The Jesus Dynasty

by James D. Tabor

Based on a careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, The Jesus Dynasty offers a bold new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. Biblical scholar Tabor brings us closer than ever to the historical Jesus. He sheds new light on Jesus' relationship with John the Baptizer, the role played by his brother James, and how Paul's ministry transformed Jesus' message into what would become Christianity. Tabor has studied the earliest surviving documents of Christianity for more than thirty years. He reconstructs for us the movement that sought the spiritual, social, and political redemption of the Jews, a movement led by one family. This book offers an alternative version of Christian origins, one that takes us closer than ever to Jesus and his family and followers.--From publisher description.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Theology, Christian

338 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he has taught since 1989. He previously held positions at Ambassador College (1968-70 while a student), the University of Notre Dame (1979–85), and the College of William and Mary (1985–89).

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before saying anything else, I must say that this book has absolutely nothing to do with the inane ideas that Jesus survived his crucifixion, married Mary Magdalene, moved to France, and had children whose descendants are alive even today. There is nothing in this book remotely similar to the ideas in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code or in books like Holy Blood, Holy Grail. The implications of the title notwithstanding, The Jesus Dynasty is a serious work of scholarship by James Tabor, who is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The dynasty referenced in the title refers to the leadership of Jesus's messianic movement being passed from Jesus to his brothers.

Tabor offers a unique perspective on Jesus. Whereas most of the recent historical Jesus work tends to see Jesus as some sort of social and/or religious reformer or revolutionary (Crossan, Borg) or as an apocalyptic prophet (Schweizter, Sanders, and, to a degree, Wright), Tabor paints a portrait of Jesus as primarily a political rebel: according to Tabor (who, unlike most New Testament scholars, sees the genealogies in Matthew and Luke as being somewhat accurate), Jesus was a descendant of David, and thus a legitimate claimant to the throne of Israel, who saw himself as one of two Messiahs (Tabor argues that Jesus shared the beliefs of the Qumran community that there would be two Messiahs: a priestly Messiah, whom Jesus identified as John the Baptist, and a royal Messiah, Jesus himself)) who would lead Israel in its overthrow of Roman rule and usher in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God was not some spiritual notion for Jesus; rather, according to Tabor, it was an actual kingdom on earth that would be ruled by God's Messiah, Jesus, in accord with the law (Torah) of God.

While Tabor's thesis is fascinating, the evidence to support his view is lacking. He makes some rather Carl Lewis-esque leaps to his conclusions. He begins with few solid historical facts and then extrapolates about what might have or could have been the case. This is not terribly good history, but it is great historical speculation. Now, this is not to say that Tabor is wrong in his conclusions but just that he does not have sufficient evidence to prove his case.

What I liked best about this book was Tabor's strong presentation of the case for James, the brother of Jesus, being the most important figure in the early Jesus movement, at least until Paul. Clearly, from Paul's letter to the Galations and even in Luke's account of the Jerusalem Council in Acts, James was the leader of the Jerusalem Christians, even more important than Peter.

I also found fascinating Tabor's argument that James and several other brothers of Jesus (Simon, Joseph/Joses, and Judas) were all among Jesus's twelve disciples, but other than the similarity of names of some the disciples and Jesus's brothers, there is no real evidence to support this speculation, and yet it seems to me that this would have been quite probable.

Tabor also makes a very strong case for Paul basically inventing orthodox Christianity, which is largely a mainstream idea in contemporary New Testament scholarship. Paul never knew Jesus personally and based his theology almost exclusively on his personal visions and revelations. Paul's Christianity, which focused on the Jesus himself and Jesus's death, differed markedly from the Jewish Christianity of James, which focused on the message and mission of Jesus. The Jewish Christians, even after the death of Jesus, tried to carry on Jesus's work, which was the overthrow of the Roman Empire: they were an apocalyptic congregation preparing for the rapidly approaching end of the current age of Roman rule; they anticipated the coming of the kingdom of God when Israel would no longer be subject to foreign masters, and God's justice would rule the world. Obviously, such a temporal, political Christianity is radically different from Paul's otherworldly Christianity where Jesus, rather than being a political revolutionary, serves as an atoning sacrifice who reconciled God and humanity. With the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE and the eventual complete defeat of the Jewish rebels following the Bar Kochba rebellion in 135 CE coupled with the amazing success of Paul's missionary efforts, Paul's Christianity became orthodox Christianity, supplanting Jewish Christianity and the mission that Jesus himself had begun. Tabor argues, and here I agree with him, that the Ebionites, a sect of Jewish Christianity condemned as heretical by the orthodox church historian Eusebius, were the true heirs of the Jesus movement.

Besides the evidentiary problems, there is one other major short-coming with this book: Tabor really does not address the resurrection. If we grant that his thesis is true, what role did the resurrection play in the Christianity of the Jewish Christians, and how did they come to believe that Jesus had been resurrected? I imagine that Tabor would argue that the belief in the resurrection (whatever the cause of this belief) came to symbolize God's justification of Jesus's life and mission, and the resurrection served as a sign that God had not, despite Jesus's devastating crucifixion and death, abandoned the Jewish people but would still intervene in history to bring about the kingdom of God.

All in all, despite not presenting strong evidence for his thesis, I found Tabor's arguments still plausible. Tabor presents a Jesus radically different from most of the reconstructions of the historical Jesus that New Testament scholars have presented over the last quarter of a century. This was a thought-provoking read and was also highly entertaining.

[أحمد · Rating 5 out of 5]

أريد الكتابة الآن قبل أن أتخلص من تأثير الانطباع الأول ..

