The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth

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Was Jesus of Nazareth a real historical figure or merely a character in religious lore? What insights do the Dead Sea Scrolls provide about Christianity's origins? John Allegro tackles these compelling questions in a captivating exploration of one of the twentieth century's most significant archaeological finds. As an original scholar deciphering these ancient texts, Allegro worked on crucial documents, including Biblical commentaries, and was appointed honorary advisor to the Jordanian government on the Scrolls in 1961. His engaging style captures the excitement of the archaeological discovery and leads readers through an intellectual journey central to Western culture. Allegro proposes that Christianity emerged from the Messianic beliefs of the Essenes, the Jewish sect responsible for the Scrolls. This new edition features an essay detailing the scholarly infighting surrounding the Scrolls and Allegro's three-decade struggle for public access to all texts. He was among the first to criticize the prolonged delay in publishing the Scrolls and the secretive nature of his colleagues. Recently, this issue gained national media attention, leading to open access to the Scrolls after forty years. John Allegro would have welcomed this resolution, and in the spirit of his advocacy for free inquiry, this paperback reissue aims to foster open discussion of these vital ancient documents.