Additional information
by Robert Wesley Shriner (Author)
Recent discoveries, in particular the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls, have provided heretofore unknown information about the historical era in which significant biblical events took place. The recently acquired evidence regarding the beliefs and practices of the Nazarene Essene sect of Judaism (Cf. Acts 24:5) has focused intense light upon their significant religious influence upon biblical events of the Second Temple Era and the establishment of the New Covenant (New Testament). Many scholars are convinced, and I number myself among them, that Yeshua and his followers were associated with this sect and presented their teaching and practice from a Nazarene Essene perspective. Previously, the Nazarene Essenes were thought to be an insignificant, obscure denomination, having little or no impact on the religious and cultural scene of the Second Temple Era. Indeed, some note-worthies suggested that the Nazarene Essenes didn't exist at all, but were a figment of the imaginations of Josephus, Philo, Epiphanius, and others. In light of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other archaeological evidence, this perspective can hardly be maintained. I wrote about this situation in my first book: "Yeshua: He Will Be Called a Nazarene." In that work, I reviewed the history of biblical events leading up to the Second Temple Era. I followed this with an in-depth presentation of the history of that timeframe, which lay between the Old and New Testaments. Having hopefully made my case that Yeshua and his disciples were associated with the sect of the Nazarenes, I presented the historical data concerning the continuation of the Nazarene sect, which eventually became the largely-Gentile Christian Church, through the centuries up to modern times. I also followed the influence of the sect of the Pharisees who over time have evolved into the various schools of modern Judaism."Yeshua: He Will Be Called a Nazarene" was followed by my commentary on the four Gospels entitled "Good News About Yeshua the Nazarene." In this work I applied the historical data to an exegesis of the Gospel accounts of the life and teaching of Yeshua, hoping that the Gospel texts would support and confirm the premise of the first book. I am satisfied that it did!It seemed logical to continue the project with the current one: "The Acts of the Apostles of Yeshua the Nazarene." This examination and commentary of the lives and ministries of those who had followed Yeshua during his earthly sojourn, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, further confirm the tenets of the first two volumes. It is my fervent prayer that these insights into the theology of the Messiah and his first followers will shed blessed light on historical and contemporary matters, providing a context for significant events and movements such as: the Zionist Movement and the rise of modern Messianic Judaism.
