Book Nooker Interview With Dr. Laurence Brown

DA: A Muslim, ordained interfaith minster. How did you decide to become a Muslim?

LB: Actually, I was Atheist, and trying hard to become Christian. But as hard as I tried, I just couldn't accept Christian creed. It's a personal choice, but I always believed God to be one, not three. Furthermore, I always believed Jesus to be a man, not a son of God or God incarnate. I just never bought those beliefs. When I learned the Bible spoke of a final prophet to follow Jesus, I went looking for him. That led me to Muhammad and Islam.

DA: what do you think about the " supposedly 2012 end"?

LB: Actually, I try not to. For thousands of years people have predicted the end of the world tomorrow.But tomorrow always came, and I'm expecting the same to be true for a good many years to come.

DA: The Eighth Scroll (which I have not read yet) had a totally different plot than The Returned. How did you come up with this idea for The Returned?

LB: I got this idea from Avatar. Basically, I looked at the mystical attachment the blue people had for the forest in Avatar, and I thought, "What a load of rubbish!" The reality of forest existence is very different indeed. So I set about writing a novel, set in the Amazon, that brings out the psychological stresses of city-dwellers having to fight for their lives in the jungle. Intertwined in that drama, I worked in more realistic descriptors of native people and how they really live.   

DA:  As an author, I love to read. Who are some authors who influenced you? 

LB: Some days, my literary inspiration doesn't go much higher than the Garfield comic strip. I developed my own style from a lifetime of reading and watching movies. I am a very visual person, and that is strongly reflected in my writing. Many people notice my scenes read as if they are actually seeing them play in the movie of their minds.

DA: I am a man of absurd humor, always looking for a laugh. Can you give my readers some absurd words?

LB: "Gogonookatunie?" I'm not sure I understand the question, or even that I answered it. Anyway, what is more funny than reality? Someone once said that life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think. The problem is, I think I feel, which according to this formula means I openly laugh at tragedy. On the other hand, if I feel a thought coming on, that means I hate a good joke. See what I mean? Reality is funny as . . . wait a minute. Hell can't possibly be funny, so I can't say that. So it's funny. Unless you feel, in which case it's a tragedy, which I think is funny as something other than Hell.With me so far?

DA: Lastly what's next for Dr. Laurence Brown. Upcoming events, new books, etc.?

LB: Ever wash fish tacos down with castor oil and cranberry juice cocktails? You might not like to think too deeply about what's next for me. I'm typing fast, believe me. But to tell the truth, my next book is about . . . urp. Hm. Can we talk about this later?

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Historical Setting Of The Eighth Scroll

Prologue

Sixty-eight was an interesting year.

Halving the time, John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded around 34 CE (Common Era), a date of no small significance, for the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ began his ministry following John the Baptist’s imprisonment (Mark 1:14). The New Testament tells us Jesus completed his mission three years later, and was raised up. Some Christians claim his death was an atoning sacrifice. Others deny the crucifixion, atonement and resurrection outright.

Following Jesus’ ministry, the Romans murdered any disciples they could find. Others evaded both the Romans and the historical record. Ironically, the most influential voice to have emerged from this period of Christian origins was not of one of the surviving disciples, but of one of their pursuers. This hunter was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish priesthood Jesus openly condemned (and who, in turn, condemned him), and a Roman collaborator. I speak, of course, of Saul of Tarsus, better known to the present age as the apostle Paul—the spiritual cornerstone upon which Trinitarian doctrine would construct its canon centuries later.

On the basis of an alleged vision, Paul set about preaching “in Jesus’ name.” But strikingly, virtually everything Paul preached contradicted, rather than confirmed, Jesus’ teachings. Nonetheless, the Romans eventually caught up with Paul and imprisoned him around 61 CE. We presume the Romans executed him, but this has never been proven.

Now, none of this history makes 68 CE more interesting than any other year, but it does remind us that during this period the mission and message of Jesus Christ and Paul were the talk of the Holy Land.

What does make 68 CE interesting is Nero’s death. Nero, the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, sullied his fourteen years in office with a litany of notorieties. Perhaps we should not be surprised, for Nero’s mother was Caligula’s sister and his father was . . . well, nobody knows. But Caligula himself would not be a bad bet.

