Jesus and John

The novel Jesus and John delves into the childhood years of Jesus and his second cousin John the Baptist. It researches how Jesus came to be such a great miracle medical healer and how John The Baptist got his spiritual training. Both men may well have joined the Essene societies near them. John may well have joined the Qumran Essene community by the Dead Sea which was a monastic community. Jesus living in Northern Galilee chose to join the secret Essenes on Mount Carmel which was walking distance from Nazareth where Jesus lived. The Dead Sea Scrolls reveal the Gospels and prayers of the Essenes which parallel the teachings of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. John the Baptists lifestyle was copied after the prophet Elijiah, and Jesus of Nazareth demonstrated a more liberal Essene lifestyle of simple life, prayer, and the coming of the Messiah or the Righteous Teacher. Jesus and Johns involvement with the Essene communities were always kept a secret so that the enemies of the Essenes (the Pharisees and Saducees) would not be able to take out their anger on these two preachers.