My point is that the available evidence IS speculating! Since none of Jesus' words were filmed or even tape recorded, we do not know what he said. Nor do we know the motives of those who may have distorted his sayings. We do not know if he was delusional or mentally ill. We do not know anything of his life until he was about thirty, but it was very common of holy men in that time to go on spiritual journeys, and there is actually some real evidence that he may have been in India with the Buddhists. Certainly, there is no better explanation of the lost years, and no proof that he was anywhere else.
I am not recommending this book, but the reviews refer to, and I am familiar with, several books suggesting that Jesus was in India. Certainly, Buddhism was the really happening thing then, and a seeker would have been interested.
amazon.com
Are you familiar with this book? I borrowed it from the library and read quite a bit of it. There are such strong parallels between the sayings of Jesus and the Buddha that you are led to conclude either that Jesus studied Buddhism at some point, or that the essential truths of all the great religions are indeed very similar. (If that is so, why is there so much fighting over religion?)
amazon.com
We don't really know if "angelic militancy" came directly from Jesus. The first of the Gospels was written 60 years or so after his death, and there was already a growing aggrandizement movement. If you want to talk about consistency of Jesus' statements, there is utterly none. As quoted in the Bible, he says just about anything, more evidence that very little of it is actually based on his own words. He may have been involved with the Essenes, but if so there has been quite a big cover-up since. All that we really know is that the Jews saw signs that a new king was coming, at the same time that Mary (who may well have been pregnant by a Roman soldier), was giving birth under very unfortunate circumstances. It could all really be a huge misunderstanding, or a coincidence. |