وكدت أن أعتبرها أمرًا مسرفًا في التقليدية، أو ربما حتى سوء أدب من المترجم!، رغم أني أحب المترجم سهيل زكار كثيرًا وأقدّره تقديرًا جمّا؛ أتحدث عن المقدمة!، فاسم الكتاب الذي قام بترجمته (سلالة يسوع: أسرة يسوع الحاكمة)، ابتدأ سهيل زكار المقدمة بقوله:


الحمد لله الواحد الأحد، الفرد الصمد، الذي لم يلد ولم يولد، ولك يكن له كفوًا أحد، والذي لم يتخذ زوجًا أو ولدًا، الحمد لله الذي خلق الكائنات جميعًا من دون شريك أو معين


لأن الأمر أعاد لي صورة أسرة مسلمة أعرفها، جاورها في السكن جيران مسيحيون، ورغم أن الأسرة المسلمة لم ير أحد غالبًا أحد أفرادها وهو يصلي في المسجد رغم ملاصقتها له، إلا أن هذا لم يمنعها في يومٍ ما مِن استدعاء خطّاط لينقش على الحائط المواجه للجيران المسيحين آيات قرآنية شريفة عن تكذيب مزاعم النصارى في صلب المسيح وإدعاء إلوهيته وأن الله واحدٌ أحدٌ؛ وهذا الإصرار على مضايقتهم بهذا المس العنيف لدينهم وأمام عينيهم دائمًا عند خروجهم من دارهم، هو أمر ليس صحيحًا بالتأكيد، فليس كل (كلام صالح) يصلح ذكره في مختلف المواقف، فالفقهاء كرهوا أن يقوم أحد عند رأس المحتضر، ثم يقعد يذكّره بذكر الله، اذكر الله!، اذكر الله!، اذكر الله!؛ هذا خوفًا وخشية من أن يضيق المحتضر بسكرات الموت وبثقالة دم مَن بجانبه، فيقول له في ألم: دعني من الله!

وهناك الحسن البصري، والحسن البصري في الأساس واعظ ديني، وتوجد قصة عن أن أحدهم اعترض على وعظه للناس في مكة في موسم الحج، لأنه بذلك قد يعطلهم عن مناسكهم!، أي انه كان يعظ الجميع في أي وقت، ولكن قصة أخرى تحكي أنه كان له جار (يهودي) يقيم أعلاه وأقام حمامًا لديه، وحدث ان ماء المرحاض، كان يهبط من أعلى إلى بيت الحسن البصري، دون علم اليهودي ، وبعد فترة مرض الحسن فعاده اليهودي، فرأى ما حصل في بيت الحسن، فسأله منذ متى وأنت صابر على هذا الأذى؟، فقال له الحسن: منذ عشرين عاما، فما كان من اليهودي إلا أن خلع زناره ونطق بالشهادتين

ثم إذا تخيّلت أن مسيحيًا جذبه عنوان الكتاب (الجاذب جدًا)، ثم طالع الصفحة الأولى، ووجد هذه السيطرة (الإسلامية) على كتاب مؤلفه ذاته قال أنه تحرر فيه من أي (تأثيرات لاهوتية)، هل بعد هذه المقدمة قد يمضي قدمًا في القراءة بنفس درجة الفضول التي حققها العنوان!، لا!

وهناك الأستاذ أحمد ديدات، كانت بعض كتبه المترجمة يحشر مترجمها في المقدمة كلامًا يحاول الاقتداء فيه بسيرة أحمد ديدات في الرد على المسيحين، ولكنه يتقهقر سريعًا، ويستشهد بمثل قصائد ابن القيم، ثم يفكك معانيها ويصوغها نثرًا، ويحسب انه أتى بذلك بالرد المفحم الذي غاب تمامًا عن ذهن ديدات نفسه أثناء تأليف كتابه!، ولكن يا ليته تعلم شيئًا من أسلوب أحمد ديدات، وليت لا تغني شيئًا، كان أحمد ديدات ابن بيئته تمامًا، عرف ما هو الأسلوب المناسب، عرف كيفية إمساك اليد التي توجع!، عاشرهم فعاملهم بما يألفونه، ولكن هنا مازلت أغلبيتنا تتعامل مع المسيحين بمنطق رجال دين القرون الوسطى!، بمنطق الأغلبية التي تقهر القلة!، بمنطق مَن يسد أذنيه عندما يبدأ أحدهم حديثًا جادًا عنهم، ثم يقولون: اسكت!، لا تتحدث!، هذا قَرَف!


وهناك قصيدة إسلامية لأبن القيم، تقول:


أعباد المسيح لنا سؤال
نريد جوابه ممن وعاه

إذا مات الإله بصنع قوم
أماتوه فما هذا الإله

وهل أرضاه ما نالوه منه
فبشراهم إذا نالوا رضاه

وإن سخط الذي فعلوه فيه
فقوتهم إذًا أوهت قواه

وهل بقي الوجود بلا إله
سميع يستجيب لمن دعاه

وهل خلت الطباق السبع لما
ثوى تحت التراب وقد علاه

وهل خلت العوالم من إله
يدبرها وقد سمرت يداه

وكيف تخلت الأملاك عنه
بنصرهم وقد سمعوا بكاه

وكيف أطاقت الخشبات حمل
الإله الحق شد على قفاه

وكيف تمكنت أيدي عداه
وطالت حيث قد صفعوا قفاه

وهل عاد المسيح إلى حياة
أم المحيي له ربٌ سواه

ويا عجبا لقبر ضم ربا
وأعجب منه بطن قد حواه

أقام هناك تسعا من شهور
لدى الظلمات من حيض غذاه

وشق الفرج مولودا صغيرا
ضعيفا فاتحا للثدي فاه

ويأكل ثم يشرب ثم يأتي
بلازم ذاك هل هذا إله

تعالى الله عن إفك النصارى
سيسأل كلهم عما افتراه


هي قصيدة سهلة اللفظ جارية على الألسن، ولكنها لا تساوي خردلة لديهم، وبلغ من إعجاب الكثير بها أن ترجموها حرفيًا إلى الإنجليزية، ثم نشروها على منتديات القوم المختلفة، وكانت الإجابة اللاذعة دائمًا من روّاد المنتدى هي:

افتح الكتاب المقدس :)

Just open it!


