The Book That Jesus Wrote: John's Gospel (Paperback)

I have just finished Barbara Thiering's trilogy: Jesus the Man (Jesus and the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls-USA edition), Jesus of the Apocalypse, and The Book That Jesus Wrote. Thiering has discovered a "decoder ring" of her own in the form of a "Pesher", which she says is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Unlike mine, her decoder is real, and with it, she has revealed secrets which may have far-reaching, perhaps shattering consequences in modern church and theological circles.

A Pesher is a code used to decipher Biblical era texts that were written to appear one way on their face, but, after applying the Pesher, reveal an entirely different meaning underneath. The technique was used by the authors to convey sensitive, potentially dangerous information to select religious faithful, while concealing that information from their various hostile captors (Romans, Babylonians, etc.). Ironically, this technique has been so effective that the underlying truth in these texts has been hidden for millennia from the very people it was intended to inform.

Thiering's trilogy is not an easy read. She often tries to cram two pounds of revelations into a one pound bag. She assumes that the reader is already familiar with a slew of "minor" Biblical characters (several Herods, Agrippas, Antipas's, Ananus's etc.), who, through the Pesher, become far more important (and annoying) than was formerly acknowledged. The depiction of Jesus throughout her trilogy is so radically different from customary belief that you lose count of the number of traditionally accepted events (the Virgin Birth, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the Miracles, the Sermon on the Mount, the Parables, etc.) which are tediously and summarily dismissed and reconfigured by the Pesher interpretation. In addition, not only does Jesus survive the cross to live for another 40 years, but he is the author of the Gospel of John.

In spite of some fascinating insights and cathartic exegesis, the resultant picture of "The Christ Event" painted by Thiering's Pesher translation is not pretty. It delineates the smarmy, petty internal power struggles among principal leaders within the Judaic and early Christian churches. You will learn more than you ever wanted to know about the influence and arcane practices of the Essenes, who, like it or not, are indispensable and crucial in the Pesher scheme of things.

The importance and validity of Thiering's work will have to be tested over time, but, in the meantime, once you have read her trilogy, you cannot help but question, if not significantly revise, traditional understanding of events described in the Bible and collateral texts. If her research and conclusions hold up to scrutiny, the impact on Christianity and its institutions will be enormous and undeniable. At the very least, you should be able to sue your Sunday school teacher for malpractice. (Originally submitted mid-1999.)

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