larry wrote:
You know, that would be true except for Christ. Christ was of this earth according to the writings. He came here to teach us what it would take to be acceptable to the creator. So if Christ is an extraterrestrial, then so are we? He declares us to be brothers. This is not our home. We are sojourners on the way to Paradise. (What ever that is)
Evolution seems to be a process without a purpose. And a fantasy without direction. And a fantastic fairy tale. When you cannot figure out the Deity, you naturally make up something that sounds plausible, but has no root. Human history seems to provide the root for God. What is the root for evolution?
You know, that would be true except for Christ. C... (
show quote)
"Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, Are You the King of the Jews?
Jesus answered him, Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?
Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.
Pilate therefore said to Him, Are You a king then?
Jesus answered, You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the t***h. Everyone who is of the t***h hears My voice.
Pilate said to Him, What is t***h? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, I find no fault in Him at all." John 18:33-38
Problem using the bible as historical evidence ok, what about this excerpt from the record of Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea: "To the most mighty, venerable, awful, most divine, the august,-Pilate Pontius, the governor of the East: I have to report to thy reverence, through this writing of mine, being seized with great trembling and fear, O most mighty emperor, the conjuncture of the present times, as the end of these things has shown. For while I, my lord, according to the commandment of thy clemency, was discharging the duties of my government, which is one of the cities of the East, Jerusalem by name, in which is built the temple of the Jewish nation, all the multitude of the Jews came together, and delivered to me a certain man named Jesus, bringing against him many and groundless charges; and they were not able to convict him in anything.
And one heresy of theirs against him was, that he said that the Sabbath was not their right rest. And that man wrought many cures, in addition to good works. He made the blind see; he cleansed lepers; he raised the dead; he healed paralytics who could not move at all, except that they only had their voice, and the joining of their bones; and he gave them the power of walking about and running, commanding them by a single word. And another mightier work he did, which was strange even with our gods: he raised up a dead man, Lazarus, who had been dead four days, by a single word ordering the dead man to be raised, although his body was already corrupted by the worms that grow in wounds; and that ill-smelling body lying in the tomb he ordered to run; and as a brideg***m from the bridal chamber, so he came forth out of the tomb, filled with exceeding fragrance.
And some that were cruelly vexed by demons, and had their dwellings in deserts, and ate the flesh of their own limbs, and lived along with reptiles and wild beasts, he made to be dwellers in cities in their own houses, and by a word he rendered them sound-minded; and he made those that were troubled by unclean spirits to be intelligent and reputable; and sending away the demons in them into a herd of swine, he suffocated them in the sea. Another man, again, who had a withered hand, and lived in sorrow, and had not even the half of his body sound, he rendered sound by a single word.
And a woman that had a flow of blood for many years, so that, in consequence of the flowing of her blood, all the joinings of her bones appeared, and were t***sparent like glass; and assuredly all the physicians had left her without hope, and had not cleansed her, for there was not in her a single hope of health: once, then, as Jesus was passing by, she took hold of the fringe of his clothes behind, and that same hour the power of her body was completely restored, and she became whole, as if nothing were the matter with her, and she began to run swiftly to her own city Paneas.
And these things indeed were so. And the Jews gave information that Jesus did these things on the Sabbath. And I also ascertained that the miracles done by him were greater than any which the gods whom we worship could do.
Him then Herod and Archelaus and Philip, and Annas and Caiaphas, with all the people, delivered to me to try him. And as many were exciting an i**********n against me, I ordered him to be crucified.
And when he had been crucified, there was darkness over the whole earth, the sun having been completely hidden, and the heaven appearing dark though it was day, so that the stars appeared, but had at the same time their brightness darkened, as I suppose your reverence is not ignorant of, because in all the world they lighted lamps from the sixth hour until evening. And the moon, being like blood, did not shine the whole night, and yet she happened to be at the full. And the stars also, and Orion, made a lament about the Jews, on account of the wickedness that had been done by them.
And on the first of the week, about the third hour of the night, the sun was seen such as it had never at any time shone, and all the heaven was lighted up. And as lightnings come on in winter, so majestic men of indescribable splendour of dress and of glory appeared in the air, and an innumerable multitude of angels crying out, and saying: Glory in the highest to God, and on earth peace, among men goodwill: come up out of Hades, ye who have been kept in s***ery in the underground regions of Hades. And at their voice all the mountains and hills were shaken, and the rocks were burst asunder; and great chasms were made in the earth, so that also what was in the abyss appeared. And there were seen in that terror dead men raised up,
As the Jews that saw them said: We have seen Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs, that died two thousand five hundred years ago; and we have seen Noah manifestly in the body. And all the multitude walked about, and sang praises to God with a loud voice, saying: The Lord our God that has risen from the dead has brought to life all the dead, and has plundered Hades, and put him to death.
All that night therefore, my lord, O king, the light ceased not. And many of the Jews died, and were engulfed and swallowed up in the chasms in that night, so that not even their bodies appeared. Those, I say, of the Jews suffered that had spoken against Jesus. And one synagogue was left in Jerusalem, since all those synagogues that had been against Jesus were engulfed.
From that fear, then, being in perplexity, and seized with much trembling, at that same hour I ordered what had been done by them all to be written; and I have reported it to thy mightiness."
Do you need more witnesses, hmmm what about Caiaphas the High Priest that condemned Christ in the Jewish court:(From the Archaeological Writings of the Sanhedrin and Talmuds of the Jews--otherwise known as the Archko Volume. These scrolls, written in the first century A.D., were rediscovered in Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey, in 1883. They were carried there, and preserved by Constantine in the year 337. From time to time, I will share some of these historical records with you concerning the life of Christ, with more interviews by Caiaphas, Gamaliel, Pilate, Herod Antipater and others. I have added subtitles to make for easier reading, as well as dividing the very long paragraphs to make them shorter, but the original text remains the same. BMS)
TWO YEARS AFTER HE HAD SENTENCED JESUS OF NAZARETH TO DIE, CAIAPHAS, CONVICTED BY HIS CONSCIENCE, COMMITTED SUICIDE
The High Priest Caiaphas was the trial judge of Jesus, Peter and others. Matthew 26:2-3, 57, 63-65; John 18:24-28; Acts 4:1-22. Two years after the crucifixion, both he and Pilate were deposed by Vitellius, then governor of Syria, and afterwards the emperor. Unable to bear the disgrace and stings of his conscience for being responsible for the murder of Jesus of Nazareth, he k**led himself in about A.D. 35.
