The Jesus Matrix #12 It has to do with King Herod the great, the Romans, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Essene sect, and two catastrophic revolts that turned Jerusalem's great temple into a smoldering ruin and turned ancient Israel into a wasteland. In the final analysis, Jesus becomes a “matrix” for examining a whole gamut of religious, political and social phenomena relevant not only to ancient Judaism. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Jesus Dynasty #11 If it's true that Christian tradition completely divorced Jesus from his own people, his culture, and his religious environment, how did this come about? How did Christianity become a separate religion? Let's have a look at how the Nazarene movement evolved after Jesus, digging deep in to the misconceptions that are still rampant, and deconstructing them, one at a time. Clearly, we still have a lot of work to do. Let's get started… Dr. Kenneth Hanson

Who Killed Jesus? #10 Why was Yeshua AKA Jesus executed? For claiming to be the Messiah? For claiming to be God? Who was responsible? And why should we care? Is this a Jewish issue? Actually, it is, because the charge “Christ-killers” was repeated across Christian Europe for the next two millennia, even to the present day. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Kabbalah and Jesus #9 Kabbalah, properly understood as Jewish mysticism, is an ancient tradition rooted in supernatural encounters with divine beings, and deeply connected with miraculous healing. Question: Was the historical Jesus an ancient Kabbalist of sorts, on his own mystical path, or a down-to-earth teacher of what later became rabbinic Judaism? Brittle answers are easy to come by; it's asking the right questions that raises the bar.Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Kingdom of Heaven #8 The very words “Kingdom of Heaven” conjure up notions of choirs of angels, and a place where good people go when they die. But what did the ancient Israelite Sages mean when they used the terminology? What did Jesus of Nazareth mean by the “Kingdom of Heaven,” which was likely his most central message, and at the very heart of his teaching? Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Zealots and Jesus #7 Roman control over the region is unstable, and its tolerance for the Jews there is destined to come to a violent end. In those days, a revolutionary current has arisen, and turns to ousting all foreign occupiers, with the clarion call of Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land.” The Zealot party, that happens to be headquartered in the Galilee, has quickly morphed into a serious revolutionary movement. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Hasidim and Jesus #6 Everyone has heard of today's ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jews, with their black coats, black hats, and side curls. But how many are aware that there was an ancient sect of "Hasidim," known for divine healing and the working of miracles, and that Jesus might have been one of them? It's time to meet a few of these pious characters and ask a few probing questions. The answers may well be mind blowing! Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Essenes and Jesus #5 In the summer of 1947 a Bedouin shepherd lad who had lost one of his goats climbed up a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea and stumbled into a cave full of ancient scrolls. These were the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, the library of a religious community that had lived there some 2,000 years earlier. Many scholars identify them as a sect known as the Essenes. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Sadducees and Jesus #4 Why should understanding the Sadducees of Jesus’ day matter to us? Because down through the ages most Christians have assumed that Jesus had a bone to pick with the leaders of his own faith. The Pharisees are lumped together with the Sadducees, and all are conspiring to have Jesus put to death. !Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Pharisees and Jesus #3 The word “Pharisee” has become virtually synonymous with the word “hypocrite.” After all, isn’t that what Jesus called them? But could it be, that the Pharisees have gotten the “bum wrap” of the centuries? We should also ask whether the vicious invective against these pious Jews may have inadvertently fed the long legacy of anti-Semitism that developed in western lands. What’s the truth about the Pharisees? Find out in this mind-blowing video! Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/