Hi Steve,

Is the book you're referring to Jesus the Man by Barbara Thiering? That was interesting, but I didn't find it credible. There may nevertheless be a connection between the Nazarenes and Qumran.

Regarding your question, that was mentioned in the article:

This gospel is now lost, but Salibi believes it was still in existence in the seventh century AD. A copy of it was in the possession of Waraqah Ibn Nawfal, a Christian who was a mentor to Muhammad. (This explains how some of its contents appear in the Koran, where this Issa is mentioned at some length.)

Do you mean, why to create a new religion i.e. Islam? Just confirm that, then I'll elaborate.