The two contradicting genealogies of Jesus in the Gospels have long puzzled biblical scholars. Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research led him to a controversial theological conclusion--that there were twoJesus boys born into twoholy families. The two boys, he says, were necessary as part of the spiritual preparation of forming a suitable human body for the incarnation of Christ into the earthly realm. Both apocryphal texts and the writings of the Essenes (as discovered at Qumran by the Dead Sea) now seem to support this view, with references to messianic figures from both royal and priestly lines.
Various authors have developed Rudolf Steiner's observations--first presented in the early twentieth century--although much of this literature lacks the rigor of accurate and broad scholarship. The Two Jesus Boysis not just a derivative rehash of those previous publications but offers a fresh investigation of primary sources, coupled with an objective determination that allows the facts to speak for themselves. Christoph Rau thus reaches the unavoidable conclusion that Rudolf Steiner's presentation of a chronology of the two births needs revision. Further, the most recent discoveries and interpretations of Essene scrolls reveal that the Jewish sect expected not one but threeMessiahs.
Rau quotes from and analyzes numerous documents from the landscape of early Christianity and Judaism. His findings provide a secure foundation for the historical existence of two Jesus boys in the prelude to Christ's incarnation on Earth, as well as a revelation of the Essenes' long expectation of three Messiahs.