Nero’s mother, Agrippina, was married. However, Agrippina and her two older sisters were reputed to have maintained close ties with her brother, Caligula. Now, I’m talking about exceedingly close ties. So close, for that matter, that we don’t know whether Nero was fathered by his mother’s husband or by her brother. So the cards of genetic and psychopathic aberrance were not exactly stacked in Nero’s favor.

Nero’s transgressions were legion, his excesses legendary, his perversity horrific. However, as background for The Eighth Scroll, we only need to remember the accusation that Nero started the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, and then laid blame upon the new and growing sect of Christian-Jews. Claiming justice, he assigned some to the lions or wild dogs at public “contests” in the Roman Coliseum, crucified others, and ignited still others as human candles to illuminate the arena at night.

The Great Fire of Rome burned for a week, and provided the backdrop against which Nero, who considered himself a great artist, was rumored to have played his lyre (alas, despite more popular traditions, the fiddle was not yet invented), sung and recited poetry atop Quirinal Hill. Nero’s pyres and “contests” of the Christians lasted considerably longer, were similarly accompanied by poetry and song, and were of even more questionable artistic taste.

Far from home, in the Holy Land, Nero pushed too far when he ordered his governor in Judea to tap into the treasury of the Jewish Temple. The Jewry of Judea were already terrorized, oppressed and impoverished by sixty years of Roman occupation and taxation. This final demand broke their tolerance and fueled revolt. The Jewish rebellion against Roman rule began in 66 CE, and subsequently developed the intriguing complication of civil war on both sides.

The Jews were in civil war almost from the beginning, owing to the conflicting and uncompromising ideology of the differing Jewish sects. The Sadducees were the priestly class in control of the Temple in Jerusalem but, due to their uncomfortably strict interpretation of Jewish law in combination with an unfortunate association with the wealthy minority, were considered both religiously outdated and temporally corrupt. The Pharisees, having proven more flexible in interpretation of Jewish Law, eased the restrictions of orthodoxy and predictably gained popularity. The Essenes represented the third major theological division. They were a Jewish sect devoted to ritual purity, monastic lifestyle, exhaustive worship and strict observation of Mosaic Law.

Other subdivisions included militant extremists, namely the Zealots and Sicarii, or “dagger men.” The latter earned their name by assassinating their opposition with sicae, or small, easily concealed daggers.

This internal strife ultimately led to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, for the city was well-fortified, amply provided with water and huge storehouses of food, and populated with defenders willing to die for their Holy City. It was not Roman superiority of arms that destroyed Jerusalem from without, but rather sinat chinam, or “senseless hatred among the Jews,” that destroyed the city from within. When the moderate Sadducees and Pharisees sought control of the Temple, the Sicarii and Zealot extremists imported Idumean mercenaries to slaughter the moderates who opposed them. With events moving too slowly for their tastes, the Zealots destroyed the city’s food stores and forced the populace, in the throes of starvation, to cancel the advantage of their fortifications and take the fight to the enemy, outside the gates of the city. The rashness of this move proved disastrous, the fall of the Holy City the result.

Whereas civil war among the Jews followed a protracted and smoldering historical course punctuated by episodic flare-ups, the Roman civil war was an acute event precipitated by the deposing and subsequent suicide of Emperor Nero in June of 68 CE. The difficulty, although a person could be excused for considering it a blessing, was that Nero had left no successor. He had no heir, and had murdered any and all he had considered a threat to his sovereignty. By the time he was deposed he had killed not only all the male descendants of Augustus, but also his wife and adoptive brother. He did not spare even his mother, who history tells us asked her assassin to stab her in the womb in retribution for the ill fruit it had borne.

For the first time in the history of the Roman Empire, the throne was left open to any who could claim and defend it. Over the following year four sat the Roman throne, but only Vespasian survived to keep it for any appreciable length of time. This was the same, battle-hardened Vespasian who Nero had sent through Agrippa II, the Roman client king of Judea, to subdue the rebellious Jews in the Holy Land. And subdue them he did.

