Alternative versions of the origin of Jesus
For almost 2000 years, people have been arguing about the origin and milestones of the life of Jesus Christ. Some firmly believe in his divinity, while others believe that he was (if he was) an ordinary person. However, there are also alternative opinions. In our roundup of 10 incredible versions of Jesus' origins that challenge church beliefs.
1. Buddhist monk
Christ and Buddhism
Some Buddhists point to striking similarities between early Christianity and Buddhism. They consider this to be proof that Jesus studied Buddhism and may even have been a monk himself. At that time, Buddhism was already over 500 years old, and Buddhist missionaries met in Alexandria and Judea. Some ascetic Jewish sects may have been influenced by Buddhist teachings.
Nicholas Notovich in his work "The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ" states that Jesus spent 15 years in India (from 14 to 29 years). It is about this period of Jesus' life that the Bible does not mention, therefore, it is not known where he lived and what he did. Later it turned out that Notovich's evidence was fabricated. However, many people are still convinced that there are too many similarities between the teachings of Jesus Christ and Buddha to be a mere coincidence.
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Jesus said, "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." Buddha said, "Evaluate others as yourself." There are many similar parallels.
2. The son of an architect or bricklayer
The social status of the holy family
Jesus is generally known as the adopted son of Joseph the carpenter, but Dr. Adam Bradford, in his book Jesus, the Discovery, says something quite different. Bradford believes that the son of a poor carpenter simply could not achieve the social position in Jewish society that Jesus occupied. Therefore, it is much more likely that he was the son of a respected middle-class citizen, for example, an architect.
According to Bradford, the misunderstanding stems from an incorrect translation of the Greek word Tekton, which was used to describe Joseph's profession. It has always been thought to be a "carpenter", and Bradford thinks that tekton means "architect" or "master builder". The Bible also describes Jesus with the word tekton. If this truly translates to "architect," then Jesus' social status would have been enough to spread his views.
Dr. Kwon Sun-dal, who studies ancient Judea and Israel, has a different perspective. He believes that Jesus was a bricklayer, not a carpenter, since there are practically no forests in Israel, and Jesus' hometown of Nazareth was built of stone.
3. Magician
Greek philosopher Celsus considered Jesus a magician
The Greek philosopher Celsus, who lived in the second century, was one of the first opponents of Christianity. Celsus not only denied Jesus' miracles, but also argued that Jesus was just an intelligent wizard who learned witchcraft in Egypt. According to Celsius, Jesus' followers were simply gullible lower-class fools who were deceived by the tricks of a malicious charlatan. Allegedly, the story of the resurrection is a myth, because it does not coincide in any way with Plato's concept of the separate nature of body and spirit.
In 1978, Morton Smith wrote the book The Magician Jesus: A Charlatan or the Son of God? In it, he explores many of the miracles attributed to Jesus and draws parallels with the “miracles” performed by the “goe” - ancient Palestinian shamans who could communicate with the spirits of the underworld.
4. Reincarnation of Lord Krishna
Jesus as the Reincarnation of Lord Krishna
Hindus believe that Lord Krishna was the eighth avatar of the god Vishnu and was born sometime between 900 BC. and 1200 BC The religious teachings of Krishna can now be read in the Bhagavad-gita. Many people see similarities between the teachings and lives of Jesus and Krishna - such as miraculous conception, persecution by tyrants, miracles, asceticism, and the assertion that "you can only be saved with their help."
Presumably, there are even non-canonical Hindu stories that Krishna was ultimately crucified. According to some people, this is proof that Jesus Christ was born 1000 years later in a distant land as the reincarnation of Lord Krishna. Also, interestingly, Krishna and Jesus have so many identical sayings.
5. Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar - Misinterpreted Christ?
Francesco Carotta argued that the traditional story of Jesus Christ was actually fabricated and is a misinterpretation of the life of Julius Caesar, and that early Christianity actually stems from the Roman Julian cult. Carotta points to a number of similarities between their lives, as well as interesting linguistic coincidences. Moreover, he draws parallels between the people in the life of Caesar and Jesus, stating that they were in fact the same people: Pompey / John the Baptist as godfather, Brutus / Judas as a traitor, Cleopatra / Mary Magdalene in the role of "especially close friend." Carotta also claims that some of Caesar's most famous quotes were used in the Gospels, but "misinterpreted" by an incorrect translation.
6. Archangel Michael
According to the Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus never claimed to be God. Instead, he ostensibly he is the archangel Michael. In Revelation, there are references to Michael and Jesus who will lead the armies of angels. Jehovah's Witnesses find it unlikely that two armies of angels will have to participate in the same war under the command of different commanders, so Jesus and Michael should be the same person.
7. Communist
And the communists are not against Jesus
American Communist Party leader Eugene Debs saw no contradiction between his attitude towards Jesus Christ and radical politics. Debs stated that he did not believe in the divinity of Jesus, but considered him a revolutionary martyr in the struggle against the wealthy exploiting elite. His speeches undermined the foundations of the Roman Empire until the ruling class realized that it was necessary to fight Christianity.
Latin American revolutionary theologians had a slightly different point of view. Jose Porfirio Miranda, who drew many parallels between the Christian Bible and the writings of Karl Marx, saw Marxism's refusal to recognize God as a clear error. He wrote: "The concept of communism is explicitly stated in the New Testament and since then for twenty centuries no one has more accurately come up with a better definition of communism."
8. Zeus
Hail, Zeus!
The letter "J" in the Latin alphabet has existed for only a few centuries. She was dressed from the letter "I" after 1600. In the original King James Bible, Jesus is said to have been called Iesus, not Jesus. According to some non-traditional Christians, this is a major difference. They claim that the original name of the Messiah, "Yeshua," which became the Hebrew name "Yesua," conceals the true name of God. Yesua in Greek is spelled Iesous, which they believe is the Greek transliteration for Hail, Zeus (glory, Zeus) or Healing Zeus (healing Zeus).
9. Islamic Prophet
According to Islamic interpretations, Jesus Christ was born of a virgin virgin through the intervention of Allah, but he was just a prophet and messenger, like Adam and Moses before him. During his infancy, he spoke to his mother Maryam in Arabic. Later he allegedly said: “Truly, I am a servant of God. He gave me the Scripture and made me a prophet!"
Muslims believe that Jesus worked miracles, but do not believe that he was the Son of God. God allegedly gave Jesus a book called Injeel, which contained divine wisdom that is still partially found in the New Testament. However, Muslims reject the Bible because they believe that Injeel's words have been distorted compared to the original scripture. Muslims also do not believe that Jesus died on the cross or was killed by mortals, claiming that Allah took him to Heaven.
10. Alien
Alien from the planet Nibiru
There are quite a few theories that Jesus Christ is an alien or a hybrid of an alien and a human. Some associate Jesus with the Annunaki - gods and deities in Sumerian-Babylonian mythology, who are considered by modern conspiracy theorists to be aliens from the planet Nibiru.
According to this theory, Nibiru passes the Earth once every several thousand years, and the Annunaki during this time interfere with the process of human development. Presumably, Nibiru is the star of Bethlehem, and Jesus was born from the union of a human woman with the Annunaki, identified with the archangel Gabriel in later interpretations.
As a demigod, Jesus survived his execution, after which he was taken from Earth by an alien ship. Mark Bennett, head of the Esoteric Society of Aetherius, stated: “We believe that various religious leaders in history are of extraterrestrial origin. Jesus and Buddha came from Venus, Krishna came from Saturn, Saint Peter came from Mars."