حسنًا مؤلف هذا الكتاب فتح الكتاب المقدس، ووعاه تمامًا وقارن بين الأناجيل المختلفة في اقتدار واستخلص منها – في رأيي – أعظم مما اكتشفه أثريًا، مع أنه طالع عشرات الأدلة والمكتشفات الأثرية وشواهد القبور وكهوف ممارسة الطقوس الدينية وكثير من النصوص القديمة الآرامية والعبرية التي تعود جميعًا إلى القرن الميلادي الأول، والمؤلف في الأصل أستاذ قدير في الأثار عنده الاستعداد على الفور للذهاب إلى أي مكان في العالم من أجل معاينة أثر قديم قد لا يكون له أهمية تمامًا ولكن لابدّ له من ذلك، وهو خلال الكتاب يقول في كثير من الأحيان أنه الآن يقوم بتجميع قطع الأحجية معًا، هناك فجوة، هناك سنوات مفقودة من حياة هؤلاء الأفراد لا نعلم عنها أيِّ شيءٍ، ولكن سنحاول، ورغم أننا لا نقوم على قاعدة مُتفق عليها من قبل الجميع، إلا أن هذا كل ما نعرفه وهذا أقصى ما سمحت لنا الاكتشافات الأثرية بكشفه حتى الآن، ومنها سنكتشف الحقيقة، ويقول مثلا: الإجابة القصيرة على هذا السؤال هي إننا لا نعرف!، ولكن لنكتشف ما لدينا!



والكتاب به الكثير من الفقرات التي تشهد على (شغف) المؤلف، فهو يقول:


هناك شيئا ما فينا جميعًا ممتعًا ومثيرًا، في أن يجرب الإنسان ملامسة الماضي، أو أن يلامس منه رسالة قديمة، أو سجلّ أنساب، أو ميدان قتال، أو مقبرة، أو شذرات من نص قديم [...]، مع كلماتٍ بالعبرية والآرامية من الممكن أنها نفسها قد قُرئت من قبل يسوع أو من قبل أتباعه


أو يقول:


ولكن الذي هو مهم حول هذه المدافن أنهم يقدمون لنا كهف دفن أسرة من القرن الأول للميلاد، والتي إن لم تكن أسرة يسوع بالفعل، فإنها تعكس العادات نفسها والممارسات التي تعلقت بتذكر الميت، والزحف إلى داخل هذه المدافن – مثلما فعلتُ – كان للإلتحاق بالماضي، ..، فهي كانت طريقًا لملامسة حقيقية للتاريخ اليهودي القديم في أيام ولادة المسيحية، فالذكر الارستقراطي الذي وجدناه بقياه ما تزال ملفوفة بالكفن في مدفن (هينوم)، ربما كان شاهدًا على الأيام الأخيرة ليسوع، ..، والنظر إلى عظام كعب (يهوهانان) المخروقة بالمسمار يجلب الرعشة لدى تخيل رعب عمليات الصلب الرومانية



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بدأ الكتاب بحكاياته حول اكتشفاف مدفن يحتوي على خمسة نواويس، تحمل اسماء: يوسف بن يسوع، ومريم المفترض أنها زوجته، ومريم أخرى، ويهوذا بن يسوع، ومتّى، لينطلق من هنا في إعادة بناء حياة سيدنا المسيح عليه السلام، ليرينا كيف أنه هناك مسيحيتان، مسيحية أسسها ووضع قواعدها (بولص) الذي رغم أنه لم يلتق بيسوع قط وإن عاصره إلا أنه أدّعى أنه رآه في رؤيا عرضت له، ومن خلال (بولص) ظهرت لأول مرة عقيدة قيام المسيح من الموت وعقيدة أن المسيح عليه السلام ما كان إلا (ربًا في جسد) وأنه كان مساويًا لله، أي أن عقيدة (الخلاص) بأكملها التي آمن بها البلايين من البشر ظهرت على يد (بولص) فقط!، أما المسيحية الاخرى التي أسسها يسوع ذاته وتزعمها جيمس (الأخ غير الشقيق ليسوع) ويوحنّا ومتّى والحواريون، وكانت مهمتها مواصلة الرسالة المسائحية، إلا أنه تم تحجيمها وطمسها دائمًا على يد بولص وأتباعه ومؤيديه، فالمؤلف يقول أن (بولص) شكّل أكبر تحدي تجاه أي محاولة لاكتشاف تراث أسرة يسوع، إلا أن المؤلف من خلال دائرة واسعة من المصادر التاريخية القديمة استطاع إلى حد ما إظهار شخصية (جيمس) وتعريضها للضوء القوي، وهذا كان غاية المُنى للمؤلف وحسبه هذا!


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الكتاب لا يُلخص، أو لا أعرف كيف أقوم بهذا، هناك الكثير عرفته منه، كمثل حديثه الموسع المثير عن (يوحنّا المعمدان) – يحيى عليه السلام – وأنه كان له مع المسيح الدور الأعظم في نشر الرسالة المسائحية، ولكن أيضًا تم تحجيم دوره كثيرًا في الأناجيل، فكيف يكون ليوحنّا المعمدان هذا الفضل الكبير على (الرب) يسوع!، لابد من التحجيم، وهذا ما حدث، ولكن المثير أن المؤلف اكتشف كثير من النصوص التي تعود في الحقيقة ليوحنّا المعمدان قد تم أخذها ونسبها على لسان يسوع؛ فبفضل هذا الكتاب قلت هذا يبدو منطقيًا فسورة مريم تضم قصتيْ (يحيى)، و(عيسى) معًا متعاقبتين، هناك علاقة في (الرسالة) بينهما بالتأكيد مثلما هي العلاقة بين مولدهما الإعجازي، فالأول عن عقم وكبر والثاني عن بتولية عذراء، ولكن تم حجب دور أحدهما من أجل تأليه الآخر!