I HAD BUT VERY LITTLE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE NAZARENE
"Caiaphas, Priest of the Most High God, to the Masters of Israel, greeting: In obedience to your demands fro a reason for my action in the case of Jesus of Nazareth, and in defense of my conduct, I beg leave to submit the following for your consideration: I would assure you that it was not on account of personal malice, envy, or h**e, that existed in my own nature, nor for the want of a willingness upon my part to conform to the Jewish law in its strictest sense. I had but very little personal knowledge of the Nazarene.
"The most I knew of this man was from outside sources. Nor was it because he claimed to be King of the Jews, nor because he said he was the Son of God--I would that he were--nor because he prophesied or ignored the holy temple. No, nor all of these combined. There is a cause, and a more weighty matter, back of all these things that controlled my action in the matter. Therefore, I hope you will investigate strictly on legal principles the reasons that I may give.
FIRST, OUR FAITH IS PLEDGED TO ONE LIVING AND TRUE GOD, THIS GOD BEING INDESCRIBABLE, UNCHANGEABLE, INCOMPREHENSIBLE, AND, OF COURSE, UNNAMEABLE
"In order that you may be able to see and weigh the question fully, and remember the responsibility that rests upon me according to the laws of our nation, I will ask you to go back with me to the chronicles of our history as a commonwealth. First, our faith is pledged to one living and true God, this God being indescribable, unchangeable, incomprehensible, and, of course, unnameable. But yet in our daily communications with, and our applications to Him, He has been pleased to give us His name, or His several names, according to His relations to us, and they are found nowhere only in the ark of His holy temple--there where He presents to us His strength and power.
IN HIS HOLY ARK HE RECORDS HIMSELF ELAAH--EXISTENCE WITHOUT BEGINNING, AND NO CONTINGENCY AS TO HIS END
"He calls himself ELOI, which means almighty in strength; that He can do what He will without effort; that He does the greatest thing as easy as He does the least. This makes Him different from all beings. In His holy ark He records Himself ELAAH--existence without beginning, and no contingency as to His end. Again, He writes Himself HHELEJON--unchangeable; that is,. nothing but His own will can change Him. Again He records His name JAH--knowledge that comprehends without being comprehended. Again He is written ADONAI--full and free, and freely full. Combining the several names we have--Jehovah--the Hebrew God. A man never can go wrong while he can pronounce this name in its comprehensive sense. This is where the Zealots, the Sadducees, and the Essenes had their origin, and it is the want of being able to pronounce this name in its comprehensive sense that causes so much dissension among us Jews. Jesus could pronounce this name, but he stole it out of the temple, as I am creditably informed.
A MAN MIGHT REPENT EVER SO MUCH, BUT WHAT GOOD WOULD THAT DO TOWARD HEALING THE MAN HE HAD INJURED? NONE IN THE LEAST
"But the object of calling your attention to pronouncing this name, with all its bearings, may be seen if we turn to the third book of Leviticus, second 10, wherein is the special order made by our God to Moses, that we should offer the bullock, the ram, the flour and oil, and the people should fast seven days, and this should be kaphar, or atonement for the sins of all the people. Now, unless Moses was deceived, he has deceived us, or Jesus of Nazareth is a false teacher; for all he teaches is metanoeite, metanoeite, as though a man's being sorry for a crime would make restitution to the offended party. A man might repent ever so much, but what good would that do toward healing the man he had injured? None in the least. This mode of making atonement was ordained of God and revealed to Moses; but if man has nothing to do but to repent, the disease carries it own remedy with it. So a man can sin as often as he may wish to.
THIS SHOULD BE THE SEAL OF THE COVENANT
"Look at the first book, section 3: 'And God said to Abraham, by his own mouth, that each and all that were circumcised by the cutting of the prepuce should be saved'. This should be the seal of the covenant. Now, if this is not true, God must go against His own contract, violate His own promises, as well as deceive the faith and c***t the obedience of His own children. This is all so, if Jesus's teaching be true, for he sets upon table (baptism) as the seal of God. I refer you to section 10, division first, where God said to Moses that He had changed the laws, converted the elements for the protection of His people, and with His own arm had delivered them out of a strong compact; and that they might remember, and that the generation to be born might remember, and never forget to trust in Him when in danger, He said that once every year we should roast a kid or lamb, and eat it with unleavened bread, and this should be the sign that we would trust in Him in all times of danger.
IF THEY WERE ONE, THEN THEIR TEACHINGS WOULD BE ONE
"Now Jesus teaches that common bread and wine are to be used instead thereof--a thing unheard of. And not only so, something that is altogether repugnant to God, and something that fosters drunkenness, and is well qualified to excite men's passions. And oh, ye Masters of Israel, but think once. Jesus calls himself the Son of God; claims to have been born of almah (the Hebrew word for virgin); that he and his Father are one--they are equal. These things will establish the following conclusions: If he is right, his Father is false. If they were one, then their teachings would be one; and if his teachings are true, God's must be wrong, or there are not these perfections in Him that we learn in pronouncing His holy name.
THIS IS IMPREGNATING THE WHOLE ATMOSPHERE WITH MORAL POLLUTION
"By tolerating the teachings of Jesus, we say to the Romans that all of our former teachings are false; that the Hebrew's God is not to be trusted; that He is weak, wan ting in forethought; that He is vacillating and not to be trusted, much less to be honored and obeyed. Thus the world will lose confidence in our God, and confidence in us as a religious people. This is impregnating the whole atmosphere with moral pollution. It does not only cut off, but blocks the way of all Jews from heaven; and not only this, it excludes our hope in the salvation of our forefathers, who have obeyed God in His ordinances, believed in His promises, and shouted in the triumphs of a holy life for fourteen hundred years.
