(27)
Wheless: ". . . the Hebrew and Greek religious forgers
were so ignorant or careless of the principles of criticism, that they
'interpolated' their fraudulent new matter into old manuscripts without taking
care to erase or suppress the previous statements glaringly contradicted by the
new interpolations." The Church forgery mill
did not limit itself to mere writings but for centuries cranked out thousands of
phony "relics" of its "Lord," "Apostles" and "Saints." The Shroud of Turin,
among innumerable others, is counted in this group."There were at least
26 'authentic' burial shrouds scattered throughout the abbeys of Europe, of
which the Shroud of Turin is just one. . . .The Shroud of Turin is one of the
many relics manufactured for profit during the Middle Ages. Shortly after the
Shroud emerged it was declared a fake by the bishop who discovered the artist.
This is verified by recent scientific investigation which found paint in the
image areas. The Shroud of Turin is also not consistent with Gospel accounts of
Jesus' burial, which clearly refer to multiple cloths and a separate napkin over
his face." (Freethought Datasheet #5, Atheists United) At one
point, a number of churches claimed the one foreskin of Jesus, and there were
enough splinters of the "True Cross" that Calvin said the amount of wood would
make "a full load for a good ship." (Walker) The disgraceful list of absurdities
and frauds goes on, and, as Pope Leo X claimed, it has been enormously
profitable for the Church. And where the fraud failed, fear and force prevailed,
as millions were subjected to horrible tortures and murders in the name of the
pretended "Prince of Peace," during an abysmally dark Age of Faith that
propelled the world into a state of ignorance.
(28)
McKlintock and Strong's Cyclopędia of Theological
Literature.
(29)
Mangasarian. Wheless: "The fact is, that with the
exception of this one incongruous forged passage, section 3, the
wonder-mongering Josephus makes not the slightest mention of his wonder-working
fellow-countryman, Jesus the Christ - though some score of other Joshuas, or
Jesuses, are recorded by him, nor does he mention any of his transcendent
wonders."
(30)
Massey, Mangasarian, Taylor. Zealous defender of the
faith Eusebius never mentions the Tacitus passage, nor does anyone else prior to
the 15th century C.E. (Taylor)
(30a)
Who is this King of Glory?, p. 258-9.
(31)
See Taylor and Wheless for more on the
fraudulent nature of these passages. "It has always been unfailing source of
astonishment to the historical investigator of Christian beginnings, that there
is not a single word from the pen of any Pagan writer of the first century of
our era, which can in any fashion be referred to the marvellous story recounted
by the Gospel writer. The very existence of Jesus seems unknown." (Mead, Did
Jesus Live 100 B.C.?)
(32)
Gnostic and Historic Christianity by Massey
(see below). See also The Diegesis by Rev. Robert Taylor, The
World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Kersey Graves, Pagan Christs
by JM Robertson, any works by Hilton Hotema, Pagan and Christian Creeds
by Edward Carpenter, and Deceptions and Myths of the Bible by Lloyd
Graham. Although some historicizers may glob onto these dates as proof that the
research is outdated, this is simply not true. These numbers are provided here
to demonstrate that this truth has been known, and has been suppressed by vested
interests, for a long time.
(33)
Graves, p. 15. "'We cannot,' says the celebrated
Orientalist, Sir William Jones, 'refuse to the Vedas the honor of an antiquity
the most distant.'" (Jacolliot, The Bible in India) Indeed, certain
scholars have opined that the Rig Veda contains mention of an astronomical
configuration that could only have occurred 90,000 years ago; it true, this
would attest that the Veda was recording the experience of someone far too
advanced for that period, according to the standardized anthrolopogical
perspective, not to mention that the Veda would represent the world's oldest
"historical" recording, although the actual physically extant copies are,
obviously, very recent. Ancient scribes India mostly used, as occurs in some
places today, leaves to write on, and these were endlessly copied over the
thousands of years. As everywhere, knowledge was also passed along orally. This
subject opens up the debate as to whether ancient India or Egypt was the
progenitor of Western and Middle Eastern culture. Both have claims to extreme
antiquity. The question is who came first within the Mythos, Brahma-Krishna or
Osiris-Horus? Based on linguistical evidence, many scholars have concluded it
was India. However, the ancient Egyptian language is not fully known, nor has
the extent of its influence been adequately examined. Walker hypothesizes that
"Horus" was "Heruka" of India, indicating that the Horus myth succeeded and was
built upon the Indian. The chronology of the Brahmins goes back millions of
years, and there has been effort made by such Hare Krishna authors as Thompson
and Cremo to push civilization, rather than man's apelike progenitors, back at
least to that period. Obviously, such "Forbidden Archeology" is widely dismissed
for seeming lack of solid evidence. What is known is that the Judeo-Christian
bible can be found in earlier versions in both countries. Thus, it is the rehash
of the well-developed systems and ideologies (Ritual and Mythos) of both
nations. (See Jacolliot and Massey.)