ولكن ماذا يقول مؤلف الكتاب، فالمؤلف عالم آثار، والعلم لا يعترف بالمعجزات، أنها شيءٌ غيبي والعلوم تجريبية، والمؤلف قال منذ البدء أنه خارج (أي تأثير لاهوتي)، لذلك فهذه الفقرة تعدّ من أعمدة الكتاب:


يتوجّب على المؤخين الارتباط بنظامهم في العمل داخل أطر وجهات نظر الحقائق العلمية، فالمرأة لا يمكنها على الإطلاق أن تصبح حاملا من دون ذكر، وهكذا امتلك يسوع أبًا بشريًا، سواء أتمكنا من التعرف عليه أم لم نتكمن؛ والأجساد الميتة لا تقوم – ليس إذا كان واحدًا ميتًا سريريًا – مثلما كان حال يسوع بعد الصلب الروماني، وبعد البقاء ثلاثة أيام في القبر، وبناء عليه إذا كان القبر وُجد فارغًا، فالمحصلة التاريخية هي بسيطة: لقد جرى نقل جسد يسوع من قبل أحد ما، ودُفن بشكل لائق في مكان آخر


فالمؤلف في شأن أن مريم حملت بعيسى عليه السلام، أتى بأحد أغرب الأحداث والقصص التي مرّت بي إلى الآن، فالمعلومات عجيبة جدًا بغض النظر تمامًا عن صدمتها، فهو استقر لديه بعد كثير من البحث والاستنتاج وبعد كثير من الصفحات الصادمة، أن مريم كانت قد أُعدت لأن يخطبها الرجل العجوز يوسف النجار، وفي أثناء ذلك أقامت علاقة غير شرعية مع جندي روماني يدعى (فانتيرا) نتج عنها ميلاد ابنها المسيح!، ثم تزوجها أخيرا يوسف النجار وتبنّى ابنها، ثم بعد ذلك أنجبت مريم منه أربعة أولاد وبنتين، من يوسف النجار أو من أخيه، هناك شك لم يستطع المؤلف تجاوزه، فربما توفى يوسف النجار والمسيح صبيا، فتزوجت مريم من أخيه حسب التقاليد اليهودية مِن أجل استمرار اسم أخيه الميت

الصفحات التي مرّت من أجل الوصول لهذه القصة، ببساطة: مدهشة!، صادمة!، ولكنها مع ذلك: جالبة للتقدير!، اقرؤها وكفى!، اقرأوا الكتاب فهذه – كما أرى الآن - أسوأ مراجعة أكتبها!


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ولكن هناك نقطة، في الصفحات الاخيرة من الكتاب، جاء أخيرًا ذكر الإسلام!، ياه!، لا يؤمن بالقرآن بالتأكيد، هذا شيء بديهي!، ولكنه قال جملة فاتنة جميلة جدًا جدًا، قال هداه الله:


هناك علاقة مدهشة فيما بين البحث الذي قدمته في (الأسرة الحاكمة ليسوع)، وبين العقائد التقليدية للإسلام، [...]، وهناك القليل حول يسوع مما جرى تقديمه في هذا الكتاب يتعارض مع المفاهيم الإسلامية الأساسية


ولكن لم أفرح كثيرًا، لأن عقب هذا مباشرة علل المؤلف – هداه الله أيضًا مدام حيّا – سبب هذه المقاربات المدهشة بين العقيدة الإسلامية وبين (أغلب) ما جاء به وأكتشفه في كتابه هذا، علل هذا بأن محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم كان على اتصال ببعض المجموعات المسيحية التي آمنت بالحركة المسيحية الأخرى البعيدة عن تأثيرات بولص والكنيسة الغربية (!!) .. لا يهم!



وهذا بالتأكيد الذي دفع أستاذنا (سهيل زكار) إلى كتابة المقدمة الإسلامية جدًا، التي قدّم بها الكتاب!، هل تصدقون!، إنني الآن ألتمس لأستاذنا سهيل العذر واستسمحه مما قلته!، ففي هذه المقدمة الإسلامية يقول أستاذنا سهيل زكار أن العيب المنهجي في الكتابات الغربية هو في إهمالها للمادة الإسلامية، لا سيما ما ورد في القرآن الكريم، وأن المؤلف لو رجع إلى القرآن لما وقع في هذا الخطأ المنهجي

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والترجمة مع كونها وافية وواعية إلا إنها غير (عذبة)، تفتقد عذوبية اللغة بشكل ملح!، وأيضًا لم تتم ترجمة الهوامش، مع أن بها إشارات رائعة وتستكمل الكثير من غوامض المتن، وكان نقلها بالإنجليزية - كما هي - شاذًا قليلا

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus thought he was a fulfillment of prophecy and thought he was specially chosen to lead a revolution against the oppressors of the Jews, and his family after his death carried on that mission. Paul had a vision that told him differently. Paul’s version became heterodox, and Mary’s other sons got relegated to forgotten footnotes of history while she was turned into the paragon of womanly virtue and ultimately assumed her way into heaven in a blessed state of virginity.

Tabor does an excellent job of telling the historical exoteric (i.e. not hidden, known plainly) meaning of the New Testament. The Book of Acts, the muddled pile of childish nonsense obfuscated the real story and Tabor places the story in its real context and background while providing a fresh historical perspective adding believability missing from evangelical inerrant bible believing special pleading books such as presented by Josh Mcdowel’s “Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” or Gary Habermas’ “On the Resurrection.” I pick those two books only because I’ve read them in the last month or so as I searched for the best arguments for Christianity.

Eisenman’s book “James the brother of Jesus” provides a more detailed, nuanced and complex telling of the basics provided in this book. Tabor on his Youtube channel provides this excellent one hour interview by Eisenman, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nlte... Eisenman’s book is one of my favorite books so far this year, but if you don’t have the patience for 1000 pages of rigorously presented arguments you can just watch the interview or read this book instead.

Tabor strikes me as a believer in Christianity while entertaining a different perspective from the evangelical inerrant bible-believing non-compromiser. The story that Tabor tells is immensely more edifying than any Christian apologist can tell as far as I know.

[Gladys Drybred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the history and research. It gave a lot to think about. New discoveries are still being made and we can be sure that no matter what is discovered a lot will still be a mystery. I feel I’m a better Christian for having read this.

[EJ Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been raised a Christian, a religious concept I rejected pretty early on, I have a particular fondness for the historical Jesus. During my years in college I did a lot of reading on this subject so, when I came across The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity by James D. Tabor recently, I snatched it up.

