Ok, I first contacted the author when I started reading his book and had some areas I though he could throw more light on. He never responded on his website nor at the discussion board topic that I started here in the hopes that he might reply here when he came to check how his book was faring with the public.
Firstly, the issue was never about Crucifixion of this particular person who the author purports was legally a Roman Citizen, in which case the Sanhedrin had no Jurisdiction over him and as with Paul punishment for treason was beheading. Check the dialogue with Pilate.
The author began by asking why the Sanhedrin, had issues with crucifying Jesus claiming they had no right to pass sentence but....
---"Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own laws."
They said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death;" and they began to accuse the Savior saying, "We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ the King."
So actually they didn't say they couldn't put this particular man to death because he fell under Roman jurisdiction as opposed to James and Stephen whom they did obviously prove they had authority to execute, so their authority to carry out death sentences was obviously one they were allowed but this Jesus was an issue because the author posits that his lineage led to him having the legal standing of a Roman Citizen. I claim that this proves only that the way this Gospel was written was more to blame the Jews and exonerate Pilate. Pilate either was flaunting Roman law by sentencing Jesus in contradiction to Roman law, to the cross rather then a beheading, or this whole Gospel is written as a propaganda piece against the Jews and somebody didnt notice the contradiction between what they said about being helpless to sentence and execute Jesus, and then later the cat is out of the bag when they indeed execute James and Stephen no problemo.
I found his take on Jesus possible Hashmonean lineage quite refreshing from the usual repetitive literature out there, especially fascinating was his dealing with the lineage of Jesus where he postulates that most of the names used by Matthew and Luke were Hashmonean, not of Solomonic descent but at times I feel he didn't think things through well enough and came to conclusions from biblical verses that should one read further, one would see that its not what the author claimed. Though I appreciate his observation that if the Hashmoneans were usurpers of the throne belonging to Judea IE Solomon's descendants, then where in the heck were they and why didnt they challenge these upstart Hashmonean's who took rule to help restore order and never stepped aside to all a royal descendant of Solomon to take charge. Kudos
Example:
Chapter 2, he posits based on Psalms that David is as likely as Saul to lose the thrown if his children commit iniquities and and dont follow Gods Siniatic covenant and testimonies. He had contradistinction this from Samuel ll where in he promises Davids progeny thru Solomon would forever hold the status of royalty ergo Judah would be the tribe from which kings come from. He then states that God left an out for himself in Psalms saying in the that if they keep his Laws, all will be well, if not the all bets are off. I think this is his way of establishing how a royal monarchy can come from a priestly line instead of the longstanding belief that it would be Judah who held the scepter. But in Samuel he does not quote further enough where God promises that even if they misbehave, that unlike Saul, he would not take the kingdom away. Punish yes, but not to the extent that he would rip it away like he did Sauls.
This is found immediately in Chapter 2, Messiah son of Levi, where he says that God like a lawyer left an out for himself in case he wanted to drop Davids line like he did Saul's quoting only a couple verses without finishing out the chapter which demonstrates their is now lawyers tricks with God between him and and David.
Im was hoping the author might kindly respond, as this conclusion of Davids house being as dispensable as a Messianic line as Saul's was, does not hold water imho. I left him this message at his forum last week and since he is not updating Im hoping he will see, what I say are facts not in evidence and respond. . If he can answer my challenge to the validity of his conclusion in Chapter 2, I would be thrilled hear how he arrived at his conclusion. So I hope and wait. Maybe somebody else can resolve his conclusions in Chapter 2. If I'm right then Im right if wrong then I'm wrong and take no offense at being corrected as long as its done in polite communication.
I applaud the authors going thru those multiple Hyphenated Herod's and his task I know was not easy one as the Hashmonean line which started off so pure and sincere with the High Priest and his 5 son fought Antiochus Ephiphanes aka Antiochus IV rededicated the Temple for which we have the feast of lights mention in John I belive and after many decades began a slide into corruption and greed with deals made that eventually allowed the Romans to become masters of the land. Who was marrying whom and whom was a Herodian Idumean and who had Royal Hashmonean blood
Most of the book is brilliant conjecture, the Copper Scrolls role in events, Mary Magdalene wife of Jesus, not a new theory but a different path to the conclusion, Joseph the Carpenter who was not a Carpenter and what his true connection to Mary was.
I wont go into his speculations and theories about Paul because by then I think the author had worked so hard that he might have been seeing Herodian and Hashmoneans elsewhere though his thoughts on Pauls mission and action was very interesting.
So basically we have a detective story based on actual events and its up to you to make up your mind as too whether the author has all his ducks in a row or not. As you see I disagree with many issues he brings to bear, but the Hashmonean Jesus as opposed to the Judean Solomonic Jesus is a Pandoras box that we may never have the answer concretely but the author deserves a thumbs up for a daunting and herculean task to try and put all the pieces together. I give him 5 stars just for the sincere if at time wrong or assumptive imho thank him for sharing this bit of scholarship. Its been a long time since
someone has laid down a religious historical Judea Christian gauntlet based on Ideas that are radical and would never have crossed my mind.
I hope the author continue to contribute to religous scholarship and thought on other topics and as far as Herodian Messiah is concerened perhaps will have a revised edition in the future based on new discoveries that author has worked out or old ideas he might expain in greater detail.
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