James, the Brother of Jesus

The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls

By: Robert Eisenman

Narrated by: Bob Souer

James was a vegetarian, wore only linen clothing, bathed daily at dawn in cold water, and was a life-long Nazirite. In this profound and provocative work of scholarly detection, eminent biblical scholar Robert Eisenman introduces a startling theory about the identity of James - the brother of Jesus - who was almost entirely marginalized in the New Testament. Drawing on long-overlooked early church texts and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Eisenman reveals in this groundbreaking exploration that James, not Peter, was the real successor to the movement we now call "Christianity". In an argument with enormous implications, Eisenman identifies Paul as deeply compromised by Roman contacts. James is presented as not simply the leader of Christianity of his day, but the popular Jewish leader of his time, whose death triggered the uprising against Rome - a fact that creative rewriting of early church documents has obscured.

Eisenman reveals that characters such as "Judas Iscariot" and "the Apostle James" did not exist as such. In delineating the deliberate falsifications in New Testament documents, Eisenman shows how - as James was written out - anti-Semitism was written in. By rescuing James from the oblivion into which he was cast, the final conclusion of James, the Brother of Jesus is, in the words of the Jerusalem Post, "apocalyptic" - who and whatever James was, so was Jesus.

©1998 Robert Eisenman (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Indispensable!

This book is indispensable for understanding the ideas and the personalities that were in play in first-century Palestine. The book is over forty hours long, but is so densely packed with information that you always have to pay attention. However, this is not difficult as the narrator is truly excellent and the information is fascinating. Yes, as one reviewer said, I think a section or two of the book is repeated, but I didn't mind this at all, as it only served to help me absorb the material. This is certainly one to listen to more than once, as I have not seen any Bible scholar who's been able to dive so deeply into the subject matter. In my opinion, extremely brilliant and highly recommended!

enjoyed a fascinating theory

I love this narrator. fast paced. the book also goes quite deep into various chunks of history for the period. so I managed to listen to the entire book and kept coming back to it.

A must for theological research & biblical insight

Perhaps as educational and insightful as there could be in regards to James and his importance to Christianity as it rationally discusses why and how this biblical correction should be understood. Although this is a long, it gives validation to the efforts of their digging out the truth from frequently and sometimes obvious intentional altering of the New Testament.

Thought Provoking

This is a long book - but it’s also a testament to the author’s exhaustive research into “extra-biblical” texts. The book builds a solid case for the idea that the histories of Jesus, his biological brothers James, Simon and Judas, as well as the histories of Paul and early Christianity itself, have been corrupted and re-written. It took me several weeks to get through it, but it was well worth the effort. The narration was excellent - which was a big help.

Knowing the actual truth is refreshing. Thank you.

If you don't want to be "confused by the facts," don't read this. If you are a seeker of Christian truth regarding Jesus, no matter what it may change about your current beliefs, this is an absolutely imperative book to read.

A Tour De Force!

This is a staggering book, rich in detail, research and scope. While the author states that it was written for both scholars and laity alike, the subject matter is extremely dense at times and (I believe) requires a reader with at least a working knowledge of both biblical, extra-biblical source material. Everyone will learn something over these 42 hours but I feel evangelicals will need to hang their hats at the door to really absorb some of its content.

Contra-Orthodox Messianic History

An extremely cynical view about the historic authenticity of the Biblical narrative about Jesus and the movement associated with him. Of course, James is the focus, but the book hypothesizes how and why James was eliminated from Biblical narrative. The theory paints a very different view of the involvement of Jesus' family, that if correct, most definitely means that the Bible is not the inerrant, infallible, inspired word of God. The book has tons of information from various sources that are not readily available to average readers. Very interesting, but also very repetitive.

Sublime

Best in its field. The research is overpowering. It really puts the newish generation of Biblical scholars to shame., not to mention their shallow populist approach introduced to this world by Dan Brown.

Wonderful research

I have followed Robert for a very long time. The book is by far the most thorough research on who the original church of Jerusalem was and exactly who it was that led them.
more people should learn this important information. Many parts are redundant but simply to connect very subtle points that tie everything together. Great job Robert. The world can be a better place because of knowledge like this.

A true masterpiece of New Testament scholarship

I can't say enough about Dr. Eisenman's research, analysis, and clarity of writing. This book is quite literally one of the best books I've ever read on the origins of Christianity, the historical Jesus, and the mystery of the Qumran community. An absolute must have for any Biblical, New Testament, or Christian students looking to deepen their understanding. Thank you Robert Eisenman for this masterpiece!