Beginning in the North in 67 CE, Vespasian worked his way south, commanding submission or death. He utterly destroyed any village or township that refused to surrender, slaughtering the men, raping the women, ransacking their homes and razing them to the ground. He sold survivors into slavery and rendered their lands useless by cutting down fruit trees, burning crops and lacing the fields with salt.
The atrocities were so horrific that the Zealots at the fortress of Jotapata chose to kill their wives and children with their own hands and then commit suicide rather than fall into the Romans’ hands. Similarly, at the city of Gamla in the Golan Heights, roughly 5,000 Jews cast themselves from the cliffs surrounding the fortress to evade capture. A few years later, following the fall of Jerusalem, the Zealots at Masada did the same thing.

Sixty-eight, most definitely, was an interesting year. And it is in the midst of this turmoil of history and religion that The Eighth Scroll begins, among the community of Essenes at Qumran, suffering the occupation of the Romans.

Who were the Essenes?

The Dead Sea Scrolls are usually thought to have been produced by a group known as the Essenes. And the Essenes are a group that literally abandoned Jerusalem, it seems, in protest... against the way the Temple was being run. So here's a group that went out in the desert to prepare the way of the Lord, following the commands, as they saw it, of the prophet Isaiah. And they go to the desert to get away from what they see to be the worldliness of Jerusalem and the worldliness of the Temple. Now the Essenes aren't a new group in Jesus' day. They too, had been around for a hundred years at that point in time. But it would appear that the reign of Herod, and probably even more so, the reign of his sons and the Roman Procurators, probably stimulated a new phase of life of the Essene community, rising as a growing protest against Roman rule and worldliness.

Fun Facts about the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Not all history is as dry as desert dust. Some is sprinkled with murder, mystery and intrigue. Now, I’m not saying the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls reads like a James Bond novel, but if written correctly, it’s not far off the mark. And if you’re looking for a romp through history with a scriptural bent, you’ve simply got to tune in to the story of the Scrolls.

Sooo . . . can they be interesting?

Absolutely. But don’t trust me; read the following fun fact and decide for yourself:

FUN FACT FIVE

If not the Essenes, then who were the keepers of the scrolls? Actually, it doesn’t really matter. The Dead Sea Scrolls describe the keepers of the scrolls as the “Sons of Light.” Such metaphorical language is typical of Semitic languages, both then and now. By comparison, we find the Bible describing believers as “sons of the king” (Matt. 17:25–26) or “God’s sons” (Matt. 7:9 and Heb 12:5), God’s elect as “sons of Abraham” (Luke 19:9), and students as “sons of the Pharisees” (Matt. 12:27, Acts 23:60). Elsewhere in the Bible, we find “sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 8:12), “sons of peace” (Luke. 10:6), “sons of this world” (Luke 16:8), and “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). In modern Semitic language, many of us would be “Sons of the rhythm method,” or “Daughters of ‘Trust me.’” Now, I haven’t verified this with my parents, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if I turned out to be a son of “nothing-good-to-watch-on-TV-tonight. Gee, hon, what-shall-we-do-to-pass-the-time?” But I digress. The point is that the keepers of the scrolls were known as the Sons of Light, and most scholars presume these “Sons of Light” were Essene Jews.

Fun Facts about the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Not all history is as dry as desert dust. Some is sprinkled with murder, mystery and intrigue. Now, I’m not saying the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls reads like a James Bond novel, but if written correctly, it’s not far off the mark. And if you’re looking for a romp through history with a scriptural bent, you’ve simply got to tune in to the story of the Scrolls.

Sooo . . . can they be interesting?

Absolutely. But don’t trust me; read the following fun fact and decide for yourself:

FUN FACT FOUR

The area of Qumran is comprised of the cliff caves and the ruins of the complex, known as Khirbet (i.e., ruins of) Qumran. Some believe Khirbet Qumran was a residential complex, others think it was a fortress constructed along the nearby trade route, still others claim it was an aristocrat’s luxury estate. The most accepted opinion is that it was a wilderness retreat for a monastic Jewish group known as the Essenes. Even that concept has its detractors: Some say the Essenes weren’t really all that monastic (unlike Christian monks and Catholic clergy, who profess lifelong vows of chastity—as did their fathers, and their fathers before them), and others claim the occupants weren’t even Essenes. Whatever the reality, the complex contained everything from stables to scriptorium, from baths to bedrooms, from kitchens to kilns, and from dining hall to . . . to other rooms that start with a “D.” The archeological excavation of Khirbet Qumran exposed everything from an advanced system of aqueducts and cisterns to a communal library and reading room, which were no doubt the centerpiece of the religious community. Situated one day’s walk from Jerusalem and only two hours from Jericho, Khirbet Qumran was by no means isolated from other Jewish communities and centers of learning.

