Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus [Paperback]

Ahmed Osman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2004

A provocative thesis that the historical Jesus was connected to the royal 18th dynasty of Egypt

• Contends that Jesus, Joshua, and Tutankhamun were the same person

• Provides evidence from church documentation, the Koran, the Talmud, and archaeology that the Messiah came more than a millennium before the first century C.E.

• Shows that Christianity evolved from Essene teachings

Although it is commonly believed that Jesus lived during the first century C.E., there is no concrete evidence to support this fact from the Roman and Jewish historians who would have been his contemporaries. The Gospel writers themselves were of a later generation, and many accounts recorded in the Old Testament and Talmudic commentary refer to the coming of the Messiah as an event that had already occurred.

Using the evidence available from archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Koran, the Talmud, and biblical sources, Ahmed Osman provides a compelling case that both Jesus and Joshua were one and the same--a belief echoed by the early Church Fathers--and that this person was likewise the pharaoh Tutankhamun, who ruled Egypt between 1361 and 1352 B.C.E. and was regarded as the spiritual son of God. Osman contends that the Essene Christians--who followed Jesus’ teachings in secret after his murder--only came into the open following the execution of their prophet John the Baptist by Herod, many centuries later. Yet it was also the Essenes who, following the death of Tutankhamun and his father Akhenaten (Moses), secretly kept the monotheistic religion of Egypt alive. The Essenes believed themselves to be the people of the New Covenant established between their Lord and themselves by the Teacher of Righteousness, who was murdered by a wicked priest. The Dead Sea Scrolls support Osman’s contention that this Teacher of Righteousness was in fact Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

EGYPT / ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Although it is commonly believed that Jesus lived during the first century A.D., there is no concrete evidence to support this fact from the Roman and Jewish historians who would have been his contemporaries. The Gospel writers themselves were of a later generation, and many accounts recorded in the Old Testament and Talmudic commentary refer to the coming of the Messiah as an event that had already occurred.

Using the evidence available from archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Koran, the Talmud, and biblical sources, Ahmed Osman provides a compelling case that both Jesus and Joshua were one and the same--a belief echoed by the early Church Fathers--and that this person was likewise the pharaoh Tutankhamun, who ruled Egypt between 1361 and 1352 B.C. and was regarded as the spiritual son of God. Osman contends that the Essene Christians--who followed Jesus' teachings in secret after his murder--only came into the open following the execution of their prophet John the Baptist by Herod, many centuries later. Yet it was also the Essenes who, following the death of Tutankhamun and his father Akhenaten (Moses), secretly kept the monotheistic religion of Egypt alive. The Essenes believed themselves to be the people of the New Covenant established between their Lord and thenselves by the Teacher of Righteousness, who was murdered by a wicked priest. The Dead Sea Scrolls support Osman's contention that this Teacher of Righteousness was in fact Jesus.

AHMED OSMAN was born in Cairo in 1934 and is the author of Moses and Akhenaten, Out of Egypt, and The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt. He lives in England.

About the Author

Ahmed Osman was born in Cairo in 1934 and is the author of Moses and Akhenaten, Out of Egypt, and The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt. He lives in England.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Bear & Company (March 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591430275
• ISBN-13: 978-1591430278
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars you need more than one grain of salt. . . ., September 19, 2005

By 

Stephanie E. Nunez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus (Paperback)

The theories put forth in this work are indeed unorthodox, yet not to be dismissed because of that. The author believes the old testament scriptures especially to be deliberately misleading for the sake of covering up the theories put forth in this book.

The author certainly did his archaeological and historical homework, but contrary to his statement in the first chapter, he obviously does not believe the old/new testament scriptures to be reliable historical work. While I appreciated the new twist on these events of the bible, I must criticise this work for the inconsistent way the old/new testament scriptures are treated as reference material for Osman's theories.

For some aspects of Osman's theories, scriptures are treated as deliberate cover-ups of the truth, while other times they are treated as supportive of Osman's theories and to be taken at face value. The author's criteria for interpreting the old/new testament passages one way or the other is unclear all the way through the book.

I respect that Osman didn't ignore the scriptural passages that conflict with his theories and made an honest attempt to deal with those inconsistencies one by one. I am only saying that some of the explanations he gives are not convincing, while many of them are very convincing.

One minor note: those looking for a thorough examination of the Essenes, their views on Jesus and the Teacher of Righteousness (as I was), this book deals only briefly with the Essenes and focuses mainly on Jewish and Egytian history.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars: The Usual Drawdown of a Sequel's Revealing Evidence, December 10, 2007

By 

Bonam Pak (Berlin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus (Paperback)

I wouldn't have read this seeming science fiction style book, if I hadn't read Moses and Akhenaten: The Secret History of Egypt at the Time of the Exodus by the same author before. Claiming that both are the very same person turned out to be convincing. But only after having read the book. Even though in this succeeding book Ahmed Osman goes quickly into that to pick up that line of thought in order to reveal yet more, I would have begged the author's pardon, if I hadn't read that prior book. I did not yet read The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt: The Secret Lineage of the Patriarch Joseph, which may help, too, in accepting this book presently reviewed. This sort of revelation simply cannot get squeezed into a pitch. The evidence will have to get presented entirely or not at all for any possibility of believing it.

