The Pharisee Enigma Ancient Judean Sects and Christian Origins

Biblical Archaeology Society, 2018. Hardcover. New/New. New hardcover in new dust jacket. Text is clean and free of marks or underlining. Includes bibliography, index, tables, and full color photos. 246 pp.


Fast shipping in a secure book box mailer with tracking. The Pharisee Enigma leads readers on a fascinating journey through the often unexplored period of history from which modern Judaism and Christianity emerged. Written for the nonspecialist, the well documented story will stir controversy as it challenges conventional wisdom about the roots of two world religions. Author John Merrill highlights the economic and social turbulence during the centuries in which Judeans struggled to maintain their distinctive identity in a world dominated by a succession of great powers: Persia, Macedonia and ultimately Rome. Woven into the story are profiles of some of the ancient world's larger-than-life figures: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, Herod the Great, John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth, and the apostle Paul, to mention a few.

Judea's leading sects: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes are the protagonists of this historical reconstruction. A fourth group, the Zealots, emerged as a driving force in the first century C.E. Although a small part of the total population, these sectarians were the intellectual and political leaders of the era. Their origins, identities, and often violent rivalries comprise a tale of both exhilaration and tragedy.