National Geographic Documentaries

The First Jesus? (2009x42)

Air date: Nov 20, 2009

He was called the King of the Jews, believed to be a Messiah and just before Passover, the Romans beheaded him and crucified many of his followers. But his name was not Jesus. It was Simon, a self-proclaimed Messiah who died four years before Christ was born. Now, new analysis of a metre-tall stone tablet from the first century BC, being hailed by scholars as a “Dead Sea Scroll on stone,” speaks of an early Messiah and his resurrection. Was Simon of Peraea real? Did his life serve as the prototype of a Messiah for Jesus and his followers? And could this tablet shake up the basic premise of Christianity? Head to Israel to assess this unique and mysterious artefact, including testing by a leading archaeological geologist and comprehensive review of the letters, script and content by a Dead Sea Scroll expert. Then, from Jerusalem to Jericho, researchers investigate key archaeological ruins which could help prove Simon was indeed real – all of which just might sway the sceptics.