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n/a
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 218

Posted 12/5/2002 2:32 PM (GMT -6)

Is any one familiar with this book: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609807986/qid=1039136521/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-2910462-9488055

I have seen it used lately as a tool to intellectuallize anti-christian sentiments towards Christ's divinity. The reader goes away enlightened that the Christ of the bible is not the Messiah, but some pagan myth? I am not quite sure if that is correct because I haven't read it. But, I am annoyed by the authority it is getting. Does anyone have any comments on it? Have the authors (Freke and Gandy) brought anything new to the table, or are these just recycled arguments?

Thanks

"The Creator's power (by which I mean the capacity to influence the world) is made manifest paradoxically in the vulnerable defenselessness of crucified man."
-John F. Haught

Edited by - faithfullservent on 12/05/2002 9:01:41 PM

SeanG
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2002
Total Posts : 278

Posted 12/6/2002 9:29 PM (GMT -6)

I also have not read – nor heard of – the book mentioned… however, from your description, it sounds very familiar. I was given a book by a Buddhist entitled The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors: Or Christianity Before Christ, by Kersey Graves. I read the book, and, at first, it shook me. My home library wasn’t too big then (maybe about 500 books on apologetics, Bible helps, and the like) so it took some time to track down info on a rational answer to this dilemma. After much research I was lead to the works of Edwin Yamauchi. He is the professor of history at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He is one of the experts of the “Mystery Religions” and Christianities supposed “borrowing” from them to create a hodgepodge of beliefs to satisfy everyone. A good article can be found at:

http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/yama.html

Another few sites that may help answer these objections can be found at:

I can say that Boyds small book has a great little section on it as well, Jesus Under Seige. In it he addresses that while it is true that these religions pre-dated Christianity the stories about miracles and parallels are found in documents that post-date the New Testament documents.

The Buddhist co-worker I mentioned earlier mentioned Buddha’s fast under a tree for forty days; making mention that this is where the Bible got its stories. If I remember correctly during my search back then (prior to Gregory Boyd’s books), the oldest stories were actually 3 days, some 6 days. The only documents that said 40 days were those that post-dated the New Testament. Buddhism actually borrowed from Christianity. Unfortunately, I do not yet own Dr. Boyds book, Cynic Sage or Son of God. however, I hear this is a great resource as well.

I hope this helps, I may have misunderstood your query, if so, holler at me, I am one-hell of a research guy (yes, I would put myself up against John Weldon any day

)

SeanG!

P.S.

The two Yamauchi books I would recommend are, Persian and the Bible, and Pre-Christian Gnosticism.

Edited by - SeanG on 12/07/2002 02:33:07 AM

Starkman
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1747

Posted 12/7/2002 5:54 AM (GMT -6)

What you find (though I've not read this particular book) is not so much new stuff as it is more "scholarly" stuff of old. It's just a matter of find the more scholarly material, then, to refute it.

Starkman

n/a
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 218

Posted 12/7/2002 6:07 AM (GMT -6)

Thanks, Sean G. I do remember reading about the mystery religions in Jesus Under Siege, so I should have just have assumed this is what these two guys (Freke and Gandy) were writing on.

quote:
I do not yet own Dr. Boyds book, Cynic Sage or Son of God. however, I hear this is a great resource as well.

I own that book, so I guess I shouldn't have trouble digging out the answers I seek. Thanks!

Thanks for the links, bro.

God Bless,
Paul

"The Creator's power (by which I mean the capacity to influence the world) is made manifest paradoxically in the vulnerable defenselessness of crucified man."
-John F. Haught

Edited by - faithfullservent on 12/07/2002 11:08:28 AM

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