Fun Facts about the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Not all history is as dry as desert dust. Some is sprinkled with murder, mystery and intrigue. Now, I’m not saying the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls reads like a James Bond novel, but if written correctly, it’s not far off the mark. And if you’re looking for a romp through history with a scriptural bent, you’ve simply got to tune in to the story of the Scrolls.

Sooo . . . can they be interesting?

Absolutely. But don’t trust me; read the following fun fact and decide for yourself:

FUN FACT THREE

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered at Qumran, on the Western shore of the Dead Sea. The scrolls were found in cliff-caves (some of these caves were manmade, others are natural limestone caves to the West). Many of the manmade caves are believed to have collapsed into the Dead Sea as the result of erosion. Whereas the water’s edge used to lap at the foot of the cliffs (sometimes lapping so much that the wall of sandstone—caves, contents and all—crumbled and slid into the sea), the sea has now receded, so the cliffs can now be approached from below as well as from above. Two thousand years ago, when the scrolls were hidden away, that wasn’t the case at all.

Fun Facts about the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Not all history is as dry as desert dust. Some is sprinkled with murder, mystery and intrigue. Now, I’m not saying the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls reads like a James Bond novel, but if written correctly, it’s not far off the mark. And if you’re looking for a romp through history with a scriptural bent, you’ve simply got to tune in to the story of the Scrolls.
Sooo . . . can they be interesting?

Absolutely. But don’t trust me; read the following fun fact and decide for yourself:

FUN FACT TWO

The desert around the Dead Sea receives an average of two inches of rain per year, and mean summer temperatures approximate 1000F. It is barren, dry, and sun-bleached. The only thing that grows on the shores is scant, stunted brush and hotels. Oh, and sinkholes. Well, sinkholes might not exactly grow as much as they (now, stay with me here) sink, but they are a new hazard in the area. Three thousand of them pockmark the area, and an equal number (or more) of subterranean cavities are believed to exist, even now, as we wait for them to collapse. What happens is this: As the sea level sinks, fresh water flowing down into the sea attacks underground salt deposits previously maintained by the brine of the Dead Sea. When the fresh water dissolves these salt deposits away, the resultant cavity collapses, frequently at the blink of an eye, sucking down everything above it. As a result, certain areas around the Dead Sea are becoming geological mine-fields.

Fun Facts about the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Not all history is as dry as desert dust. Some is sprinkled with murder, mystery and intrigue. Now, I’m not saying the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls reads like a James Bond novel, but if written correctly, it’s not far off the mark. And if you’re looking for a romp through history with a scriptural bent, you’ve simply got to tune in to the story of the Scrolls.
Sooo . . . can they be interesting?

Absolutely. But don’t trust me; read the following fun fact and decide for yourself:

FUN FACT ONE

The Dead Sea is dying—now go and figure that one out. To begin with, at roughly 1400 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest place on the surface of Planet Earth. And it’s getting lower. Surface evaporation and reduced inflow from the Jordan River have caused the level to drop and the shoreline to recede. Over the past fifty years, the sea has lost one-third of its volume. The only thing that seems to be increasing is its salinity, which at 35% is eight times that of the world’s oceans. Few microbes can survive the concentrated mineral salts, and anything larger hasn’t a chance.

Questions About The Dead Sea Scrolls Answered

Do you know of any scholars that are generally suspicious of the time the Dead sea scrolls were kept away from the public?

The Dead Sea Scrolls were only fully released half a century after their discovery. Even now, we cannot be certain the scrolls have been released in entirety, and since the public version is digitized, we have no way of knowing if the content has been altered. Furthermore, for all we know, there are other scrolls out there, either undiscovered or destroyed in cave collapse or by natural decay. The point is not to speculate on what undiscovered or undisclosed scrolls might contain, but deal with what they most definitely do contain. Our examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in this way, parallels the way we must examine books of scripture. We cannot speculate on what we wish was there. Rather, we can only deal with what is there. As you will read in my book, The Eighth Scroll, there is sufficient material in the existing scrolls to allow us to draw some pretty firm theological conclusions, which significantly weaken the Jewish and Christian theological positions. If you wish to carry this analysis further, please read my scholastic works of comparative religion, MisGod'ed and God'ed. Therein, you will find that evidence taken from the Old and New Testaments themselves similarly draws Jewish and Christian tenets of faith into serious question.