JESUS COMPLETELY IGNORES THIS TEMPLE; SAYS THE PRIESTS HAVE MADE IT A DEN OF THIEVES . . . AND WITH A SORT OF SELFISH TRIUMPH SAYS IT SHALL BE DESTROYED
"He (Jesus) entirely ignores God's holy temple--the house God had built by our forefathers under His own supervision, where He promised to dwell with His children, to hear their prayers, and to be pleased with their sacrifices. This temple is the bond of the Jews. Here all men can come and be blessed. It is the earthly home of the souls of men--the place where men may hide from the storms of sin and persecution. This temple is where the foolish may learn wisdom, the place where the naked should can be clothed, and where the hungry may be fed. This is the grandest gift of our Father. Jesus completely ignores this temple; says the priests have made it a den of thieves; and sets up a sneer, and even scoffs at its sacred ordinances, and with a sort of selfish triumph says it shall be destroyed; and from his manner of saying it, I have no doubt he would be glad to see it quickly done.
MY ARGUMENT IS, IF THIS TEMPLE IS DESTROYED, OR EVEN FORSAKEN BY THE JEWS, WE AS A NATION ARE UTTERLY RUINED
"But what would be the condition of our people if this temple was removed? What would be the use of the priesthood if the temple was destroyed? Where would we find an answer by Urim and Thummim? How would the soul of man be purified, if the holy Bathkole, the Euroch of God, should depart? There in that sacred temple of God he had been burning the consuming of sin and the purifying of the heart since our return from bondage in Babylon. My argument is, if this temple is destroyed, or even forsaken by the Jews, we as a nation are utterly ruined. We might as well put our necks under the feet of idolatry and give up all hope.
IS IT . . . ADMITTED IN HIS HOLY WORD THAT THERE CAN BE MORE GODS THAN ONE? . . . THERE CAN BE BUT ONE LIVING GOD
"One more subject I place before my Masters of Israel. Is it compatible with our religion, or is it consistent with philosophy, or admitted in His holy Word, that there can be more gods than one? When we pronounce Ele Laah Shaddiai-Hhelyon Adonai (which is Jehovah), there can be but one living God. By reference to section 6, No. four, He says by mouth of Moses, when he was all aglow with the glory of God--and remember He speaks either by mouth or quill; it is he that speaks, and not man--He says 'The Lord your God is one God; there can be but one. I am and have been with you; I brought you up; I delivered you out of a strong compact; I delivered you out of their hand and kept you dry, while your enemies were drowned in the sea. I will not forsake you. I promised your father I would not. But if you forsake Me, then desolation will come upon you, and have you in swift destruction'. In section 5, three and four of David's Song of Joy: 'I am God alone, and alone I am God; beside Me there is no help for man or angels'. Then in section 13, this command has been given: 'Thou shall pay to the Lord thy God once a year a half-shekel of silver, that thou and thy children, and all the strangers that are within thy gate, may know that there is no God beside Me, on whom they may call in time of danger'.
COULD I STAND AND SEE ALL THE HOLY ORDINANCES, WHICH HAD BEEN APPOINTED BY OUR GOD FOR SECURING SALVATION TO ISRAEL, PERVERTED BY AN IMPOSTOR?
"Now, having all these commands and teachings from the very lips of God himself before my eyes, and being held responsible for the soundness of our doctrine and the proper inculcation of the same among the people of the Jews, what was I to do? Could I stand as the priest of the Most High God, and see your blessed religion perverted by an impostor? All the blessed doctrines that were appointed for the government and instruction of the priesthood, thence to be imparted to the youth of our land, set aside, and that by one that could show no authority, only the authority of John the Baptist, who could give no authority only the one who sent him to baptize, and he could not tell who who he was, nor whence he came? Hence you see the responsible position that I as the high priest of God and of the Jewish Church occupied. According to our laws I was made responsible, and stood between my God and my people, to protect them in doctrine and government.
HE (JESUS) HAD ALREADY INCULCATED INTO THE JEWISH MIND HIS PERNICIOUS WAYS OF BEING SAVED TO THE EXTENT THAT THE JEWISH CAUSE WAS ALMOST LOST
I refer you to the capitulation made by the Sanhedrin and Augustus Caesar, in the holy Tosephta of the Talmuds. We submitted to taxation by the Romans, and the Romans are to protect our holy religion from foreign foes, in order that the holy temple or any of its sacred ordinances would never be molested, nor the holy city, Jerusalem, be polluted by Roman idolatry. Now the insinuating plan adopted by Jesus was well qualified to deceive the common people. It had already led many to forsake the temple, and hold her ordinances in derision, as well as to neglect the teachings of the priest or to pay the tithes for their supplies. He had already inculcated into the Jewish mind his pernicious ways of being saved to that extent that the Jewish cause was almost lost. There are two reasons for this: First, the people to whom he preached were an ignorant set, and knew but very little about doctrine of any kind. They are a restless sort of men, who are always finding fault and wanting something new, and never associate with the more enlightened part of the community in order to learn. Another reason of his having many followers is, his doctrines are congenial to unsanctified flesh.
HE (JESUS) HAS MORE FOLLOWERS TODAY THAN ABRAHAM HAS . . . AND, IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE ROMAN SOLDIERS ON THE DAY OF HIS EXECUTION WE WOULD HAVE HAD ONE OF THE BLOODIEST I**********NS EVER KNOWN TO THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH
"They are so suited to human nature that they require no sacrifices; they need not go to the temple to worship God; they need not fast, and they can when and where they please; they need pay no tithes to keep up the temple or the priesthood, but every man can be his own priest and worship God as he chooses. All this is so compatible with human nature that, although he has not been preaching over three years, he has more followers today than Abraham has, and they have become perfectly hostile towards the Jews that are faithful to their God; and, if it had not been for the Roman soldiers on the day of his execution we would have had one of the bloodiest i**********ns ever known to the Jewish commonwealth. I am told that there was never seen such a concourse of people assembled at Jerusalem as at the cross. One of my guards informs me that there were several hundred thousand, and, although there were two others crucified at the same time, Jesus was the great centre of attraction.
