The Baptist — David Anthony

Researchers have discovered a number of Jewish and early Christian sects that were not fully known for thousands of years.

Along with Saducees, Pharisees, and Zealots -- which are well-known -- Essenes, Mandaeans, and the monastery at Qumran have enriched the understanding of religious communities in the first century.

In this book, you'll learn about these sects through the eyes of John, who begins an eight-hour walk from Jerusalem to Qumran.

While he'd visited the library in Qumran many times to read the scrolls available only to the Essenes and to hear the teachings handed down from the righteous teacher and other leaders of the desert community, this trip is different.

John had turned away from the Sadducees, who focused their religion on the Torah and the temple. He had also spurned the Pharisees, who built rhetorical shrines to the oral Torah traditions, openly praising their own purity above other Judaic traditions. Even more vehemently, John abhorred the Herodians, who ruled over Judea.

Having reached the age of thirty, his plan is to seek admission to the monastery of Qumran. He does not know when, if ever, he'll return to Jerusalem.