He identifies the figure Paul of Tarsus had a vision of as corresponding to the Essene Teacher of Righteousness, the leader of the Essenes at Qumran about 150 years before the gospels, and writes that it was Paul who created Christianity through his contacts with the sect that kept the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Book of Mysteries, also known as The Book of Secrets, an ancient Essene text found in fragmentary form among the Dead Sea Scrolls
Robert Eisenman, in his book "James the Brother of Jesus" argues that the Copper Scroll is an authentic treasure map created by the Essene community, and places its authorship around the time of the First Revolt.
Ernst Christian Ludwig von Bunsen or Ernest de Bunsen (Rome, 1819-London, 1903) was an Anglo-German writer whose speculative works proposing common origins of Buddhism, Essene Judaism and Christianity were later taken up as part of racist Aryan mythology.
The following is an excerpt from The Essene Gospel of Peace, as translated by Edmund Bordeaux Szekely.