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E15: Was Jesus an Essene?

The Great Courses Presents: Jesus and His Jewish Influences | Jesus and His Jewish Influences

Most of what scholars know about the Essenes, and their apocalyptic outlook, comes from the ancient historians Josephus and Philo. After a deeper dive into who the Essenes were (and how Essene women lived), Professor Magness makes her case for why Jesus could not have been an Essene.

Speakers:Jodi Magness

Writers:Jodi Magness

Topics:Jesus and his Jewish InfluencesJewish contextChristian Historyfirst century history

Source:The Great Courses

Start Group Session

Jesus and His Jewish Influences
29:32

Jesus and Judaism

Begin your fascinating historical adventure by developing a solid framework for your exploration of Jesus's Jewish influences. What was it like to be a Jew in t...
Jodi Magness | 308 views | 3 years ago updated
34:46

Sacred Mountains and Law Giving in Judaism

In ancient Judaism, there was little distinction between religion and politics. In this lecture, explore the importance of the law (the Torah) in the Jewish rel...
Jodi Magness | 242 views | 2 years ago updated
31:22

The United and Divided Israelite Kingdoms

In this in-depth look at the kingdoms of David and Solomon, follow the transformation of 12 Israelite tribes into a monarchy that eventually crumbled over tensi...
Jodi Magness | 92 views | 3 years ago updated
30:01

The Destruction of Solomon's Temple

How (and why) did the First Temple Period end? First, examine the reign of King Josiah, whose popular religious reforms reasserted the importance of Jerusalem's...
Jodi Magness | 63 views | 3 years ago updated
36:01

The Jewish and Samaritan Schism

After the end of the Babylonian exile in 539 B.C., returning exiles began to reestablish themselves in Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. This return would lead...
Jodi Magness | 57 views | 3 years ago updated
27:53

The Jewish Diaspora and the Golden Rule

What insights into the ancient Jewish diaspora communities can we glean from close readings of the Book of Tobit and the Book of Esther? What do these books say...
Jodi Magness | 72 views | 3 years ago updated
30:30

Alexander the Great's Impact on the Jews

Alexander the Great's legendary visit to Jerusalem and Judea had a profound influence on the development of ancient Jewish traditions. Could the ancient warrior...
Jodi Magness | 50 views | 3 years ago updated
30:08

Jews and Greek Rule: The Heliodorus Affair

Investigate the strange episode known as the Heliodorus Affair. This power struggle between Jerusalem's elite families during the time of the Ptolemies and Sele...
Jodi Magness | 43 views | 3 years ago updated
28:52

Desolating Sacrilege and the Maccabean Revolt

Follow the turbulent story of the Maccabean Revolt after the outlawing of Judaism under Antiochus IV. Then, examine how the Book of Daniel (written around the t...
Jodi Magness | 49 views | 3 years ago updated
31:48

Apocalyptic Works and the "Son of Man"

From 1 and 2 Maccabees to the Books of Daniel and Enoch, get a close reading of apocalyptic literary works composed in the aftermath of the Maccabean Revolt. Af...
Jodi Magness | 44 views | 3 years ago updated
31:13

Jesus's Jewish Lineage

Learn how the expansion of the Hasmonean Kingdom provides a sharp context for understanding the birth narratives of Jesus from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. ...
Jodi Magness | 44 views | 3 years ago updated
30:18

Was Jesus a Pharisee?

In this lecture, probe the rise of the Sadducees and Pharisees during the late Second Temple Period. You'll learn how the Pharisaic approach became dominant in ...
Jodi Magness | 34 views | 3 years ago updated
27:47

Jewish Ritual Purity: The Sons of Light

Turn from the Pharisees to the Essenes, the sect associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the first of three lectures on this fascinating sect, focus on how a s...
Jodi Magness | 29 views | 3 years ago updated
31:30

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Earliest Hebrew Bible

Unpack the hidden meaning and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves - some of ancient history's most fascinating texts, which date back to the time of...
Jodi Magness | 38 views | 3 years ago updated
32:26

Was Jesus an Essene?

Most of what scholars know about the Essenes, and their apocalyptic outlook, comes from the ancient historians Josephus and Philo. After a deeper dive into who ...
Jodi Magness | 47 views | 3 years ago updated
31:37

The Hebrew Scriptures and the Septuagint

First, examine the "Letter of Aristeas," which describes translating the Torah into Greek. Then, meet Philo of Alexandria, whose writings (preserved by Christia...
Jodi Magness | 50 views | 3 years ago updated
32:19

The Reign of Herod the Great

What are the historical roots of the often-disputed Massacre of the Innocents reported in the Gospel of Matthew? Find out in this lecture on the reign of Herod ...
Jodi Magness | 54 views | 3 years ago updated
27:37

Pontius Pilate: A Roman Prefect

Following the death of Herod the Great, there began a period of direct Roman administration of Judea under prefects, the most famous of whom was Pontius Pilate,...
Jodi Magness | 50 views | 3 years ago updated
29:36

Anarchy in Judea

In the first half of this lecture, examine the growing anarchy that led to the First Jewish Revolt against Rome - including the rise of others who, like Jesus, ...
Jodi Magness | 42 views | 3 years ago updated
29:47

Jesus's Prophecy: Jerusalem's Destruction

The First Jewish Revolt against Rome culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple. Explore how this cataclysmic event had profound aftershoc...
Jodi Magness | 36 views | 3 years ago updated
27:21

Flavius Josephus: Witness to 1st Century A.D.

One cannot explore Jesus and his Jewish influences without understanding the life and works of Flavius Josephus, the ancient Jewish author who was a witness to ...
Jodi Magness | 28 views | 3 years ago updated
31:07

Rabbinic Judaism's Traditions about Jesus

What was Jewish life like after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D.? How did the religion survive this trauma? With insights from various historical...
Jodi Magness | 28 views | 3 years ago updated
28:38

Jesus's Apocalyptic Outlook

Join Professor Magness as she shares some of her own research into Jesus, comparing and contrasting his apocalyptic beliefs with those of the Qumran sect associ...
Jodi Magness | 23 views | 3 years ago updated
30:41

Jesus's Teachings and Sayings in Context

Close out this insightful course with a pointed consideration of how selected passages from the Gospels can be better understood within their Jewish context. Th...
Jodi Magness | 29 views | 3 years ago updated
Previews and More
01:31

Jesus and His Jewish Influences Preview

For anyone interested in understanding the profound effect Jesus had on the world, it's important to realize that his actions and teachings didn't emerge from a...
Jodi Magness | 69 views | 3 years ago updated