Dr. Tabor is the chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina and is considered an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and on Christian origins. I am familiar with some of his earlier work and found The Jesus Dynasty to be both an informative and enjoyable read.

By examining recent archeological finds in Israel and through the careful reading of existing and more recently discovered ancient texts, Dr. Tabor has painted a much fuller picture of the historical life of Jesus than I ever got back in my college days. A picture which has been grossly edited by later writers to fit Jesus more neatly onto his Christian throne than he ever intended to be. Indeed, it is my belief the poor guy is spinning at a rather high rate of speed inside his ossuary in whatever tomb, possibly as yet undiscovered, that ossuary might be sealed in.

As a writer, though, the thing that struck me hardest during my read of The Jesus Dynasty was not so much the facts and informed speculations Dr. Tabor made but rather the picture of the times in which Jesus walked the earth; the poverty and oppression of the populace, the cruelty of the Roman conquerors, the barbarism of the Jewish leaders over their own kind, all of which fomented an undercurrent of rebellion which Jesus and John the Baptizer emerged the leaders of.

This Jesus became more human to me, more real, than any religious exposure to him had ever shown me. It was a story of passion and rebellion, of deceit and danger at every turn. Jesus and John, the King and the Priest foretold of in the prophecies of the time, had nothing less in mind than the complete overthrow of the Roman yoke and the coming of the kingdom of their god.

And in the end it’s a tragic story. The priest beheaded, the king, through some judicious rereading of the prophecies to account for this unexpected event, walking boldly into the lions den, fully aware of the danger awaiting him, believing that though his god demanded his suffering, he would, in the end, save him from death there-by heralding a new day when the Romans would be vanquished, the overlords scattered and the chosen people would live free and in peace.

What a disappointment he must have suffered, along with all the other horrors of the cross, when death came instead of his god.

[Xenophon Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for a book like this one for over twenty years, an account free of religious doctrine of the historical Jesus and the earliest days of Christianity. Given the relatively scant amount of evidence available, I can't say that I believe Dr. Tabor has provided a history that is definitely true and unchallengeable, but his story makes sense, and to my layman's eyes there appears no straining to get the puzzle pieces to fit. The result is fascinating and highly recommended.

Dr. Tabor restores the historical importance of John the Baptist, James the brother of Jesus, and the rest of Jesus's family. He explains just where Paul fits into Christianity and where he got his ideas. (Paul's teaching came almost entirely from his own mystical visions.) Tabor explains what Jesus and John the Baptist were trying to accomplish and the importance of the Q document. He helps clear up the mystery of what Jesus was doing between childhood and the start of his ministry. In an epilogue, Tabor gives strong evidence that the tomb of Jesus and several members of his family has been found.

The book is well and clearly written. The author does not throw around unexplained jargon. Useful maps and a timeline are provided. The book is copiously footnoted, and references to the Bible are inline so that they can be easily looked up for the reader who wants to check them out for himself.

The author also has a website that provides additional material: http://religiousstudies.uncc.edu/peop...

[D.M. Kenyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is difficult to find good material on the history of Jesus that is not laced with didactic case-making or atheistic case-breaking. James Tabor, however, present the what mankind knows about 1st Century Israel and the life of Jesus from a scholarly perspective based on archaeological data and not mythology.

Surprisingly, the life of Jesus actually takes on great meaning in this agnostic historical context as we learn about a young man who knowingly gave his life in an attempt to restore Judaism that had eroded under Roman Occupation. Tabor makes an incredibly strong case against many myths regarding the life of Jesus. He present the evidence that Jesus was married and had children. We see glimpses of his mother and her ancestral line as well as her adopted father, Joseph.

The Jesus Dynasty in my mind is the beginning of a considerable scholastic effort to set the record straight about the real life of this most important historical figure. While it asks more questions than it answers, this book will serve as a marker for further research that will never be complete until outsiders are allowed in the Vatican Library.

This book depicts a hero that to my non-Christian mind is more impressive than the legend.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed a copy of this book out from my local library.
This book was so cool to read. I loved how the author used more sources than just the Gospels, outside sources, and explained things in a cultural perspective. This year I have tried and tried to sit down and read the Bible, even a little a day and get through the whole thing. In January I did really well. As the days progressed though, it became harder and harder for me to fit it into my schedule, and the readings seemed to get longer and longer. However, the little that I did read either brought up more questions, or some suspicion. After all, did Noah really live to 900ish years?
Getting back to the point, the author of this book made it very believable in his hypotheses, even using statistics to lend a very credible air to his argument that the probability of the "Jesus tomb" being the tomb of the one in the Bible was pretty darn convincing. The way that he explained the way Jesus probably thought culturally, was inspiring.
The only thing I didn't like was towards the end, the author seemed to be very anti-Paul. However, maybe it should be, maybe the real Jesus would have been.

[TG Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

剛開始閱讀本書的前兩章，其實我是有些「不耐煩」的。因為作者在講述他在巴勒斯坦一帶作考古挖掘，但描寫筆法相當冗長累贅——我並不在乎你找的某位仁兄先前講了一堆話、接著不久之後他又講了相反的一堆話，光講結論不行嗎？由於激不起我的同理心，所以作者偶爾抒發他身於某個基督教聖經地點的思古幽情，我都是隨便瀏覽而過。直到第一卷的末期開始，才終於讓我讀出趣味來了。我對本書的定位︰《基督教聖經》文獻考古與辨正。

《耶穌的真實王朝》由 James D. Tabor 所作，先前我讀過他的另一本作品《保羅與耶穌》（貓頭鷹中譯）。基本上 Tabor 的專長，在於重建基督教徒（耶路撒冷時代至羅馬時代）的行為與其文獻上的演變過程。由於我不是教徒，而且我從其它材料相信「拿撒勒的約書亞先生」此人的存在，所以本書作者認定耶穌是「人」、耶穌（與施洗者約翰）的活動是為了搞「以色列神權國家的獨立運動」，我是完全認同的。至於「保羅神學」與「耶穌其人的理論」完全不同，這點我也由 Eusebius 的《教會史》所描述當年的「百家爭鳴」現象，曉得保羅的「基督教大改造」是十分合理的，否則今天留下來的《新約正典》就不會有那些「吵架」的記錄了。