HOW COULD THIS UNPRONOUNCED NAME SUFFER TO BE CAPTURED BY MEN, OR DIE, UNLESS HE IS THE ONE THAT IS TO DIE FOR THE MANY?
"They would call out, 'Who is this Jesus of Nazareth? What is his crime?' Some of his friends would cry out, 'Nothing; he is being executed because he was a friend of the poor'. 'Take him down! Take him down', they would cry out, and the soldiers would have to use their spears to keep them back. But when he yielded up the ghost, he proved to all that he was hypostatical (that is, a human body), and the lodi curios had come from the iclandic covenant, and his trinitatis unitas was all a sham, for how could this unpronounced name suffer to be captured by men, or die, unless he is the one that is to die for the many? And if so, I was only accomplishing God's holy purposes, which exonerates me from guilt".
IF THE HEALING MIRACLES OF JESUS ARE TRUE, AS THEY MUST BE (FOR THEY ARE SO ACKNOWLEDGED BY HIS FOES AS WELL AS HIS FRIENDS), HE MUST HAVE LEARNED IT FROM . . .
"But it seems to me a necessity that he (Jesus) should be removed. That this may be evident to your minds, I ask you to contrast our present condition with the past. Jesus of Nazareth spent two years in Egypt under the instruction of Rabbi Joshua, and learned the art of thaumatury to perfection, as he has never been taught in any of the schools of necromancy among the heathen. If the healing miracles of Jesus are true, as they must be (for they are so acknowledged by his foes as well as his friends), he must have learned it from Horus and Serapis, as practised by those heathen priests. He came back to Palestine as a physician, and was by nature an enthusiast as well as a Hebrew patriarch, and when John's preaching excited idealistic minds, Jesus also went to that teacher, and was inspired by him to inculcate and promulgate his doctrines. Notwithstanding his youth and inexperience, Jesus started out as a public orator and teacher with the doctrines of John, and in that capacity referred exclusively to his authority, as every public teacher in these days has to be ordained by some acknowledged authority.
THE CURES WHICH HE PERFORMED APPEARED MIRACULOUS TO HIS FOLLOWERS, BUT MOST RIDICULOUS TO THE INTELLIGENT JEWS AND THE MEN OF SOBER AND REFLECTIVE MINDS
"As long as John was at large, Jesus in the capacity of an itinerant teacher and physician roused the people of Galilee to metanoia (repentance of sin), to bring about a restoration of the kingdom of heaven. He met with the same opposition that John did from those who would not admit that they were more sinful than their progenitors were, or that asceticism was the proper means for the restoration of the kingdom of heaven. But he met with the same success among the lower classes, such as foreign harlots, Sodomites, publicans, and other Roman agents, but the intelligent portion remained cold and unmoved by his enthusiasm. The cures which he performed appeared miraculous to his followers, but most ridiculous to the intelligent Jews and the men of sober and reflective minds.
IT WAS NOT HARD FOR HIM (JESUS) TO CREATE EXCITEMENT, OR TO FIND PLENTY OF FOLLOWERS
"Jesus embraced the humanitarian doctrine of the Hillelites, presenting conspicuously the cosmopolitan spirit of Judaism, and he did it almost in the words of Hillel, who had taught it before. Their faith and doctrine being alike, it was not hard for him to create excitement, or to find plenty of followers. In addition to all this, he taught a system of low morals, and so void of all ritualistic ideas that it was easy for him to get any number of followers. He taught the people that there was but one living and true God, but he taught them that he was that God, and that his father was merged into himself, and could not manifest himself only through him, which theory would confute itself if they would only stop to reflect, for as he was hypostatical or corporeal, his assistance was cut off from all that was not immediately in his presence, which is altogether incompatible with the faith of the Jews.
HE TAUGHT THE E******N OF ISRAEL BY THE ALMIGHTY, BUT IGNORED ALL THE DOCTRINES OF ISRAEL
"Right in the face of this doctrine he would teach that there was a special providence, as well as a general providence, as if their could be a general providence without a God that could be present in all places at all times, as we learn in pronouncing His name. He taught that the dead will rise and live again in a future state of happiness or misery according as they have lived here. Therefore he taught future rewards and punishments; but he being present, how could he reward in the future? He taught the revelation and the prophets, but contradicted all they teach. He taught the e******n of Israel by the Almighty, but ignored all the doctrines of Israel. He taught the eternity of God's laws, and promises in the super-importance of the humanitarian over the ritual laws and doctrines, but I do not think he wished to abolish the latter, or even the traditional laws, but merely to supersede them by a higher life. The natural result of all this was that he disregarded the laws of Levitical cleanness, which were considered so important by the Shammaites and Essenes, and also by the Hillelites. This is the point where division commenced, and the breach grew wider and wider until and i**********n must have been the result.
HE (JESUS) LOOKED UPON THE WHOLE OF THE LEVITICAL INSTITUTIONS, TEMPLES, SACRIFICES, AND PRIESTHOOD INCLUDED, AS NO LONGER NECESSARY AND NOT WORTH THE LIFE OF THE ANIMAL
"He so far cut himself loose from the Jews that he ate with unclean sinners, publicans, the lepers, and permitted harlots to touch him, while his disciples went so far as to eat their meals without washing themselves. Furthermore, he looked upon the whole of the Levitical institutions, temples, sacrifices, and priesthood included, as no longer necessary and not worth the life of the animal. This was certainly the opinion of the Hillelites. Jesus, it seems, found in this Hillelite school a party furnished to hand, ready to take up with his heresy (and a large party they are, almost sufficient to divide the whole Jewish commonwealth). They taught the repentance of sin, the practice of benevolence and charity, the education of the young, and good-will toward mankind, as possessing much more moral worth than all the Levitical cleanness, or compliance with the whole moral law given to us by our God go govern us. His preaching was of the parabolical style. He would rely on a text of scripture, for he seemed to hold the scriptures in high veneration, so his preaching was on the midrash style of the scribes--a maxim expressed in the style of Solon or of Sirach's son. His great object was to come as near the Jewish theology as possible so as to destroy the Jews entirely, and establish his own.
