Jesus, the Essenes, and Christian Origins - Revue de Qumran

“informed, intelligible, and compelling …. a worthy contribution to discussions about the origins of Christianity. It displays a remarkable breadth of scholarship and a mind that has deeply reflected on a great number of issues. Furthermore, this book’s copious footnotes make it an excellent guide for further research.”

Michael Flowers, Revue de Qumran

Jesus, the Essenes, and Christian Origins - Religious Studies Review

A new review of Jesus, the Essenes, and Christian Origins, in the Religious Studies Review:

“Since his first publications, Joseph has consistently advanced New Testament studies by merging the field’s cutting-edge scholarship (especially pertaining to Q and the historical Jesus) with the latest advances in the study of late second temple Judaism in a methodologically responsible framework. The present monograph, the author’s fourth one overall, marks the culmination of all that work. The book directly addresses pressing questions about the nature and extent of the apparent Essene-Christian relationship; and it does so with academic rigor, nuance, and confidence befitting one of the field’s leading scholars. Joseph puts forth a very sensible thesis: the movement behind the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls stands in ideological and sociocultural proximity to formative Jewish Christianity, at least partly informing some of the latter’s theological and literary features … Joseph’s work is necessary, highlighting parallels that can scarcely be ignored and that demand further investigation. The monograph is expertly written, persuasively argued, and logically organized … Joseph’s writing style and ability to unpack complex points also makes it an ideal point of entry for graduate students in pertinent research fields … Joseph’s best work yet, an important contribution to the field, and required reading for anyone studying the New Testament in its Jewish environment.”

Olegs Andrejevs, Religious Studies Review