(33a)
Many on this list come from The World's Sixteen
Crucified Saviors by Graves. This is not to suggest that all of these
godmen characters were utilized in the formation of the Christian myth, as overt
contact had not occurred in such places as Mexico or Bermuda. Also, modern
orthodoxy does not allow for the dates provided by Graves, i.e., that
Quetzalcoatl originates in the 6th B.C.E., a date far too early in the orthodox
perspective. However, we utilize this list to demonstrate that the same concepts
are found worldwide with and without cultural exchange, because they
are derived from the same astrotheological observations. Also, we are in
concurrence with the "ancient advanced civilization" theory ("Atlantis") that
would allow for one or more centralized civilizations to have spread throughout
the world during a very remote period in protohistory, thus taking with it the
well-developed Mythos and Ritual, which would then mutate into the various forms
found around the globe.
(34)
Taylor quotes the letter of Emperor Adrian (134 C.E.):
"The worshippers of Serapis are Christians, and those are devoted to the God
Serapis, who (I find) call themselves the bishops of
Christ."
(35)
Walker: ". . . Later, an unknown Gospel writer inserted
the story of doubting Thomas, who insisted on touching Jesus. This was to combat
the heretical idea that there was no resurrection in the flesh, and also to
subordinate Jerusalem's municipal god Tammuz (Thomas) to the new savior.
Actually, the most likely source of primary Christian mythology was the Tammuz
cult in Jerusalem." The "doubting Thomas" character also finds its place in the
Mythos, as the "genius" of the time when the sun is at its weakest (winter
solstice). (Taylor)
(36)
The Sibylline Oracles, books produced over time
allegedly by a number of pagan prophetesses called Sibyls, were widely regarded
in the ancient world prior to the advent of the Christian era. "The Sibyls are
quoted frequently by the early Fathers and Christian writers, Justin,
Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, etc." (Catholic
Encyclopedia, cited by Wheless) These books or Oracles were often cited by
Christians as proof of their religion. For instance, the following is considered
a Sibylline Oracle: "With five loaves at the same time, and with two fishes, He
shall satisfy five thousand men in the wilderness; And afterwards taking all the
fragments that remain, He shall fill twelve baskets to the hope of many. . . .He
shall still the winds by His word, and calm the sea as it rages, treading with
feet of peace and faith. . . . He shall walk on the waves, He shall release men
from disease. He shall raise the dead, and drive away many pains. . ." (Wheless)
Although the Christians interpreted this as a prophecy of Christ becoming
fulfilled, it is in fact an aspect of the ubiquitous Mythos and was already said
of Horus, for one, hundreds of years earlier. It has never referred to an actual
man but, once again, is astrotheological. The fact that it purportedly existed
prior to the Christian era constitutes proof to those who use logic that the
Christians utilized it in creating their Christ character, rather than it acting
as a prophecy of their godman. As they did with other texts, the Christians
forged and interpolated many passages into the well-known Oracles in order to
cement their fiction and convert followers. It is also amusing to note that the
Christians had to resort to despised "pagan" documents for their enterprise,
especially since they spent their lives attempting to demonstrate that
everything that preceded them was "of the devil." This then implies that
Christianity was also a work of the devil.
(37)
Pagan Christs by JM
Robertson.