IT SEEMS THAT HE BECAME SO INFATUATED THAT HE REALLY THOUGHT HE WAS THE HEAD OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
"Hence he resorted to the allegorical method of the Egyptian Hebrews, uttering many good and wise sayings, which were not new to the learned, but which were taken from the common wisdom of the country, which was known by all who were acquainted with the literature of the rabbis. But they were new to his class of hearers, who were not accustomed to listen to the wise. He had no education, comparatively speaking. He was full of nervous excitement, all of which went to inspire his hearers with enthusiasm. He took but little care of his health or person; cared not for his own relatives. He travelled mostly on foot in the company of his disciples and some suspicious women, and lived on the charity of his friends. He seemed to take no notice of the political affairs of his country; would as soon be governed by one nation as another. In fact, it seems that he became so infatuated that he really thought he was the head of the kingdom of heaven.
THIS MANNER OF PREACHING (OF JESUS), ALONG WITH HIS PRESUMPTION, AROUSED HIS ENEMIES TO A POWERFUL PITCH, AND IT WAS ALL I COULD DO TO KEEP THE ZEALOTS FROM MOBBING HIM IN THE TEMPLE
"This manner of preaching, along with his presumption, aroused his enemies to a powerful pitch, and it was all I could do to keep the zealots from mobbing him in the temple. They had no confidence in a doctrine that set the Jewish laws at naught, and mocked the priesthood of God, and they with the Sadducees and the scribes were not willing to submit to a man who acknowledged no authority higher than himself, and was seemingly endeavoring to overturn everything that they held more sacred and dearer than life. Jesus's mode and manner were well qualified to deceive the unsuspecting. 'Let us have all things in common', said he, 'and he that would be greatest among you will prove his greatness by rendering the greatest service to all, and if any of the higher powers compel thee to go a mile, let him that is compelled go ten miles'. This caused him to be attacked more in his policy than in his doctrine.
IF THEY ABUSE YOU, LOVE THEM IN RETURN, AND THEY CANNOT BE YOUR ENEMIES LONG; NO MAN CAN CONTINUE TO ABUSE ANOTHER WHO RETURNS INJURIES WITH LOVE
"The great question with us Jews was, here are the Romans upon us; how can we get rid of them? Jesus's idea was to let the Romans alone; it matters not who rules and governs the nations; if they abuse you, love them in return, and they cannot be your enemies long; no man can continue to abuse another who returns injuries with love. Keep from them; pray in secret for the return of the kingdom of heaven and God's grace, and this will soon make all things right. 'Pay your taxes', he would say to them; 'it is only Caesar's money you pay, which is unlawful for you to have--unlawful on account of its idolatrous effigies'. Again, he would say to his hearers, 'You cannot conquer the Romans; better convert them, and they are your enemies no longer. They already have your temple in their possession; their yoke is getting heavier every day, and the more you fight against them the more they will abuse you; therefore, your only chance is to love them, and try to make your yoke easy and your burden light by having them your friends'. Indeed, the conduct of Jesus was so strange and incompatible with the interest of the Jews as a nation, that it seemed to me that he was a subject employed by the Romans to keep the Jews submissive and obedient to all their tyranny and abuse".
THE WHOLE OF THE JEWISH THEOCRACY (THEIR CONCEPT OF GOD) WAS ABOUT TO BE BLOWN AWAY AS A BUBBLE ON A BREAKER
"This policy (returning love for h**e from the Roman oppressors) was most powerfully attacked by the officiating priest, by the Shammaites and Zealots, and, in fact, the whole Jewish nation was becoming aroused to a war heat. The reprimands of Jesus were so severe against the rich and highly educated that they had turned against him, and brought all the power they had, both of their wealth and talent, so that I saw that a bloody i**********n was brewing fast. The public mind of the Jews was becoming more and more divided and corrupt; heretical doctrines were being diffused all over the land; the temple was forsaken and the holy sacraments neglected; the people were dividing into sects, and these breaches were like a rent in a garment--tearing them apart, continually. As it seemed to me, the whole of the Jewish theocracy (their concept of God) was about to be blown away as a bubble on a breaker.
THEY BANISHED ALL THE JEWS FROM ROME, AND BACK THEY CAME TO JUDEA WITH ALL THEIR IDOLATRY AND HERESY
"As the Jews became more and more divided and confused, the tyranny of the Romans increased. All they wanted was an excuse to slaughter the Jews and confiscate their property. At this time both the doctrine and religion of the Jews were spreading rapidly all over Rome, which gave the Romans great alarm. Sejane undertook to have an ordinace passed in the Senate, abolishing the Jewish religion from Rome; and when he found it would cause an i**********n, they banished all the Jews from Rome, and back they came to Judea with all their idolatry and heresy, and many other corrupt principles from the Romans, which fitted them to join any party for profit. Up to this time the Roman governors had shown great kindness to the Jews. There never was a better man than Hyrean. The Jews enjoyed great peace during his administration. But Tiberius has turned against us; Pilate has removed the army from Caesarea to Jerusalem. I say, no nation with any self-respect, or one that had any energy left, would or could stand it without a struggle.
