▁non - ex istence ▁of ▁Jesus ▁Christ . ▁It ▁was ▁written ▁by ▁John ▁Marco ▁Al leg ro ▁( 1 9 2 2 – 1 9 8 8 ). ▁ ▁Content ▁The ▁book ▁was ▁written ▁nine ▁years ▁after ▁Al leg ro ' s ▁forced ▁res ignation ▁from ▁academ ia ▁due ▁to ▁publishing ▁The ▁Sac red ▁M ush room ▁and ▁the ▁Cross . ▁It ▁is ▁an ▁imag in ative ▁look ▁at ▁what ▁life ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁like ▁at ▁Q um ran , ▁West ▁Bank ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁when ▁Jesus ▁was ▁supposed ▁to ▁have ▁lived ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 st ▁century ▁CE . ▁ ▁The ▁book ' s ▁aim ▁was ▁to ▁show ▁the ▁logical ▁pro gression ▁of ▁Jewish ▁history ▁through ▁the ▁writ ings ▁and ▁arch ae ology ▁of ▁Q um ran , ▁as ▁opposed ▁to ▁the ▁( unique ) ▁revel ation ▁of ▁traditional ▁Christian ity . ▁Al leg ro ▁suggested ▁that ▁traditional ▁Christian ity ▁developed ▁through ▁a ▁literal ▁mis - inter pret ation ▁of ▁symbol ic ▁narr atives ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁scroll s ▁by ▁writers ▁who ▁did ▁not ▁understand ▁the ▁minds ▁of ▁the ▁Ess enes . ▁He ▁further ▁argued ▁that ▁G nost ic ▁Christian ity ▁developed ▁directly ▁from ▁the ▁Ess enes ▁and ▁that ▁Jesus ▁Christ ▁was ▁a ▁fict ional ▁character ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁real ▁person , ▁who ▁had ▁helped ▁established ▁the ▁Ess ene ▁movement ▁( or ▁" W ay ") ▁and ▁lived ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 st ▁century ▁B CE , ▁around ▁one ▁hundred ▁years ▁before ▁the ▁traditional ▁period ▁of ▁New ▁Testament ▁events . ▁In ▁a