Dr. L. Brown

Reader's Review: Third book I've read by this author

Asrai's Pond

Hooked and intrigued from the moment the elder spoke to Jacob .. But, I don't like spoilers nor the subjective views of others (with agendas) it's easy to see why this is a best seller and I can think of only one way to separate fact from those attempting to poison the well!

Reader's Review: An absolutely superb novel, couldn't put it down.

muddy waters

Dr Brown's novel, the "eighth scroll", is a powerful religious thriller that is loaded with adventure and charm. This was my introduction to Dr Brown's works, now I'm hooked. I highly recommend this book, and cant wait to read his others.

Reader's Review: Better Than Da Vinci Code

Charlie Courtland "Bitsy Bling Books" (Seattle, WA)

The Eighth Scroll is an intelligent story that flows smoothly and reads quick without losing the value of its concept with weighty terms or overly academic hodgepodge. It mixes romance with adventure and explores the mysteries of religious history. It's not deeply reflective, but takes the reader on an alternative view and journey that leaves you wondering. It's a wonderful twist on the subject of the Dead Sea scrolls. Although this book has been grouped with the 'Da Vinci Code,' I believe it deserves much better company. First of all, the Eighth Scroll is superbly written and runs a course that is more easy to swallow than Dan Brown's 24-hour whirl wind of solving a historical mystery. If you didn't like the Da Vinci Code, you will love this book because it improves all the elements that the reader probably wished the other book contained. Now, if you liked the Da Vinci Code, you will love this book and realize this is how it should be done! It's a win, win, so pick it up and read it!

The beginning of the book is a touch too reminiscent of Indiana Jones, but since I'm a fan of those films, I went with it, and even enjoyed the comparison. However, I wish the author would have used a different name for the professor. "Tomes" was just too close to "Jones" and it felt kind of commercial and cheapened the richness of the plot. However, this was short-lived and after a few pages I was swept away and thoroughly involved in the story.

Five More Reasons to Get Excited about the Dead Sea Scrolls

5. And finally, what is the main reason we should get excited about the Dead Sea Scrolls? The same reason the world’s great religious and political powers are excited about them! Nowhere in the Bible do we find the gospel of Jesus. In fact, modern Christian scholarship acknowledges that all four of the New Testament gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were written anonymously. The religious world would love to find the true gospel of Jesus . . . well . . .  maybe. Perhaps I should say, the religious world would love to find the true gospel of Jesus, but only if it says what they want it to say. If the true gospel of Jesus were ever found, consider the consequences. A gospel that unequivocally proves Jesus’ prophethood would destroy Judaism and negate Israel’s political purpose of creating a Jewish state. If Jesus teaches the monotheism of Unitarian Christianity rather than the Trinitarian mysteries derived from Paul’s teachings, it would tear down the canon of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as that of all other Trinitarian denominations. At the same time, it would challenge the faith (and political support) of all so-called Christian nations. We’re talking major upheaval of the world’s religions and religion-based superpowers. Consequently, if the gospel of Jesus were ever found, these world powers would fight to possess it or kill to suppress it, depending on what it contains. Now that is definitely worth getting excited about.

Five More Reasons to Get Excited about the Dead Sea Scrolls

4. The Dead Sea Scrolls are fun! I mean, come on, those keepers of the scrolls? They were wild men! Talk about guys who really knew how to party, beginning of the first millennium-style. Their sectarian scrolls describe their pure food and drink, daily ritual baths, and nighttimes spent studying scripture and praying. If one of the “Sons of Light” so much as gestured with his left hand, he was punished, and anyone who even whispered against Mosaic law was exiled forever. Giving up all worldly wealth, living a monastic life in the desert, this was a bunch of wool-robed, wild and crazy guys! But seriously, even if you don’t respect their convictions, you’ve simply got to respect their sincerity. The keepers of the scrolls (believed by most scholars to have been Essene Jews) lived a tough life devoted to piety and worship. So once again, what did they know about the scrolls that we don’t know?