WHEN HEROD ANTIPAS CAPTURED JOHN, IT QUIETED MATTERS IN GALILEE, SO THAT THEY HAD PEACE UNTIL JESUS STARTED IT UP AFRESH
"Now the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth had brought all these things upon us. When Herod Antipas captured John, it quieted matters in Galilee, so that they had peace until Jesus started it up afresh. I had issued orders to Jesus to desist from preaching, unless he taught as the Jews taught. He sent me the impertinent word that his doctrine was not of this world, but had reference to the world to come; when he was all the time doing all he could to destroy the peace and harmony of this world. Now, according to our law in the Saphra, by Jose B. Talmud, it devolves on me to see that the people have sound doctrine taught them. Hence it is my duty to examine all the midrashim, or sermons, of all the preaching priests, and if anyone teach the people wrongly, or if his conduct is not in correspondence with his profession, to cause him to desist; or if any disregard the holy laws of ablution, or in any way defile himself, or if he shall be guilty of misconduct in any way, either in manner of life or doctrine, to adjudge such an one, and pronounce sentence for his crime upon him. This I did upon Jesus of Nazareth, to save the Church from heresy, and to save the cause of the Jewish commonwealth from final ruin. But understand that I did not act rashly nor illegally, as I am accused. I only passed sentence under the protest and order of the whole court belonging to the high priest, containing twelve members, or elders, and priests. Thus you will see it was not my voluntary act, but was a legal one and in accordance with law. After I examined Jesus on the various charges, he said in the presence of all the court that each and all of them were true. I then reasoned with him, and asked him, if the court of the high priest would forgive him of these charges would he desist from these things in all time to come. He answered most emphatically and positively he would not. Under these circumstances I was compelled, according to our law, to sentence him to die; for if he continued to promulgate his pernicious heresies the Jews, as a nation, must perish with their religion.
IT BECAME MY PAINFUL DUTY TO SEND HIM TO PONTIUS PILATE, WITH THE FOLLOWING CHARGES
And, as you find in the Toseppta, that the nation has always the right to self-preservation, and as we had conceded the right to the Romans of executing our criminal laws, it became my painful duty to send him to Pontius Pilate, with the following charges:
"'Caiaphas, High Priest of the Most High God, to Pontius Pilate, Governor of the Roman Province:
"'Jesus of Nazareth is thus charged by the High Court of the Jews:
"'First, with teaching the doctrine that there are more gods than one, which is contrary to the teachings of the Jewish law, which he most positively refuses to desist from in the presence of this court.
"'Second, he teaches that he is God, which is contrary to the Jewish law, and he is visible and comprehensible; and, after being asked to desist by this court, he most positively affirms that he is the Son of God.
"'Third, he teaches and affirms that the Bath kole (Holy Spirit) cannot come until he goes away, which is contrary to the teachings of the Jews; because it was He that brooded over the waters, and has been in the habitual light of the world ever since; from all of which he refuses to desist.
"'He teaches baptism as the seal of God, instead of circumcision, which was established by the decrees of God with Abraham as a seal of the Jews; and when abjured to desist by this court declared he would not.
"'He teaches asceticism as the means of salvation, contrary to the Jewish custom; and affirmed in the presence of this court he would not desist.
"'He teaches that the Levitical ablution is of no service, while we hold that the outward washing is the sign of inward purity; and when abjured to desist he emphatically refused.
"'He has abrogated the ordinance given by God to Moses of the pascal supper, wherein we should roast a lamb and eat it with unleavened bread; but Jesus has introduced a custom altogether different--without any authority. He has introduced common bread and wine, which are not only forbidden, but are well qualified to excite men's passions and make them forget God rather than to remember and trust Him, this feast having been introduced that we should remember to trust Him in the hours of trouble. When asked why he did this, all he would say was: 'Hitherto I work, and my Father works'.
"'He has abrogated the priesthood, and set the temple at naught, which is the very life's blood of the Jewish faith.
"'Were it not that God our Father has given us these holy ordinances we would not be so tenacious of them. We know they are the pillars upon which the Jewish theocracy is built, and that we cannot live without them. Although Jesus of Nazareth has been abjured time and again to stop teaching these ways of death, he has as often declared he would not; therefore it devolves on me as the proper and the only officer to pronounce sentence upon him'"
"These charges were written by my scribe, and sent with the officers to Pilate for his consent. Of course, I did not expect him to execute him as he did, but it seems that the mob was so great that Pilate never received them. I expected Pilate to send Jesus back to me, so that I could send him to you for your approval; and if so, then I would proceed to try him with Urim and Thummin, with the regular lacktees on guard, as our law requires; but it seems that Pilate thirsted for his blood. Like all guilty tyrants, he was afraid of his own shadow, and wished to destroy everything that threatened his power.
"With these reasons for my actions, I submit the case which I am sure will be considered favorably by my Masters of Israel".
then Caiaphas report about the resurrection THE REPORT OF HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD BECAME SO COMMON THAT I FOUND IT NECESSARY TO INVESTIGATE IT
"To You, Masters of Israel: As I have made a former defence to you, and you have approved the same (concerning the execution of Jesus. I will share this one with you at a later date. BMS), I feel in duty bound to communicate to you some facts that have come to my knowledge since that communication. A few days after the execution of Jesus of Nazareth the report of his resurrection from the dead became so common that I found it necessary to investigate it, because the excitement was more intense than before, and my own life as well as that of Pilate was in danger.
HE SAID THAT ALL THE SOLDIERS HE HAD CONVERSED WITH WERE CONVINCED THAT JESUS WAS RESURRECTED BY SUPERNATURAL POWER AND WAS STILL LIVING
"I sent for Malkus, the captain of the royal city guard, who informed me he knew nothing personally, as he had placed Isham in command of the guard; but from what he could learn from the soldiers the scene was awe-inspiring, and the report was so generally believed that it was useless to deny it. He thought my only chance was to suppress it among the soldiers, and have John and Peter banished to Crete, or arrested and imprisoned, and if they would not be quiet, to treat them as I had treated Jesus. He said that all the soldiers he had conversed with were convinced that Jesus was resurrected by supernatural power and was still living, and that he was no human being, for the light and the angels and the dead that came out of their graves all went to prove that something had happened that never occurred on earth before.
