title: The Messiah before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls
author: Isrl Knohl
description: Knohl's chief claim is "Jesus was the heir and successor of the Messiah of Qumran." The latter is described in two hymns in fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Knohl argues that he was a certain Menachem, a friend and supporter of Herod who was removed from his position of leadership in the Jewish community when he made his messianic aspirations public after Herod's death. Knohl includes the hymns in an appendix, along with discussion of the influence of the Messiah of Qumran on Jesus' messianic consciousness and the influence of the Roman vision of redemption in Virgil's Fourth Eclogue on the Messiah of Qumran. Readers who share Knohl's questioning attitude about "the Jewish context of Jesus' messianic career" will find the brief, accessible book fascinating and informative, as will readers more generally interested in the visions of redemption that emerged out of the rich religious context of Rome in the centuries before Jesus. <i>Steven Schroeder</i><br /><i>Copyright  American Library Association. All rights reserved</i>
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  "With the discovery and study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and
  other archaeological treasures, and the corresponding
  improvement in our understanding of the ideas, doctrines,
  methods of teaching, languages and culture of the Jews of
  New Testament times, it is now possible, not simply to place
  Jesus in relief against this setting, as students of the Jewish
  background of Christianity pride themselves on doing, but to
  inse4 him fair and square within first-century Jewish life itself.
  The questions then to be asked are where he fits into it, and
  whether the added substance and clarity gained from
  immersing him in historical reality confers credibility on the
  patchy gospel picture. "
  -from chapter 1
  Lucidly written, Vermes's newest work is addressed to all
  readers interested in ancient religions, history, and culture. A
  renowned scholar of ancient Judaism, he explores how Jesus
  and his followers fit into 