Jesus of the Apocalypse

Book excerpt: The sequel to the controversial Jesus the Man. In her 1992 bestseller Jesus the Man, Barbara Thiering analysed the hidden meaning contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls to propose a radical new historical interpretation of the life of Jesus Christ. Now, in Jesus of the Apocalypse, she unravels the mysteries of the Book of Revelation, including the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, the beast whose number is 666 and the Great Harlot clothed in scarlet and purple. In this new work of remarkable research and scholarship, Thiering argues that Jesus was a central figure in a major political movement to overthrow the pagan Roman empire. Although crucified, he did not die on the cross and he, and subsequently his sons, took an important role in the evolution of the new underground religion which was developing out of Judaism. With detective-like perseverance, Thiering sheds new and significant light on a period that has so often been seen more through the implications of scripture than the facts of history.