I REGRET THAT I HAD THE SOLDIERS PLACED AT THE TOMB, FOR THE VERY THINGS THAT THEY WERE TO PREVENT THEY HAVE HELPED TO ESTABLISH
"He said that John and Peter were spreading it all over the country, and that if Jesus would appear at the head of a host, and declare for the king of the Jews, he believed all Jews would fight for him. I sent for the lieutenant, who gave a lengthy account of the occurrence that morning, all of which I suppose you have learned, and will investigate. From this I am convinced that something transcending the laws of nature took place that morning, that cannot be accounted for upon natural laws, and I find it useless to try to get any of the soldiers to deny it, for they are so excited that they cannot be reasoned with. I regret that I had the soldiers placed at the tomb, for the very things that they were to prevent they have helped to establish.
THEY SAW NOTHING STRANGE UNTIL THEY CAME TO THE TOMB, AND FOUND THAT IT WAS EMPTY
"After questioning the soldiers and officers to my satisfaction, my mind being so disturbed that I could neither eat nor sleep, I sent for John and Peter. They came and brought Mary and Joanna, who are the women that went to embalm Jesus's body the morning of the resurrection, as it is called. They were very interesting as they related the circumstances. Mary says that when they went day was just breaking. They met the soldiers returning from the sepulchre, and saw nothing strange until they came to the tomb, and found that it was empty. The stone that covered the sepulchre was rolled to one side, and two men dressed in flowing white were sitting, one at each end of the sepulchre. Mary asked them where was her Lord; they said, 'He is risen from the dead; did he not tell you he would rise the third day and show himself to the people, to prove that he was the Lord of life?' Go tell his disciples, said they.
'WE FELL AT HIS FEET, ALL BATHED IN TEARS, AND WHEN WE ROSE UP HE WAS GONE'
"Joanna said she saw but one man; but this discrepancy must must have been due to their excitement, because they say they were much alarmed. They both say that as they returned they met the Master, who told them that he was the resurrection and the life; all that will accept shall be resurrected from the second death. 'We fell at his feet, all bathed in tears, and when we rose up he was gone'. Both these women wept for joy while relating these circumstances, and John shouted aloud, which made me tremble in every limb, for I could not help thinking that something that was the exclusive work of God had occurred, but what it all meant was a great mystery to me. It might be, I said, that God had sent this message by the mouth of this stranger; it might be that he was the seed of the woman, and we his people had executed him.
SHE WAS CONVINCED THAT HE WAS TO BECOME THE KING OF THE JEWS
"I asked John and Peter if they could give me any further evidence in regard to this man; that I wished to be informed of his private history. Peter said that Jesus passed by where he was, and bade him follow him, and he felt attracted to him, but at first it was more through curiosity than anything in the man; that he soon became acquainted with Mary, who told him that he was her son, and related to him the strange circumstances of his birth, and that she was convinced that he was to be the king of the Jews. She spoke of many strange things concerning his life, which made Peter feel more interested in him than he would have been otherwise.
THEY HAD ATTACKED HIM SO OFTEN AND BEEN REPELLED THAT THEY SHUNNED HIM AS THEY WOULD A WOLF
"He said that Jesus was a man so pleasant in his character, and so like a child in innocence, that no one could help liking him after he got acquainted with him; that though he seemed to be stern and cold, he was not so in reality; that he was exceedingly kind, especially to the poor; that he would make any sacrifice for the sick and needy, and would spare no effort to impart knowledge to anyone that would call on him, and that his knowledge was so profound that he had seen him interrogated by the most learned doctors of the law, and he always gave the most perfect satisfaction, and that the sopher or scribes, and the Hillelites, and Shammaites (two groups of Pharisees) were afraid to open their mouths in his presence. They had attacked him so often and been repelled that they shunned him as they would a wolf; but when he had repelled them he did not enjoy the triumph as they did over others of whom they had gotten the ascendancy".
HE MINGLEDWITH SOCIETY TO BENEFIT IT, AND YET TOOK NO PART AT ALL IN WHAT WAS GOING ON
"As to his private life, he seemed not to be a man of pleasure,nor of sorrow. He mingled with society to benefit it, and yet took nopart at all in what was going on. I had heard many tell of what occurredwhen he was baptized, and from what his mother told me I was watching for adisplay of his divine power, if he had any, for I knew he could never be kingof the Jews unless he did have help from on high.
IT SEEMED THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO BE POPULAR, AND THISSPIRIT DISPLEASED US
"Once when we were attending a marriage-feast the wine gave out,and his mother told him of it, and he said to the men to fill up some water-potsthat were sitting near, and they put in nothing but water, for I watched them,but when they poured it out it was wine, for it was tasted by all at the feast,and when the master found it out he called for Jesus to honor him, but he haddisappeared. It seemed that he did not want to be popular, and thisspirit displeased us, for we knew if he was to be king of the Jews he mustbecome popular with the Jews. His behavior angered his mother, for shewas doing all she could to bring him into notice, and to make him popular amongthe people, and the people could not help liking him when they saw him.
THERE SEEMED TO BE AN ALMIGHTYPOWER PERVADING THE AIR WHEREVER HE WENT SO THAT EVERYONE FELT SECURE, ANDBELIEVED THAT NO HARM COULD BEFALL THEM IF JESUS WERE PRESENT
"Another peculiarity was that in his presence everyone feltsafe. There seemed to be an almighty power pervading the air wherever hewent so that everyone felt secure, and believed that no harm could befall themif Jesus were present. As we were in our fishing-boat I saw Jesus comingout toward us, walking on the water. I knew that if he could make thewaves support him, he could me also. I asked him if I might come to him;he said to me to come, but when I saw the waves gathering around me I began tosink, and asked him to help me. He lifted me up, and me to have faith inGod.