(38)
In Gnostic and Historian Christianity, Massey
says, "In . . . Buddhism in Christendom, [author] Mr. Lillie thinks he
has found Jesus, the author of Christianity, as one of the Essenes, and a
Buddhist! But there is no need of craning one's neck out of joint in looking to
India, or straining in that direction at all, for the origin of that which was
Egyptian born and Gnostic bred! Essenism was no new birth of Hindu Buddhism
brought to Alexandria about two centuries before our era; and Christianity,
whether considered to be mystical or historical, was not derived from Buddhism
at any time. They have some things in common, because there is a Beyond to
both." We will add that the Egyptians refined the Mythos in exquisite and
overwhelming detail, but linguistical theory has in the past, and now again with
the Nostratic theory, traced the origins of Western and Middle Eastern language
and culture in large part to India. It is yet difficult to say which came first,
Krishna, the predecessor of Buddha, or Osiris-Horus. Certainly Horus was a
well-developed savior-god by the time attributed to THE Buddha. There would be
no need to build Horus upon Buddha (Egyptian "Putha" or "Ptah"), and it is true
that Christianity did not need to rely on the doctrines of Buddhism, having the
complete Mythos at hand. However, we do know absolutely that there was cultural
exchange between the West/Levant and the Buddhistic world of the Far East prior
to the inception of Christianity, in the form of travelers, traders, and monks
of the vast brotherhood network, who were constantly exchanging information
concerning religion, the esoteric gnosis, and the Mythos and Ritual. Also, it
has been suggested that there was at least one group of Brahmanic and Vedic
scholars living in the Levant prior to the founding of Christianity. These
individuals, who would likely be members of one or more aspects of the
brotherhood network, would certainly also be exchanging information about the
very ancient Krishna, et al., and contributing to the culture around them. It is
not only entirely possible but probable that Hindus ventured to the Levant over
the millennia. But they would not have needed to, in order to spread their
version of the Mythos, since there were those, such as Alexander the Great, who
went to them. Indeed, Louis Jacolliot expertly traces the Judeo-Christian Bible
back to India, noting many similarities between the Hindu and Christian
priesthoods. (The Bible in India) There are also quite a few
similarities between the Catholic and Tibetan Buddhist hierarchies and rituals.
The influence from the Far East has come in waves beginning several thousand
years ago, and culture may have begun to develop there in in the protohistoric
period some 12,000 years ago or more. If the reckonings of maverick
Egyptologists are accurate, however, Egypt would have been developing
simultaneously with this Indian culture, the origins of both, then, being a
possibly much older civilization. There is no question, however, that the
archaic Indian language Sanskrit or its Nostratic predecessor has highly
influenced many of the Western/Middle Eastern languages. Therefore, there has
unquestionably been early and ongoing contact, and with language comes religion.
"The ancient peoples of India were Asiatic Ethiopians, and it should not
surprise us that they shared common traditions with their brothers in Africa."
(John Jackson, Christianity Before Christ)
(38aa) Some people have tried to dispute the "virgin" status of Buddha's mother. However, in the first place, it should be remembered that the "life of the Buddha" does not represent the biography of a person but is an account of a solar hero; thus, the typical solar attribute would be appropriate. In any case, Joseph McCabe relates: " . . . Mr. Robertson shows from St. Jerome that the Buddhists themselves did call Maya 'a virgin' - they believed in a 'virgin birth' - and he rightly rejects the statement of Professor Rhys Davids that these Buddhists understood the birth of Buddha quite differently from the Christians because 'before his descent into his mother's womb he was a deva.' That is exactly what Christians say of Jesus."
(38a)
Mead, p. 133.
(38b)
Ibid.
(38c)
Graves, p. 118.
(39)
Isis Unveiled by Helena Blavatsky, vol. II, pp.
209, 537-538.
(40)
Massey, MC, p. 150.
(40a)
Mead, p. 134.
(41)
Walker says, "Of all savior-gods worshipped at the
beginning of the Christian era, Osiris may have contributed more details to the
evolving Christ figure than any other. Already very old in Egypt, Osiris was
identified with nearly every other Egyptian god and was on the way to absorbing
them all. He had well over 200 divine names. He was called the Lord of Lords,
King of Kings, God of Gods. He was the Resurrection and the Life, the Good
Shepherd, Eternity and Everlastingness, the god who 'made men and women to be
born again.' Budge says, 'From first to last, Osiris was to the Egyptians the
god-man who suffered, and died, and rose again, and reigned eternally in heaven.
They believed that they would inherit eternal life, just as he had done. . . .
Osiris's coming was announced by Three Wise Men: the three stars Mintaka,
Anilam, and Alnitak in the belt of Orion, which point directly to Osiris's star
in the east, Sirius (Sothis), significator of his birth. . . . Certainly Osiris
was a prototypical Messiah, as well as a devoured Host. His flesh was eaten in
the form of communion cakes of wheat, the 'plant of Truth.' . . . The cult of
Osiris contributed a number of ideas and phrases to the Bible. The 23rd Psalm
copied an Egyptian text appealing to Osiris the Good Shepherd to lead the
deceased to the 'green pastures' and 'still waters' of the nefer-nefer
land, to restore the soul to the body, and to give protection in the valley of
the shadow of death (the Tuat). The Lord's Prayer was prefigured by an Egyptian
hymn to Osiris-Amen beginning. 'O Amen, O Amen, who are in heaven.' Amen was
also invoked at the end of every prayer."
