A New Account of Christian Origins (in progress, first chapter available) seeks to present a synthesis of many generations of scholarly skepticism concerning Jesus of Nazareth. The Myth of Nazareth: The Invented Town of Jesus was, in a sense, the first volume of “A New Account.” My earlier book showed that the only correct attitude with which to approach Jesus studies now and in the future is with radical skepticism—a posture still quite in advance of the academic mainstream.
A New Account begins with the premise that Jesus of Nazareth was a fiction. We must now examine the central figure in the Christian religion with a view towards understanding precisely how he was invented and—more importantly—why.
My view is that the ‘Son of God’ known as Jesus of Nazareth has ancient precursors. Although this view has been suggested by a few (cf. G. Massey), it has not been thoroughly explored nor, in fact, really vindicated. Yet, my research has led to the conclusion that the immense power of Christianity rests ultimately upon two foundations: (1) reliance upon long-venerated traditions; and (2) the teachings of a remarkable prophet whose sublime mark shines through in the gospels—despite the heavy overlay of a grand and wholly fictitious biography, and despite the superimposition of a false theology known to scholars as the ‘Pauline kerygma’.
The work of many scholars has preceded my humble endeavors, which are but one more contribution (from outside the guild) toward thoroughly discrediting normative Christianity. However, I differ from many of my atheist (and non-atheist) colleagues in that I do not denigrate spirituality—while I consider many manifestations of religion deplorable and incongruent with their founders’ teachings. Nevertheless atheism and religion can go together, as in Buddhism, which I have spent many years investigating. The prime result of that study is my book Buddhist and Christian Parallels. It substantiates numerous remarkable parallels between the two great religions. The problem, as I have come to appreciate it, is that Christianity has betrayed its gnostic roots—roots which not only match the teachings of the Buddha but also those of a prophet who taught in Palestine sometime approaching the beginning of the common era.
While denigrating Jesus of Nazareth, A New Account of Christian Origins resuscitates the figure known as John the Baptist, and his so-called followers, the gnostic Mandeans (‘Christians of St. John’). The little-known figure Dositheus plays an important role, as do also the Samaritans. Perhaps what has been most overlooked however, is the emphatically gnostic character of much pre-Christian religion, a trait which I show goes back to Babylonian, Sumerian, and even to prehistoric times. The thread of eternal gnosticism weaves through all of man’s history. Thus, A New Account begins with a consideration of shamanism, and the ties between the primordial Being of Light and Jesus of Nazareth (Chapter One, available here).
In this new millennium the historical basis of Christian belief is being investigated in ways unimagined only a few decades ago. Based on a non-doctrinal view of the primary sources, I consider the disparate views of so-called “heretical” Christian writings on a par with those in the New Testament canon. I seek to use the scientific tools developed by modern theological research to arrive at a holistic and historically accurate portrait of early Christianity. A New Account follows up on problems raised in my earlier book: if Nazareth did not exist in the time of Jesus, then why was the town invented by the evangelists? How was this maneuver carried out in the texts? What is the meaning of “Jesus the Nazarene/Nazoraean”? What was the role of ‘Paul’ in the formation of the canonical gospels? What relation did the first Jesus-followers have to that which became known as Christian Gnosticism and Jewish Christianity?
As they are written, I will make chapters available for purchase on this webpage.
