The Jesus Mysteries
(Top Posts - History - 092100)

Preface : CNN posted information today, 9/21/00,
which pertains to a controversial subject, Jesus Christ,
said subject having stirred up emotions on all sides of
the issue, amongst disbelievers / doubters / believers.

The information regards a recently published book, -The
Jesus Mysteries-, by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy.

The authors of the book consider themselves to be
Christians, in the Gnostic mode, while not believing that
Jesus Christ actually existed. I've included excerpts here,
but if you're interested in the entire story regarding this
book, please read the entire articles linked to in this
post.

For disbelievers, this material should be helpful when
discussing disbelief with those who claim that the Jesus
Christ of the New Testament existed. For doubters,
this should help clarify perspectives on the New
Testament which differ from those traditionally held.
For believers, this material should help guide you in
deciding if Jesus Christ really did any of the things
mentioned in the New Testament, and if not, how
you should direct your faith if you decide to hold
on to it.

Of course, this is but one book, so as with all written
material, including holy documents, one should read
and assess the material and compare it to real life
experience and other documents, in the interest of
pursuit of truth.

Raising a holy ruckus
-The Jesus Mysteries-' opens a controversial can of worms
September 21, 2000
Web posted at: 1:46 p.m. EDT (1746 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2000/books/news/09/21/
jesus.mysteries/index.html

Excerpts:

"Timothy Freke doesn't sound like an evil intellectual
intent on destroying the moral underpinnings of our
society, but he is certain to be accused of being just
that.

Soft spoken and articulate, he seems like a man
with the best intentions, a person who truly wishes
to improve the state of religion and spirituality in
Western society.

So what's all the fuss about?

Freke, along with his lifelong friend Peter Gandy,
is the author of -The Jesus Mysteries-, a radical
new look at Christian origins that suggests that
Jesus the man did not exist at all.

Freke and Gandy pose the view that Jesus was
a mythical character created in the mold of the
mythological Osiris/Dionysus god-man character.

While the so-called 'Quest for the Historical Jesus'
is nothing new, the thesis in -The Jesus Mysteries-
takes the mission one step further.

Authors Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy contend
in their book -The Jesus Mysteries- that the Jesus
of the New Testament was a mythical figure.

... most scholars agree that a man known as Jesus
of Nazareth existed and was crucified around
A.D. 30.

Freke and Gandy challenge that assumption, and
also take on another major belief: the preeminence
of the Roman Catholic belief system in early
Christianity.

The mystics speak for themselves - Until 1947,
when a group of ancient manuscripts were
discovered near Nag Hammadi in Egypt, little
was known about the mystic Christian groups
known as the Gnostics. The only information
came from orthodox writers, usually in the
form of a polemic.

The discovery of the actual Gnostic texts allowed
the mystics to speak for themselves for the first
time in nearly 2000 years.

... The Gnostic tradition is now revealed to be
widespread, he added, and has its own take on
matters.

'It's about listening to the losers (the Gnostics),'
said Freke. 'We've listened to the winners, and
their story doesn't make any sense. So let's listen
to the losers and see if their story makes more
sense. And we think it does.'

... Far from being turned off Christianity by their
research, Freke and Gandy say their premise actually
strengthened their faith.

'What it's done,' Freke said, 'is completely transform
our understanding of Christianity. Its message is not
tied to belief in a historical event, so that you either
believe it happened, or you don't -- and if you believe
it, you're saved, and if not, you're damned.

What we've discovered is that the message of original
Christianity was far deeper than that. It was about, for
the original Christians, becoming a Christ oneself.

... 'The key thing really is understanding that the Jesus
story as we have it is a myth,' he said. 'We can argue
in the dark about whether it was based on a living man,
but the fact is that if all that remains are these mythic
archetypes that pre-dated the Jesus story and have
been laid onto somebody, then still what we have is
a myth.' ...

Excerpt: -The Jesus Mysteries-
September 21, 2000
Web posted at: 1:46 p.m. EDT (1746 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2000/books/beginnings/09/21/
excerpt.jesus.mysteries/index.html

Review: Jesus, man or myth
September 21, 2000
Web posted at: 1:46 p.m. EDT (1746 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2000/books/reviews/09/21/
review.jesus.mysteries/index.html

The Jesus Mysteries:
Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God?
by Tim Freke, Patty Gift (editor), Peter Gandy
Pub. Date: August 2000
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/bookSearch/isbnInquiry.asp?
ISBN=060960581X
Excerpt: "From the Publisher - This astonishing book
completely undermines the traditional history of
Christianity that has been perpetuated for centuries
by the Church.

Drawing on the cutting edge of modern scholarship,
authors Tim Freke and Peter Gandy present
overwhelming evidence that the Jesus of the New
Testament is a mythical figure.

Far from being eyewitness accounts, as is traditionally
held, the Gospels are actually Jewish adaptations of
ancient Pagan myths of the dying and resurrecting
godman Osiris-Dionysus. The supernatural story of
Jesus is not the history of a miraculous Messiah, but
a carefully crafted spiritual allegory designed to guide
initiates on a journey of mystical discovery.

A little more than a century ago most people believed
that the strange story of Adam and Eve was history;
today it is understood to be a myth. Within a few
decades, Freke and Gandy argue, we will likewise be
amazed that the fabulous story of God incarnate -- who
was born of a virgin, who turned water into wine, and
who rose from the dead -- could have been interpreted
as anything but a profound parable. ..."