本書刻意強調的，是介紹「保羅派」之外的「耶穌直傳教派」，也就是由耶穌之弟「雅各」所繼承與帶領的「彌塞亞運動」的過程，並分析為何「雅各」的存在感在今日顯得如此稀薄的原因︰因為在羅馬城經營宗教事業的「保羅派」，必須抓取耶穌本人留下的「正統」，因此他們需要淡化「耶穌之弟雅各」的繼承人地位。眾所皆知，公元 70 年猶太人叛變，遭到羅馬人鎮壓。在這種情況之下，基督教發源地的教會，自然無法續存，因此待在羅馬的這一派別，自然而然地掌握了對後世的發言權。於是保羅神學，便成了今日歐洲基督教的正統意識形態了。

不過本書的內容，我並不能完全接受。首先書名所提的「王朝」，似乎有點言過其實。的確，耶穌因為犯了「叛國罪」而遭釘刑而死之後，他的教團由弟弟雅各所接手經營。但要將這件事就冠上「王朝」這個名號，太過沉重了——如果所謂的「耶穌王朝」不僅是某種猶太人的教團宗派，而是大剌剌的公開說要建立一個中央政府，那麼撒都該派或羅馬軍，老早就直接打壓下去了，哪裡還有時間能讓雅各在耶路撒冷努力經營個三十年（順便再跟羅馬城的保羅吵架……）。至於「十二使徒」這個數字上的湊法，也不可能是作者所謂的「政府部會首長」，可能不過是傳統習俗以應合「十二支族」罷了。

至於「耶穌之墓／耶穌家族之墓」，這是個老話題了。當年我就質疑過，我們現代人怎麼有辦法得知公元前後巴勒斯坦一帶人名的「分配比例」呢？基礎的統計數字不明，那麼我們拿這個薄弱的數字，如何能夠算出石棺上「約瑟之子約書亞」確實為拿撒勒耶穌的「統計學上的機率」呢？不過是 GIGO 罷了。本書所用的「統計樣本」，在 413 頁所述，是由 330BC~200AD 五百年的文獻和碑銘共收集 2004 個人名而來，然後用這種組合與那有名的「拿撒勒的耶穌」的可能「機率超高」——我認為論證過程還是太過一廂情願。

關於文獻的討論，令我想到《論語》一書係由「曾子派」所編寫的論證，非常具有啟發性。

可以一讀的書。

#可以想成之所以會出現像達文西密碼這種妖書就是由於當年保羅派刻意貶低雅各所造成的誤會嗎

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jesus Dynasty by James D. Tabor, religion professor at University of North Carolina, is a fascinating, eye-opening book about the life of Jesus and what we can glean about his true teachings from specific books in the Bible. Tabor follows Jesus as he becomes an apocalyptic preacher in a movement started by John the Baptist. Tabor clearly makes the case that the religious beliefs of Jesus, his brother James, and John the Baptist, are different from that of the future Christian teachings of Paul, who actually never met Jesus. Tabor shows how the Christian religion that took hold in subsequent centuries after Jesus' death was based on the teachings of Paul to the Gentiles, more so than the religious beliefs of Jesus, who was a practicing Jew, and never referred to himself or any of his followers as Christian, nor did he ever refer to himself as "Jesus Christ." This book definitely stretches one's mind and viewpoints when considering the religious history of the establishment of Christianity by the Church as opposed to the true teachings and life of Jesus.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Dr. Tabor looks at the original gospels & texts, as well as recent archaeological finds, ancient Jewish customs & beliefs and puts them all together, trying to find Jesus the man. This is an interesting look at the findings and he has some extremely interesting ideas of where the evidence is taking the story of Jesus, his times and his family.
This book was well laid out, well explained and well thought out. Dr. Tabor never says that the evidence can only be read one way; he states that more research is needed and more findings.
Some interesting ideas in this book: who is Jesus' earthly father? is a fairly recently discovered tomb the tomb of Jesus' family? What did Jesus & John have in mind when starting the movement? Who was Jesus? Why was Jesus' family (very much a part of his group) effectively written out of the gospels?

An interesting and enjoyable read.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tabor's extensive research really shows in this book. The premise that James, not Peter, as the successor of Jesus' movement may seem outlandish, but Tabor pulls it off. Looking at Jesus as a historical figure, rather than a divine one, may be too much for most Christians to swallow. And at the end of the day, Tabor acknowledges that there are some things we'll never know definitively (Jesus' real father, his rightful successor, etc.), but until better answers come along, this will suffice. I greatly appreciate Tabor's transparency and willingness to admit that he doesn't have all the answers. It is the scholars who claim they do that concern me.

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book empowerd my take off into the most Historical time of my life.. The vision and the imaginative mind set you will get from this book will have you looking for more..
If you want to stand out amoung your frends and co-workers, James Tabor present a seriously will biblical and historical analysis of the earliest Christian... With maps Notes that will keep you involved with your study of Jesus and Christianity.. This book provides a detailed examination of Jesus dynasty, the real thing...

[John Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this. And liked the balanced academic but very readable approach to the subject. Thoroughly recommend this to anyone, like me, who was brought up in a Christian family and who feels the need to question many of the foundations of the faith one has lived with for many years. Excellent.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction book was a great story of the historical Jesus. I discovered much about the time he lived and the people he loved, but I especially was enthralled with John the Baptist and his influence on Jesus.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting book. This author amplifies the difference between St Paul's Christianity and the Jewish version of Jesus' brother James. Although there are some unnecessary, somewhat sensationalist claims over tombs and excavated sites, it offered a new and convincing perspective for me.

[Bob Marchiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

sejarah sama iman memang harus dibedakan!

