in England. The original source of MS Pepys 2498 (referred to as the Pepys
Gospel or the Pepys Gospel Harmony) is unknown but some scholars have
theorized that it may be as old as Christianity itself.

One of the more interesting conclusions concerning Jesus based on the
Pepys Gospel Harmony (PGH) sequence is that Jesus was a North Palestinian
Essene associated with the Damascus Covenant found at Qumran in Palestine and
Genizah in Egypt. Furthermore, it has been proposed that Jesus held the
office of Messiah defined in the Damascus Covenant and His goal as well as
that of the other Damascus Covenant Essenes was to convert the Pharisaical
Jews of Judea which they viewed as the lost sheep of Israel to the Essene
sect of Judaism. The sequence of events in the gospels as depicted in the PGH
shows John the Baptist and Jesus converting Judean Jews through baptism in
the wilderness of Judea. Jesus has an altercation at the temple in Jerusalem
and John is arrested. After John's arrest, Jesus heads north all the way to
Capernaum where he gathers followers numbering in the thousands. After John's
death, Jesus makes a final journey to Jerusalem and once more he and his
followers from Northern Palestine convert Judean Jews. The Pharisaical
leaders of the Judean Jews plot to kill Jesus and put an end to His teaching.
Thus, the PGH sequence of the canonical gospels depicts what some
scholars believe to have been a sectarian struggle between the Essenes who
adhered to the Damascus Covenant in Northern Palestine and the Pharisaical
Jews in Judea for religious leadership of all Israelites. The Pharisaical
Jews in Judea were looking for a Messiah to vanquish their enemies, Rome and
the Herodians, and therefore rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Whereas, the
Essenes were looking for a Messiah to vanquish their enemies, death, poverty,
disease and infirmity, and therefore hailed Jesus as their Messiah.

Below are some important academic notes concerning the PGH sequence of the
gospels: