Len Lamensdorf

The Murdered Messiah Len Lamensdorf

A thrilling new account of the life of Jesus (Joshua) of Nazareth, presented as an historical novel, based on extensive research and a profound understanding of the gospels and centuries of relevant literature. Did Jesus believe he was the Son of God? Of course, every Jewish male believed he was the son of God. Did Jesus consider himself to be divine? A very different question and one The Murdered Messiah seeks to answer. Did Jesus think he was the Messiah? Yes. Must the Messiah be a king? A warrior? A priest? A prophet? All of the above? Who did Jesus believe himself to be and how did he conceive his earthly mission? Why would a man whose entry into Jerusalem at Passover was a triumph, be suddenly and mysteriously murdered by the Romans? The gospels tell us nothing from the time Jesus spoke to the rabbis in the Temple when he was 12 until he began his ministry 18 years later. Some speculate that he traveled to Egypt, to Mesopotamia, even to India. Nonsense; Joshua never left Israel except to travel briefly to Tyre and Sidon and lands east of the Jordan. There is nothing in Christian scripture about his personal life. A young Jewish male of that era would almost certainly have married . Did Joshua? If so, what happened to his wife-to his children, if he had any? If he was the Messiah, how could be viciously murdered? Theologians have devised an explanation for the inexplicable: He died for our sins. Why is God so cruel that he demands this act of redemption? The Jewish people were the only true monotheists on the planet. Hundreds of thousands of Jews had congregated in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, the feast of liberation. But if they were not miserable sinners, what was the reason for Joshua's terrible sacrifice? Has he traveled throughout Israel, preaching the law and the love of God only to fall prey to the machinations of Pontius Pilate, one of the cruelest men in a very cruel empire? The Murdered Messiah this unravels these riddles and reveals the true nature of this remarkable man, with reverence for his extraordinary sacrifice and his passionate love for God.