That said, I find this book rather ambivalent. Sections of it are more convincing than others. The new title is a bit misleading as the majority of the book is NOT about Jesus (even less about the Essene). In 1992, this book was originally published as the more fitting "The House of the Pharaos". (I review the 2004 edition.) Only two sections focus on Jesus, in which the author avers that his mythology is based on first Joshua, then Tut-Ankh-Amun. These are the weakest parts of the book. Far more convincing is the revelation that there were actually TWO King Davids, one of them having lived some 500 years earlier and having done all the warring action described in the Bible, the latter of which remains unsubstantiated as soon as archaeology comes in - but which is very much based on history, as soon as Pharao Tuthmosis III is concerned. Also the re-connection of the rather mythological King Solomon and historic Pharao Amenhotep III is accomplished successfully. The supposed revelations about Jesus are not altogether congenial. If the author's findings should be true, then he fails to present adequate evidence. Leaving out religion for a moment, while accepting history only, I have to admit, this is the best we have to work with currently (according to what I have read so far). But this has more to do with that the Bible cannot get historically confirmed at all than with satisfactory evidence presented here.

The roles the Essene and John the Baptist play in this reasoning are ok, yet the identities (!) of Jesus appear to be rather constructed. When the Bible appears to be inconsistent with history, then that's an error. But when the same applies to the author's theories, then the reason is supposed to be a slip of ancient scribes or even a cover-up, conspiracy theory style. Occasionally, I asked myself: If I wanted to cover up, I wouldn't change a single letter in a name, but the entire name or erase that name or drop the story entirely. On the other hand, the author uses the Bible in a very literal, almost hair-splitting fashion to support his theories, as soon as it gets convenient. I find this overall sort of reasoning a bit lame to convince me. At least, these fishing parts should have been supported by more than cover-up claims, such as at least circumstantial evidence. However, the book is worth reading for the other parts and even for the challenge itself of its weaker moments, smoothing the way for further research.

Other authors contribute additional pieces of the puzzle, Ahmed Osman hasn't picked up yet. He is still writing about Joseph's multi-colored coat and Abraham attempting to sacrifice Isaac for real. Of course, there is a diametric clash between the theory that Jesus was Pharao and that he himself (and not his biological/adopting father) was a carpenter or rather: a construction worker. Variations on the meaning of "Nazarene" exist as well, which is also true for the David and Goliath story. The latter appears to be valid in a complementary way. For the other versions of all of the above read 101 Myths of the Bible, Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Plus), Let There Be Light: The Seven Keys and probably (not read yet) The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasonry, and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus, books you will probably appreciate when you like this one in principle. A bit more amazing is the neglect of considering the Egyptian resurrection concept in a phenomenological approach (i.e. in the ancient Egyptian's state of mind instead of our modern one). Orthodox Egyptology blinds it as a funerary rite. However, Ahmed Osman is miles apart from orthodox Egyptology in every other matter. Yet, he is obviously not a fan of mysticism either. Pharao becoming Osiris and resurrecting is an initiation rite, emphasizing the Oneness of all, especially of (very much living) Pharao and God. Considering this would have actually contributed to the author's thesis... Read more about that e.g. in Shamanic Wisdom in the Pyramid Texts: The Mystical Tradition of Ancient Egypt. On the other hand, some of the included evidence means next to nothing, because the resemblances are not exclusive to Jesus and the respective pharao, but rather inflationary. Ostrich feathers were very commonly used as symbols in ancient Egypt, while the title of the Lord venerated by the Essenes doesn't only match Jesus, but about any holy figure there is to be found in the ancient world.

In 1997, this book was blatantly plagiarized in an abridged form by Moustafa Gadalla: Tut-Ankh-Amen: Living Image of the Lord. In contrast, in 1998, Ralph Ellis built upon the original and came to varying identities for Moses and Jesus in Jesus: Last of the Pharoahs. (And Solomon, Falcon of Sheba: The Tombs of King David, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba Discovered by the same author). You may also be interested in "The Africans Who Wrote the Bible".

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ahmed Osman Encourages His Readers To Think On Their Own, A Rarity In The World Of Authors!, July 3, 2006

By 

A. Gift For You "RLeigh12" (SLC, Ut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus (Paperback)

I have just recently become a fan of author Osman. While some of his theories are out there, I have been intriged and amazed at both the time and research that he has put into his books. As a student of archeology and anthropolgogy, I am thrilled to finally find an author who will go out of the way and really put to tests his beliefs. I have enjoyed his earlier books, and am looking forward to his new books. T he only problem that I find in reading this authors works, is that he leaves the reader pondering more questions then ever before. I think that he does this puposely to not only encourage his fans to buy more of his books, but also to really expand the readers own ideas and beliefs. Some of Osman's earlier books are hard to find, and after having written the author, I still have not been able to find them yet.