Why did Rome execute Jesus as “King of the Jews”? And could an earlier version of his story survive inside the Gospel of John?  The Rebel from Nazareth is a MythVision documentary investigating Evan Powell’s provocative reconstruction of the historical Jesus: a Jewish messianic claimant who expected God to restore Israel’s sovereignty—and whose story, Powell argues, was transformed after his death.  

The investigation begins with two puzzles. Mark’s earliest surviving ending leaves the women fleeing the tomb in fear. John appears to end twice. Could these mysteries be connected? 

 Following the argument in Powell’s book, Jesus, King of Israel: Toward a Final Quest for the Historical Jesus, we examine his proposed earlier gospel, “Ur-John,” and the radically different portrait of Jesus he believes it preserves. 

 Along the way, we explore: 

• Mark’s abrupt ending and John’s additional final chapter

• Peter, the beloved disciple, and competing claims to authority 

• Evidence of editing within the Gospel of John • Jesus’ royal claims and his confrontation with Roman power

 • Alternative interpretations of the crucifixion and empty tomb

 • What Paul’s letters reveal—and leave unsaid  This film distinguishes established scholarship from disputed interpretations and Powell’s own hypotheses. “Ur-John” is a proposed reconstruction from the existing text, not a newly discovered manuscript.