(42)
The celestial manger in the Mythos is also thought of as
a cave. (Massey) Although Jesus is typically depicted as being born in a manger,
early Christian tradition places Jesus's birth in a cave, like that of many
other preceding gods. Walker: "The cave was universally identified with the womb
of Mother Earth, the logical place for symbolic birth and regeneration. . . .
Like Adonis, Jesus was born of a consecrated temple maiden in the sacred cave of
Bethlehem, 'The House of God.'"
(43)
Massey, Churchward, et al. Massey (MC) says, ". . . the
Star in the East will afford undeniable data for showing the mythical and
celestial origin of the gospel history. When the divine child is born, the wise
men or magi declare that they have seen his star in the east. The wise men are
identified as the Three Kings of other legends who are not to be derived from
the canonical gospels. The three kings or three solar representatives are as
ancient as the male triad that was first typified when the three regions were
established as heaven, earth, and nether-world, from which the triad bring their
gifts. . . When the birthplace was in the sign of the Bull [6,000 years ago],
the Star in the East that arose to announce the birth of the babe was Orion,
which is therefore called the star of Horus. That was once the star of the
three kings; for the 'three kings' is still a name of three stars
in Orion's belt . . . "
(44)
Like Jesus, Horus has no history between the ages of 12
and 30. "And the mythos alone will account for the chasm which is wide and deep
enough to engulf a supposed history of 18 years." (Massey, MC) There exists a
very old Egyptian papyrus dated to 75 C.E. but based on an older document, which
contains a story about the "Son of Osiris" (i.e., the "Son of God") that
parallels in a number of details the gospel narratives. The Son of God is
claimed to have wondrous powers and to have outwitted all of the teachers in the
Temple of Ptah. In the papyrus is also related a tale of two dead men that
closely resembles the biblical fable of Dives and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31).
(Mead)
(45)
Massey: "Horus in Egypt had been a fish from time
immemorial, and when the equinox entered the sign of Pisces, Horus, was
portrayed as Ichthys with the fish sign of over his head." Dujardin:
"The patriarch Joshua, who was plainly an ancient god of Palestine and bore the
same name as the god of Christianity, is called the son of Nun, which signifies
'son of the fish.'" Walker: "The fish symbol of the yonic Goddess was so revered
throughout the Roman empire that Christian authorities insisted on taking it
over, with extensive revision of myths to deny its earlier female-genital
meanings." Wheless: "The fish anagram was an ancient Pagan symbol of fecundity .
. ."
(46)
Churchward, op cit., p. 365. See also The Book Your
Church Doesn't Want You to Read, pp. 15-16.
(47)
Churchward, ibid., p. 397. See also The Egyptian
Book of the Dead by Massey, pp. 13 and 64; MC.
(48)
Churchward. Massey, MC: "It was the gnostic art
that reproduced the Hathor-Meri and Horus of Egypt as the Virgin and
child-Christ of Rome . . . .You poor idiotai [idiots], said
the Gnostics [to the early Christians], you have mistaken the mysteries of
old for modern history, and accepted literally all that was only meant
mystically."
(49)
Walker: "The cave of the Vatican belonged to Mithra
until 376 A.D., when a city prefect suppressed the cult of the rival Savior and
seized the shrine in the name of Christ, on the very birthday of the pagan god,
December 25." Shmuel Golding, in The Book Your Church: "Paul says,
'They drank from that spiritual rock and that rock was Christ' (I Cor. 10:4).
These are identical words to those found in the Mithraic scriptures, except that
the name Mithra is used instead of Christ. The Vatican hill in Rome that is
regarded as sacred to Peter, the Christian rock, was already sacred to Mithra.
Many Mithraic remains have been found there. The merging of the worship of Attis
into that of Mithra, then later into that of Jesus, was effected almost without
interruption."
(50)
Robertson. Wheless: "Mithraism is one of the oldest
religious systems on earth, as it dates from the dawn of history before the
primitive Iranian race divided into sections which became Persian and Indian . .
. When in 65-63 B.C., the conquering armies of Pompey were largely converted by
its high precepts, they brought it with them into the Roman Empire. Mithraism
spread with great rapidity throughout the Empire, and it was adopted, patronized
and protected by a number of the Emperors up to the time of Constantine." Of
Mithraism, the Catholic Encyclopedia states, as related by Wheless:
"The fathers conducted the worship. The chief of the fathers, a sort of
pope, who always lived at Rome, was called 'Pater Patratus."'
(51)
Taylor: "'That Popery has borrowed its principal
ceremonies and doctrines from the rituals of Paganism,' is a fact which the most
learned and orthodox of the established church have most strenuously maintained
and most convincingly demonstrated."
© 1998 Acharya S (acharya_s@yahoo.com)
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