Morton Smith

The real Jesus, only barely glimpsed because of a campaign of disinformation, obfuscation, and censorship by religious authorities, was not Jesus the Son of God. In actuality he was Jesus the Magician. Smith marshals all the available evidence including, but not limited to, the Gospels. He succeeds in describing just what was said of Jesus by "outsiders," those who did not believe him. He deals in fascinating detail with the inevitable questions. What was the nature of magic? What did people at that time mean by the term "magician"? Who were the other magicians, and how did their magic compare with Jesus' works? What facts led to the general assumption that Jesus practiced magic? And, most important, was that assumption correct?

The author describes his stay at MarSaba and documents his findings on the content, validity, and significance of manuscript alluding to the secret gospel of St. Mark.

Josephus and the History of the Greco-Roman Period comprises a series of essays on the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and on the history of the Second Temple period by many of the best-known specialists in the field. The contributions are revised versions of papers delivered at an international colloquium in memory of Professor Morton Smith that was held at San Miniato, Italy, in November 1992. The essays cover a broad range of historical and historiographical issues concerning the Seleucid, Hasmonean, Herodian, and Roman periods, for which the importance of Josephus - often our only extant source - can hardly be overestimated. Josephus' trustworthiness as a historian is newly investigated from various angles. Fresh light is thrown on philological, literary, geographical, archaeological, sociological, and religious questions. The book includes a critical evaluation of Morton Smith's scholarly achievement.