Media Questions and Answers about

Q.  Why do you depict Jesus as a Caucasian?

A. Christianity has long been the dominant religion of the Western World.  The Western World has long been dominated by the Caucasian race, and thus they have traditionally portrayed Jesus as “one of them”.  But traditions aside, we do not have any definite information as to the race of Jesus.  We do know that he was a Jew living in the Jewish state after almost a thousand years of multiple immigrations of various cultures: Persians, Greeks, etc.  We know that most of the Jews of the time were Caucasian and that most of the immigrants over the previous hundreds of years were also mostly Caucasian with some being Arabic/Semitic.  Interbreeding of these resulted in a dominance of Caucasian characteristics.  Jesus was thus most likely a Caucasian.  There was certainly no reason for those of us working on this book to make any changes from the Caucasian tradition.

Q. Are you saying Jesus was taught to say everything he said in the Bible by man?

A. No.  Jesus was not taught to say everything He said by man.  The Dead Sea Scrolls make it extremely clear that the Essenes had followed God’s instructions – as given by His Prophets Isaiah and Malachi – and had gathered the key religious teachings from most of the principal cultures of antiquity: Persia, India, Tibet, etc.  These teachings were believed to be the teachings of God – just as we believe our religion is based on the teachings of God.  The Essenes then taught all of this to Jesus while He was secluded in the wilderness at the Qumran Monastery – the place in the wilderness prepared at God’s instructions.  Jesus then built on this base of great teachings to create the basics of Christianity that Paul, and others then preached to grow our Church.

Q. Why would Jesus need to go to school if he were the Son of God?

A. Jesus was the Son of God, but God sent Him to earth as a human.  God wanted His Son to live on earth as a human.  Jesus was born a human baby.  Jesus died on the cross as a human.  Part of the human experience of Jesus was to study and learn – as a human. Jesus went to school at the Qumran Monastery as a human.  He spent almost 20 years of His human life studying to become the Messiah.  We believe that God wanted Jesus to have the human experience so He could best become the sacrificial lamb – our Savior.  What would be the meaning of a non-human God dying on the cross?  The Essene School at the Qumran Monastery was part of God’s plan – as we understand from His Prophets Isaiah and Malachi.  

Q. You introduce this book as fiction, but then proceed to write it as fact. Please explain your reasons for doing so.

A. I did extensive studies and research, but 2,000 years is too wide a bridge in time to precisely reconstruct the events in the life of Jesus.  I found many facts that could be fairly well proved.  I found many “facts” that were more questionable.  I found some areas where there were just not enough available evidence to identify factual information.  I did my best to present the facts, and to fill in the gaps with suppositions.  The result, I believe, is the most factual account of the missing years of Jesus that one can construct today.  But, because it contains suppositions – it is partly fiction, thus I had to call it fiction.  I would like to note, however, that my suppositions are fairly easy to identify and separate from the facts, and thus the previously unknown truths are available to those who seek them.

Q. It is widely speculated that John the Baptist was an Essene, but no one has mentioned Jesus as an Essene until now.  Please explain why you feel that Jesus was an Essene and where you got your information.

A. The information is so extensive that one would have to read the book to get a complete understanding.  A quick summary, however, is that Jesus taught the same messages, using almost the same words as the Essenes taught.  And Jesus spent his early years in an area dominated by the Essenes.  In the book, we have listed the Essene teachings and compared them word for word with the teachings Jesus presented in his Ministry as stated in the Bible.  The similarity, indeed the exactness in many instances, are just too great for doubt that Jesus taught – in almost all instances - the same thing that the Essenes taught.

Q. I have been taught in Sunday school that Jesus was a carpenter until he started his ministry.  I always “understood” that when it was his time to become the messiah that God gave him all the knowledge and wisdom to do so at that time.  Why has the carpenter story been so well received by generations and how did it come about?

A. The carpenter story came about because Joseph was termed a carpenter.  Scholars have now reinterpreted the word that labeled Joseph a carpenter to a word that better represents “stonemason”.  Being a carpenter or stonemason would not be a very good background for preparing to become the Messiah.  Spending those missing years in a religious school in a monastery hidden from the eyes of everyday people – and hidden from the eyes of history provides a much more believable answer.  And how better for God to give Him “all the knowledge and wisdom” needed for His ministry than to have the Essenes collect the necessary information and teach it in a formal school setting.  Jesus did indeed, however, follow in the footsteps of His Father.  He followed in the footsteps of His Heavenly Father, not Joseph.

Q. You mention that there were hundreds of people who wrote about Jesus during and shortly after his lifetime on Earth.  Who are these writers and why have I not heard of them?

A. I do not know why you and I were taught that only the Bible contains writings about Jesus.  I was very surprised to learn of the very great body of non-Biblical writings that also tell us about Jesus.  The names of these ancient writers are too numerous to provide in this short answer, but many are presented in the book.

Q. This book could be looked at as controversial.  Some may even say heretical.  Please explain why this is so and explain your reasons for writing this book knowing it could be seen by some in such a negative light.

A. I do not view the book as controversial because it does not dispute any part of our Bible.  The book provides information about the almost 20 years of the life of Jesus that the Bible does not tell us about.  Jesus is very important to me.  I wanted to learn as much about Him as possible.  I had, many years ago read some ancient documents that seemed to suggest information about Jesus that was additional to that in the Bible.  I therefore spent seven years studying all of the ancient literature that I could find about Jesus and the time of Jesus. I remembered that Jesus had said that the truth will make you free.   I felt that the true believers would want to have access to the great truths that I found.  That is my reason for writing the book.  I suspect that the question of controversy derives from our tradition that we learn about Jesus only from the Bible.  I was as surprised as anyone that ancient documents provided so much additional information about Jesus.  And all of this great body of information makes my belief in the accuracy of the Bible even stronger!

Q. I have read several stories about Jesus traveling to India and other civilizations and being taught by their spiritual leaders.  Is this mentioned in your book and what are your views on the idea?

A. The Dead Sea Scrolls clearly tell us that the Essenes gathered the information from India and elsewhere and brought it to the place in the wilderness that God, through His Prophets, had instructed them to prepare.  Jesus did not have to travel to get the information – it was brought to Him.

Q. I am a Christian and I only believe what is written in the Bible.  None of this is in the New Testament, so why should I believe in anything you say?

A. The Bible is our Book of Life.  It is the basis by which we live.  But it does not contain all the information that we need in our day-to-day lives.  You know this to be true.  That’s why you went to school – to learn the additional things you need to know.  That’s why you read books – to learn more.  The Bible does not tell us of Jesus between His age of 12 and when He started His ministry nearly 20 years later.  I wanted to know where He was and what He was doing during this formative period of His human life.  I found the ancient documents that provided that information.  This book does not conflict with our Bible.  It simply supplies information that is additional to the information about Jesus that is written in the Bible.  The reason that you need to know this information about Jesus is because as a believer, you follow one of the great teachings of Jesus:  seek the truth.  The truth will make you free.  

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