The Archko Volume: Or the Archaeological Writings of the Sanhedrim and Talmuds of the Jews (Intra Secus, Ancient Jewish History)

by William Dennes Mahan and Rev. William Dennes McIntosh, Dr.; Twyman, Dr.: Translators; Mahan

Book Overview

W. D. Mahan investigates Roman, Greek and Jewish writings corresponding to the time of the death of Jesus Christ, including letters apparently written by Pontius Pilate; the Roman governor who sentenced the Son of God to death.

This book combines translations to English of various ancient documents, which are purported to date to the time of the New Testament Gospels. These papers were discovered in the Turkish capital of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1789871859
• ISBN13: 9781789871852
• Release Date: January 1884
• Publisher: Pantianos Classics
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Archko Volume

This is an amazing book in that it explains the background and people involved in the arrest, condemnation and death of Jesus the Christ. While the Bible gives an accurate description of these events, The Archko Volume goes behind the scenes and into the lives of the people responsible for the events.

An entertaining, sociopathic hoax

"The Archko Volume" was first published in 1884. This re-print is based on an revised edition from 1887. Actually, the history of the volume goes back to 1879, when a reverend from Missouri, W.D. Mahan, published a sensational document about Pontius Pilate he claimed to have discovered (?) in the Vatican library. Mahan's booklet was modestly succesful, which prompted him to publish even more sensational documents in 1884, and that book became known as "The Archko Volume". Unfortunately for the enterprising reverend (who actually lived in a town namned Boonville!), one of the "documents" in his book was quickly exposed as a hoax. Apparently, Mahan had plagiarized it from the novel "Ben Hur". The offending material was expunged from the 1887 edition. And now the real shocker: all other "documents" in this book are also frauds! Mahan wrote everything himself, and one wonders whether he even visited Rome and Constantinople, where he claims to have found reports about Jesus written by Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate, and Caiaphas. The hoax is transparent, so transparent that one wonders if Mahan was a sociopath, who filled his "documents" with ridiculous statements, just to see how much he would get away with. Apparently, he *did* get away with it: some people still believe that "The Archko Volume" is real (see some of the other customer reviews on this product page). Even so, "The Archko Volume" is highly entertaining. You don't have to be a scholar, theologian or textual critic to realize that *something* is wrong with it. One of the documents claim that Joseph and Mary fled to Mecca after the massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem! Even stranger, the document places Mecca in Jordan rather than in Arabia, and the author also seem to think that Moab and Ammon are the same region. Strange, if the document was really written by Gamaliel, as Mahan asserts. The three Magi are never named, but two of the names traditionally attributed to them, Balthasar and Melker, show up in other parts of the story. One of the Jewish priests is named "Jose B. Talmud", and both Herod the Great and Herod Antipas constantly refer to the Jews in third person, as if they weren't Jews themselves! Did Mahan think they were Romans? At several points in the "documents", the Jews who meet Jesus consult the Talmud in written form - in reality the Talmud wasn't written down until AD 200. Caiaphas calls God "Jehovah", and the name of the Sanhedrin is consistently misspelled as "Sanhedrim", and in his foreword, Mahan seems to think that Midrash is an ancient document. The volume even contains contradictions, so instead of Bible difficulties, we now have Archko Volume difficulties. In one document, Jesus is swarthy and hook-nosed, and is even described as "an old-fashioned Jew", in another he has golden hair and beard, while the Jews are swarthy and black-bearded! Occasionally, the "documents" are completely incomprehensible. Here is a real gem, supposedly writt

Jesus revealed

This book will knock the socks of believers in Jesus Christ. You will not find anything that contradicts the bible in it but it will disturb your own believes.

The Archko Volume : or The Archeological Writings of the Sanhedrim & Talmuds of the Jews

If this book is true it should be appended to every Bible for historical purpose. The authors and the veracity of what they claim are just too sketchy. There are concerns in some of the information. It claims the Holy family in mecca?? For what purpose it doesn't relay. Nor can I imagine. There is herein a physical description of Jesus which I have received from other sources. This in itself is worth buying this book. It is one of the best books I've ever read. I would love to finally determine whether or not it is factual. As it could just be 'too good to be true'.

A Book of Answers that raises more Questions.

The Archko Volume is written in a time when every thing has to be authenticated. The author and seeker of this information, Rev. W.D. Mahan, goes to great lengths to insure that the reader is aware of the origins of these documents being translated. He also leaves the belief or disbelief up to the reader. Drs. McIntosh and Twyman were real individuals who at the time these scrolls were translated, 1883 to 1887, had the knowledge and ability to translate these scrolls from the Roman Empire. This only enhances the credibility and authenticity of this book. If you truely wish to expand your knowledge base and desire to bring new questions to your Christian life. Then take time to read this little known book.