Zeus, The Jesus was married story was big among scholars of The Gospel of John. There, the first miracle was the wedding at Cana where many posit Jesus as the bridegroom. However, the story does contradict the direct quotes of Jesus in "The Book of Q." And Q was the earliest Christian writing.
It is true that many of the barbarian traditions were ladled on to the Jesus story. The oldest gospel, Mark, makes no mention of a virgin birth or even a birth in Bethlehem. John's gospel openly states that people questioned Jesus as the messiah because he was not born in Bethlehem. Sunday, of course, is a barbarian worship day. The Apostles and Jesus were practicing Jews who worshipped from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. The oldest surviving letters of Christianity, by Paul, make no mention of a virgin birth, Bethlehem, Wise Men, Shepherds or any of that stuff. Personally, those stories would have made an impression on me if God told me about them. Odd that Paul should ignore them totally.
The reverence of Mary the mother is also a later tradition. Jesus himself was dismissive of his family. Later, of course, his bubba James founded the church and pushed Peter aside as the chief priest. Again, James was always in the synagogue and worshipped on Saturday.
So, it is tough to seperate the history from later legends. And the old goddess religions hang on tough. They are still with us with Wicca. And lord knows I've dated my share of witches. <G> |