[Michel Yan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing but convincing

[Carla "Kar" Schmidt Holloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tabor’s hypotheses are interesting, and much of what I read consisted of ideas that I hadn’t heard before in my research into the Historical Jesus. And I didn’t find his ideas He supports his ideas with textual evidence from Jewish and Christian scriptures, as well as other ancient texts, but the problem is that many of his arguments depend on presuppositions that he does not provide proof for. For instance, he seems fairly convinced that the gospel of John is more reliable than the other synoptic gospels: “As is often the case, the gospel of John preserves a more accurate chronology of what went on.” (pg 200). This is strange to me, because in my studies I’ve always understood that scholars put more trust in earlier documents than ones written later, and John was the last to be written of the four canonical gospels. In general, Tabor’s criteria for what makes one text more reliable than another just isn’t clear. He also supports the claim that Jesus did not say the common Christian Eucharistic prayer “this is my body … this is the cup of my blood,” he points out the differences between Paul and the gospels in that regard, he quotes the Eucharist prayer found in The Didache, and he believes that this all proves that Jesus definitely did not make the claim that the bread and wine were his body and blood. This depends on the assumption that just because The Didache exists, it must be accurate to all early Christians’ beliefs and practices, and therefore Paul made up the Eucharistic prayer on his own. But, as we know, there were many different Christian sects almost from the moment of Jesus’s death. We can’t know how widespread this particular practice found in The Didache was among early Christians. While I agree that the gospels and 1 Corinthians definitely don’t prove that Jesus did institute the Eucharistic prayer as we know it from the New Testament, Tabor’s evidence of the mere existence of Greco-Roman mystery cults, Egyptian “love spells,” and Eucharistic prayers that don’t include the bread/body/wine/blood elements doesn’t prove that Jesus didn’t say those things either. (pg 202-206)

Another problem I had with the book was that whenever Jewish scripture was quoted, instead of using YHWH or Lord or Adonai, Tabor uses the form of the tetragrammaton with inserted vowels assumed to be correct by later Christians. This just seems to be a pretentious attempt to look like he’s being “true to the original” when the reality is he’s using a Christian convention instead of the actual original text, which would have most likely read “YHWH” or “Adonai.” I just see this as unnecessarily insensitive to Jewish tradition and belief, in addition to being no more accurate than simply copying “Lord” as it is written in English translations of the Bible.

While I find Tabor’s proposed narrative oftentimes compelling, the book doesn’t make it clear that he is simply proposing a hypothesis. Too often, he makes claims to the effect that “all Jewish people would have read X text to mean Y in the time of Jesus,” which is just … not the case. I often found myself reading a claim and thinking “wait, where are you getting this from?” He gives the impression that his claims are the only possible conclusion to anyone reading the texts.

[Tony Sunderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most independent (non Christian) historians avoid investigating the historical validity of the life of Jesus. Some historians, have even contended that Jesus of Nazareth was not a real person but rather a mythical construction made to fit Judaism within the realm of other pagan religions. Various ancient religious traditions included stories about a god who dies and comes back to life. Osiris from the Egyptian religion, Heracles from the Greeks and the Mesopotamian myth of Tammuz are all examples of a god who rises from the dead.

Other scholars, who are also sceptical about the historical validity of Jesus, argue that he may have been a mythical personification of Jewish wisdom. The Old Testament gives lifelike qualities to wisdom, a divine creation of God that exists outside earthy existence. Another theory that rejects the validity of the historical Jesus contends that the story of Jesus and his life’s mission was based on a rebellious Jew who lived around a century before the commonly accepted time of Jesus’s death. However, there appears to be enough evidence to conclude that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed a real person who preached a form of apocalyptical Judaism in the early years of the first millennium.


Professor James Tabor is brave enough in this book, to give us new and unique take on the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. Tabor argues that the real words and works of Jesus are contained in the lost sources (Q) and the Letter of James. They show a human Jesus who is also a Messianic Jewish prophet. He concludes that a new interpretation of the life of Jesus that embraces both his Jewishness and his humanity can create a bridge of understanding between Judaism, Islam and Christianity. From the book:

‘If nothing else, the insights revealed through an understanding of the Jesus dynasty can open wide new and fruitful doors of dialogue and understanding among these three great traditions that have in the past considered their views of Jesus to be so sharply contradictory as to close off discussion.’

Controversially, Tabor also argues the following with regards to the Jewish ‘Jesus dynasty’;
• Mary, the mother of Jesus most probably became pregnant by another man whilst engaged to Joseph.
• Mary would marry at least two times. First to Joseph, then upon his death to his brother Clophas.
• Mary would give birth to seven children; five boys (including Jesus) and two girls.
• John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus and had almost an equal part in the mission of Jesus. John was seen as the predicted priestly Messiah whilst Jesus was the kingly Messiah of the House of David.
• The end of days was upon all humanity and God would intervene at a crucial moment and redeem the righteous. Jesus did not expect to be put to death; rather he would be saved by divine intervention.
• The Council of 12 would rule over the new Kingdom of God on Earth.
• James, Simon, Jude and Jose would each take the position of leader of the Jewish Christians.

Professor Tabor’s vision of a possible reconciliation of the Abrahamic faiths hinges on the idea that Jesus was an itinerant Jewish preacher who lived and died as a faithful Jew of his time.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating, engaging, and well-written investigation into the historical life of Jesus Christ.

The author produced a very responsible and respectful hypothesis into the life of Jesus, his message, and what followed his death. He makes it clear that his theories are based on the removal of theological context, and he tries - at all points - to place Jesus in a historical context, in essence making him a man of his place and time, with all that that would entail.

I found it to be a very interesting treatment of the subject and one which doesn't aim to take sides or marginalize any group or school of thought. The conclusion he comes to is one which seems intuitive - that Jesus was transmitting a message from God that had been passed down from the time of Abraham, that he was not ushering in a 'new' religion, but was reforming and refining an existing one.

It is a fascinating tale. And I commend the author on his careful and respectful treatment of such a sensitive topic.

