Jesus was the leader of a radical faction of Essene priests. He was not of virgin birth: he was a direct descendant of King David. He did not die on the cross: drugged into a coma, he was later revived. The many visions mentioned by the Apostles were actual meetings with Jesus as he continued to preach and travel as far as Rome and southern France. He married Mary Magdalene, had two sons, and later divorced. He died sometime after AD 64. This version of Christ's life is not the product of a mind who wants to debunk Christianity. The author is a theologian and biblical scholar. But after 20 years of close study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the gospels she has developed a new theory. Contrary to previous scholarly opinion, she argues that the Dead Sea Scrolls were written in the same period as the life of Christ, and she shows how they, and hence the gospels, were written to be read on two different levels. On the surface, for the more literal-minded, are found the magic and miracles, the raising of the dead, the turning of water into wine; but on a deeper level, decoded rather like solving a cryptic crossword, a more realistic historical account is revealed of the life of Christ and the origins of Christianity.