way of understanding the life and impact of Jesus Christ. In his new book The Jesus Dynasty, Dr. James Tabor is the latest author to add his ideas to this hotly contested topic.
Given the dominance of Western culture, no single person has had as much impact on world history as Jesus Christ. Fantastic acts of kindness have been carried out in his name; miracles have been attributed to Him, as have wars and genocide. To many, He’s the son of God, sent to die for Christians so their sins will be forgiven, while to others he’s just a mortal prophet.
Tabor offers an alternative version of Christian origins, one that takes the reader closer than ever to the historical Jesus, His immediate family and His early followers. The story is surprising and controversial, but also a fascinating look into the lives of the people living during this tumultuous time in history.
Jesus, as most know, was the son of the virgin Mary, a young woman who became pregnant before her marriage to a man named Joseph. The Gospels tell us that Jesus had four brothers and two sisters, all of whom were probably the legitimate children of Joseph and Mary. That revelation goes against established Catholic beliefs as Tabor points out: "Catholic dogma holds that Mary remained a perpetual virgin her entire life." Tabor also delves into the possibility Jesus actually had a human father and it was only after Jesus’ death that the Holy Spirit and virgin birth were added to the story, thus ensuring Jesus’ divinity.
Tabor suggests Jesus’ brother James, John the Baptist and Jesus himself likely viewed themselves as faithful Jews. None of them believed that their movement was the start of a new religion. It was the apostle Paul, who, through his ministry, transformed both Jesus and his message, breaking with James and the other followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. Most interesting is how Paul’s message, based on his own revelations, defined what would eventually become Christianity while Jesus became a figure whose humanity was obscured; John became merely a forerunner of Jesus; and James along with the rest of Jesus’ extended family were all but forgotten.
Tabor sheds light on what it was like living during the first Century A.D. and the time of Jesus. From the Roman occupation of the region to life in places such as Nazareth and Galilee, Tabor immerses the reader in history, settings and the people. The most interesting information is offered on the historical Jesus himself. The book delves methodically into the life of Jesus from his birth to his death by throughly examining the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John but also other unedited sources from the same time period. Tabor examines The Dead Sea Scrolls, which remained hidden until 1947, the Gnostic Gospels such as that of Thomas, which were edited out of the New Testament because they depicted a Jesus who was not divine.
Tabor delves into Jesus’ bloodline, his connection to King David and his legitimate claim to the throne of Israel. Tabor quotes the book of Samuel: "Shortly before David’s death God promised him that his throne would last forever and that only those of his seed could occupy it as rulers over the nation of Israel." Tabor then breaks down the traditional lineage on Joseph’s side. But if Jesus was not biologically related to Joseph and was in fact a step-son, how could he lay claim to the throne through his bloodline? Tabor answers this mystifying question by showing Jesus’ lineage from an unorthodox perspective, while offering a plausible theory on the scandal of Mary being pregnant before her marriage to Joseph.
And it’s with regard to Jesus’ family that Tabor levels his most controversial claim. Jesus had a father, a biological human father. Tabor even offers a potential name for the father of Jesus. Jesus is sometimes called ‘bar Pantera,’ or son of Pantera. There’s even documentation to back up Tabor’s radical claim in the form of an early Greek text by a philosopher named Kelsus. He says that Jesus was the son of a man named Pantera, who either was, or became, a Roman soldier.
In addition to Tabor’s claims that Jesus had an earthly father, his book also argues it was Jesus’ intention to build a dynasty on earth. Tabor says that it was Jesus’ half-brother James who was to inherit the title role of dynastical king after the prophesied crucifixion, though that’s mostly speculation on Tabor’s part.
The Jesus Dynasty is bound to raise many more questions than it answers while sparking furious debates among Christians and non-Christians alike. The conclusions Tabor offers are shocking, interesting and offer a fascinating glimpse into the past.
With Biblical archeology a popular conversation topic of late thanks to the discovery and subsequent publication of the Gospel of Judas after more than 1,700 years, more and more people are looking into the veracity of the canonical Gospels and searching for the historical Jesus. The argument about the historical Jesus will continue for now, without a definitive answer coming anytime soon, but Tabor’s book offers an interesting and fascinating new approach to the subject.
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