Nowhere is the author's aim better expressed than in this passage from the conclusion:

"It is impossible to gaze upon 'facts' without interpretation. [...] There is no absolutely objective place to stand. As long as we recognize our limitations of method and resist equating our own reconstructions with absolute truth we can at least seek to approximate a standard of best evidence. [..] A conscious humility before the evidence is absolutely essential."

[Wafaa Golden · Rating 2 out of 5]

أنهيت هذا الكتاب قبل نصف ساعة تقريباً وقد أخذ مني ما يقارب الشّهر في قراءته..
عندما تصفّحته في البداية شدّتني مقدّمته وبالتّالي أغرتني بقراءته، ولكن بعد ذلك لم أجد فيه ما كنتُ أتوقّعه..
المشكلة هو أنّ الموضوع لا يهمّني كثيراً..

أو ربّما أنّه يبحث في أمور عقديّة محسومةعندنا في عقيدتنا
فقد أفرد عدّة صفحات تبحث في أب "يسوع" وهل تزوّجت أمّه بعد ولادته أم قبلها، ومن هو ابوه أو إخوته..
وكذلك موضوع صلبه واختفاء جثّته بعد أن تمّ إيداعها في قبر مؤقّت..
وغيرها من الأمور التي تضرب في عالم التّاريخ الغابر البعيد وكلّها عبارة عن نظريّات ما تزال بحاجة إلى تأييد..
وليس هذا هو الكتاب الأوّل الذي أقرأه عن المسيحيّة وعقائد معتنقيها فقد قرأت قبله عدّة كتب بما فيها الإنجيل، وبالتّالي هناك الكثير من الأفكار وجدتُ نفسي على اطّلاع بها..
ولكن لم ي رُق لي هذا الكتاب كثيراً..
وسيبقى لي جولة أخيرة معه عندما تسنح لي الفرصة بزيارة مترجمه الذي أهداني إيّاه وسأنقل له رأيي بالكتاب بكل شفافيّة - كالعادة- وأسمع منه رأيه بعد أن قرأته وصرتُ على اطّلاع به، لأنّي أذكر أنّه أخبرني أنه كتاب مهمّ جدّاً..
طبعاً لا أنكر أنّ به الكثير من الأمور القيّمة وخاصّة فيما يتعلّق بنُسخ الأناجيل ومخطوطات البحر الميت ومقارنة النّسخ مع بعضها وبيان الفوارق بينها وتحليل سبب ذلك..

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative. Enlightening. Provocative. Dr. James D. Tabor is chair of the Dept. of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian origins. He has studied the earliest surviving documents of Christianity for more than 30 years and participated in important archaelogical excavations in Israel. This book presents a reconstruction of the life of Jesus, his family and the Jerusalem Nazarenes. It is chock-full of historical and biblical facts, and compelling evidence, but it is surprisingly easy to read and flows smoothly from introduction to conclusion. Dr. Tabor pursues the true story of the historical Jesus by working with surviving evidence like a CSI investigator. I felt like I was reading about someone I thought I knew, whose family was known to me, and whose traditional legacy to the world was a given ... but with each new discovery presented by Dr. Tabor, every newly unearthed piece of evidence, a whole new person, family, legacy are revealed. Fascinating reading.

[Jim Kilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This short little read on the life of Jesus was what can only be described as a "hot mess." It's been on my "to-read" list for some time, and I finally got around to it. While Tabor is a capable historian and scholar, this book leans hard on long-debunked theories about Jesus and embraces questionable exegesis. Tabor runs roughshod over the Greek texts underlying the Gospels and maligns and diminishes their content, while at the same time promoting and giving preference to gnostic writings written centuries later. While providing some accurate historical context to aid in understanding the Jesus story, the plethora of assumptions masquerading as legitimate history make this book difficult to read, and at times difficult to take seriously. Overall this book is like a broken clock, it's right twice a day...

[Will Thorpe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t make it through the introduction to tell that this theory was BS and a waste of time historically.
Way too many claims without evidence.
Example: “After all, we know Jesus’ body was washed and wrapped in a two-piece linen shroud and laid out with spices...”
No citation for this claim which he pulls out of thin air in stark contrast to what we do historically know what happened to crucified criminals: they were left up on the cross to rot.
I was already skeptical of this book and I’m sure people with less of a skeptical mind with more time on their hands will enjoy this but it’s not the scholarly level I was expecting from a professor.

[فيصل اللنقاوي · Rating 3 out of 5]

في اعتقادي الشخصي المتواضع

أقول بأنه تم استغلال نظرية سلالة المسيح عيسى عليه السلام في القرن الرابه الميلادي بعد انهيار الامبراطورية الرومانية الغربية على يد القبائل الجرمانية و بعد ظهور دول كفرنسا و انجلترا و اسبانيا استخدموا هذه النظرية ليعطوا شيئا من الشرعية للملوك و الاسر الحاكمة بأنهم يمثلون سلطة المسيح عليه السلام

و لكن بشكل غير مباشر

و الجدير بالذكر بأن قبر يعقوب ( جيمس ) قد زعم بانه موجود في اسبانيا الحالية وقتما كانت تحت سلطة المسلمين و قد تم بالفعل استخدامها كذريعة لمحاربة المسلمين

و على كل حال يعتبر الكتاب جيد

[Dennis Dupuis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The information was thought-provoking and comforting at the same time. It reaffirmed my questions and provided some potential answers while leaving my faith IN CHRIST, intact. I'll read this one again. It's a history book that feels a little closer to the truth than the version selectively captured in the bible.

[casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. It is not a Catholic book, but it gives you other ideas of how Jesus lived, christianity, and his family. I learned quit a bit about where Mary came from, Joseph, and the environment during the time of Jesus. I will definately read this again one day.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tabor is chair of religious studies at the University of North Carolina. He uncovers the family of Jesus that has been hidden by time and early Christianity. Excellent interpretation that takes us closer to the truth of Jesus, his family and movement.

[Kimberly Kieffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An expertly written work exploring the life of the historical Jesus, this book uses biblical archeological data and literary critique to illuminate who Jesus and his family were and there place in ancient world.