Nexus - 0502 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

their own ends, so that Jesus' own marital status could be strategi- cally ignored. But the Church's celibate, unmarried image of Jesus was fully contradicted in other writings of the era. It was openly contradict- ed in the public domain until the perpetuation of the truth was proclaimed a punishable heresy only 450 years ago in 1547, the year that Henry VIII died in England. their own ends, so that Jesus' own marital status could be strategi- Jesus was born in a house. cally ignored. So where did the stable come from? It came from a misinter- But the Church's celibate, unmarried image of Jesus was fully _ pretation, really, of the Gospel of Luke which relates that Jesus contradicted in other writings of the era. It was openly contradict- was laid in a manger—not born, but laid—and a manger was ed in the public domain until the perpetuation of the truth was then, and still is, nothing more than an animal feeding box. One proclaimed a punishable heresy only 450 years ago in 1547, the only has to study society history of the time to recognise the fact year that Henry VIII died in England. that it was perfectly common for mangers to be used as cradles, and they were often brought indoors for that very purpose. t's not just the Christian New Testament that suffers from these So why has it been presumed that this particular manger was in [= restrictions. A similar editing process was applied to the a stable? Because the English translations of Luke tell us that Jewish-based Old Testament, and this made it conveniently there was no room in the inn. Must then have been in a stable! suitable to be added to the Christian Bible. This is made particu- But the pre-English translations of Luke don't talk about any inn; larly apparent by a couple of entries that bypassed the editors’ the manuscript of Luke does not say there was no room in the inn. scrutiny. In fact, there were no inns in the East in those days. There are The books of Joshua and 2 Samuel both refer to the much more very few inns there now; and if there are, they're illegal! People ancient Book of Jasher. They say it's very important, the Book of lodged then in private houses. It was a common way of life. It Jasher. Where is it? Not in the Bible. Like was called family hospitality. Homes were so many other oo it was purposely left open for travellers 1 : » out. But does it still exist? Yes. The nine- ome to that, if we're really going to be foot Hebrew scroll of Jasher still exists. It wae . precise about this, there were no stables in has been historically important for a long, It S not just the the region, either. In fact, "stable" is a whol- long time. It was the jewel of the court of Christian New ly English word and it specifically defines a Emperor Charlemagne, and the translation lace for keeping horses; horses of a particu- Pp g P ping P of the Book of Jasher was the very reason Testament that suffers lar stable. Who on earth rode around on that the University of Paris was founded, in . horses in Judaea? Oxen, camels; the odd the year 800. That was about a century from these sexist Roman officer might have had a horse, but before the Old Testament that we know was iat imi even the mules and the oxen, if kept under actually put together. restrictions. A similar cover, would have been kept under some sort Jasher was the staff-bearer to Moses. His editing process was of a shed or out-house, not in a stable. writings are of enormous significance. The . . As for the mythical inn, the Greek text applied to the Jewish- accounts relate to the story of the actually does not say there was no room Israelites in Egypt, to their exodus into b at the inn. By the best translation it ased Old Testament 3 and this made it Canaan. But these stories differ con- actually states that there was no provi- siderably from the way we know the sion in the room. As mentioned in conveniently suitable to be added to the story today. They explain that it was Matthew, Jesus was born in a house sys . " Christian Bible. not Moses who was the spiritual leader and, as correctly translated, Luke of the tribes who crossed the Red Sea reveals that Jesus was laid in a manger, to Mount Sinai. The spiritual leader an animal feeding box, because there was Miriam. was no cradle provided in the room. At that time the Jews had never heard of Jehovah; they worshipped the goddess Asherah. Their spiritual lead- ers were largely female. Miriam posed, according to the Book of important as well; because the gospels, Jasher, such a problem for Moses in the two gospels that deal with the nativ- his attempt to create a new environment of male dominance that ity, actually give us two completely different dates for the event. he imprisoned her; and the Jewish nation rose against Moses with According to Matthew, Jesus was born in the reign of King their armies to secure Miriam's release. This is not in the Bible. Herod, Herod the Great, who debated the event with the Magi and ordered the slaying of the infants. Well, Herod died in 4 BC, and S © let's move to where the Christian story itself began. Let's we know from Matthew that Jesus was born before that. And I think we ought to look at the [I we're on the subject of Jesus’ birth, chronology here, because this is look at the gospels themselves and, in doing that, let's see because of that, most standard concordant Bibles and history what they actually tell us, against what we think they tell us, books imply that Jesus’ date of birth was 5 BC, because that is because we have all learned to go along with what we are taught before 4 BC and Herod was still reigning, so that's a good date. about the gospels in schoolrooms and churches. But is the teach- But in Luke, a completely different date is given. Luke doesn't ing correctly related always? Does it conform with the written tell us about King Herod or anything like that. Luke says that scriptures? It's actually surprising how much we think we know, — Jesus was born while Cyrenius was Governor of Syria, the same but we've learned it just from pulpits or from picture books, not year that the Emperor Augustus implemented the national census, from necessarily studying the texts. the census which Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to be a part The nativity story itself provides a good example. It's widely of. accepted, and the Christmas cards keep telling us that Jesus was There are relevant points to mention here, and they are both born in a stable. The gospels don't say that. There is no stable recorded in the first-century Jewish annals (such as The mentioned in any authorised gospel. The nativity is not men- Antiquities of the Jews). Cyrenius was appointed Governor of tioned at all in Mark or John, and Matthew says quite plainly that Syria in AD 6. This was the very year recorded of the national "It's not just the Christian New look at the gospels themselves and, in doing that, let's see what they actually tell us, against what we think they tell us, because we have all learned to go along with what we are taught about the gospels in schoolrooms and churches. But is the teach- ing correctly related always? Does it conform with the written scriptures? It's actually surprising how much we think we know, but we've learned it just from pulpits or from picture books, not from necessarily studying the texts. The nativity story itself provides a good example. It's widely accepted, and the Christmas cards keep telling us that Jesus was born in a stable. The gospels don't say that. There is no stable mentioned in any authorised gospel. The nativity is not men- tioned at all in Mark or John, and Matthew says quite plainly that S o let's move to where the Christian story itself began. Let's 24 - NEXUS from these sexist and this made it Christian Bible." FEBRUARY - MARCH 1998