THIS I SAW WITH MY OWN EYES, AND FROM THAT TIME IWAS CONVINCED THAT HE WAS NOT A COMMON MAN
"On another occasion we were sailing on the sea, and there was a greatstorm. It blew at a fearful rate, and all on board thought they would belost; we awakened the master, and when he saw the raging of the storm hestretched out his hand and said, 'Peace be still!' and the wind ceased to blow,the thunder stopped, the lightnings withdrew, and the billowing sea seemed asquiet as a babe in its mother's arms--all done in one moment of time. This I saw with my own eyes, and from that time I was convinced that he was nota common man. Neither did he work by enchantment like the Egyptianthaumaturgists, for in all their tricks they never attack the laws ofnature. In vain might they order thethunder to hush, or the winds to abate, or the lightnings to cease theirflashing.
HE DID NOT ACT AS THEEGYPTIAN NECROMANCERS
"Again, I saw this man while we were passing from Jericho. There was a blind man, who cried out to himfor mercy, and Jesus said to me, 'Go, bring him near', and when I brought himnear Jesus asked him what he wanted. Hesaid he wanted to see him. Jesus said,'Receive thy sight', when he was not near enough for Jesus to lay his handsupon him or use any art. Thus were allhis miracles performed. He did not actas the Egyptian necromancers. They usevessels, such as cups, bags, and jugs, and many other things to deceive. Jesus used nothing but his simple speech insuch a way that all could understand him, and it seemed as if the laws ofnature were his main instruments of action, and that nature was as obedient tohim as a s***e is to his master.
HE CAME FORTH OUT OF THE TOMB, AND IS LIVING TODAY
"I recall another occasion when a young man was dead, andJesus loved his sisters. One of themwent with Jesus to the tomb. Hecommanded it to be uncovered. The sistersaid, 'Master, by this time he is offensive; he has been dead four days'. Jesus said, 'Only have faith', and he calledthe young man by name, and he came forth out of the tomb, and is living today,and Peter proposed that I should see him for myself.
IT THROWS ME INTO GREAT AGITATION
"Thus argue Peter and John. If Jesus had such power over nature and nature's laws, and power overdeath in others, he would have power over such death that he could lay down hislife and take it up again, as he said he would do. As he proposes to bring hundreds of witnessesto prove all he says, and much more-witnesses whose veracity cannot be doubted-andas I had heard many of these things before from different men, both friends andfoes (and although these things are related by his friends-that is, the friendsof Jesus-yet these men talk like men of t***h, and their testimony corroboratesother evidence that I have from other sources, that convinces me that this issomething that should not be rashly dealt with), and seeing the humble trust andconfidence of these men and women, besides, as John says, thousands of othersequally strong in their belief, it throws me into great agitation.
I FEEL SURE THAT IF I SHOULD MEETJESUS I WOULD FALL DEAD AT HIS FEET
"I feel some dreadful foreboding-a weight upon my heart. I cannot feel as a criminal from the factthat I was acting according to my best judgment with the evidence before me. I feel that I was acting in defence of Godand my country, which I love better than my life, and if I was mistaken, I washonest in my mistake. And as we teachthat honesty of purpose gives character to the action, on this basis I shalltry to clear myself of any charge, yet there is a conscious fear about myheart, so that I have no rest day or night.
I feel sure that if I should meet Jesus I would fall dead at his feet;and it seemed to me if I went out I should be sure to meet him.
WHEN I LIFTED UP MY EYES, BEHOLD JESUS OF NAZARETH MYBREATH STOPPED, MY BLOOD RAN COLD, AND I WAS IN THE ACT OF FALLING, WHEN HESPOKE STOOD BEFORE ME
"In this state of conscious dread I remained investigatingthe Scriptures to know more about the prophecies concerning this man, but foundnothing to satisfy my mind. I locked mydoor and gave the guards orders to let no one in without first giving menotice. While thus engaged, with no onein the room but my wife and Annas, her father, when I lifted up my eyes, beholdJesus of Nazarethstood before me. My breath stopped, myblood ran cold, and I was in the act of falling, when he spoke and said, 'Be not afraid, it is I.
You condemned me that you might go free. This is the work of my Father. Your only wrong is, you have a wicked heart; this you must repent of. This last lamb you have slain is the one thatwas appointed before the foundation; this sacrifice is made for all men. Your other lambs were for those who offeredthem; this is for all, this is the last; it is for you if you will accept it. I died that you and all mankind might besaved'. At this he looked at me with such melting tenderness that it seemed tome I was nothing but tears, and my strength was all gone. I fell on my face at his feet as one that wasdead. When Annas lifted me up Jesus wasgone, and the door still locked. No oncould tell when or where he went.
I DO NOT FEEL THAT I CAN OFFICIATE AS PRIEST ANY MORE . . .I HAVE NO FURTHER OFFERINGS TO MAKE FOR SIN
"So noble Masters, I do not feel that I can officiate aspriest any more. If this strangepersonage is from God, and should prove to be the Saviour we have looked for solong, and I have been the means of crucifying him, I have no further offeringsto make for sin; but I will wait and see how these things will develop. And if he proves to be the ruler that we arelooking for, they will soon develop into something more grand in the future. His glory will increase; his influence willspread wider and wider, until the whole earth shall be full of his glory, andall the kingdoms of the world shall be his d******n. Such are the teachings of the prophets onthis subject. Therefore you will appointJonathan, or some one, to fill the holy place".
(From the Archaeological Writings of the Sanhedrin andTalmuds of the Jews--otherwise known as the Archko Volume. These scrolls, written in the first century A.D., were rediscovered in Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey, in 1863. They were carried there, and preserved by Constantine in the year 337. From time to time, I will share some of these historical records with you concerning the life of Christ, with more interviews by Caiaphas, Gamaliel, Pilate, Herod Antipater and others. I have added subtitles to make for easier reading, as well as dividing the very long paragraphs to make them shorter, but the original text remains the same. BMS)
Now above is three witnesses, John the Apostle, Pontius Pilate and Caiaphas the one who condemned Jesus to death. Two of the references, Pilate and Caiaphas are historical documents found in Constantinople now modern day Istanbul. These accounts were preserved by the Emperor Constantine in Constantinople.
Now you have one Gospel, and two historic documents posted here. You decide.
I apologize for I did not mean to make it so long.....