Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00147)

--- In theos-talk@y..., Larry F Kolts <llkingston2@j...> wrote:
> That's an interesting take on the story. Is that original with you 
or
> something you read? I would be interested in reading more about that
> theory. 

I left the church 35 years ago, but wanted to discover the truth 
about this ancient religion as a way of coming to terms with my 
heritage. If you rereac the NT with what I said in mind, you may see 
it in a new light. J's "kingdom of heaven" is an Essene commune writ 
large, extending over the whole of Palestine. Read Josephus on the 
Essenes and you will see what I mean. The commune idea was actually 
carried out on a small scale after his death, but he did not take 
over the whole area. Josephus makes it clear people in the Essene 
comunes who did not obey the rules were cast into outer darkness, 
where they tended to slowly starve to death. Outer darkness was not 
a post mortem state. The idea of the healings and even the raising 
from the dead was that J. had power over Satan, who in turn was the 
secret force behind the Roman empire. Therefore it made sense of a 
sort that he could bring down the empire by magical means. Of course 
as we all know, he was crucified instead.
> 
> Some see in Judas's betrayal an attempt to force the issue as it 
were

Making a mess in the remple during the passover celebration was 
clearly an attempt to force the issue with the priests, and it did 
force the issue, since they were the ones who had him arrested. At 
the time he is supposed to have said that a miracle would happen and 
12 legions of angels would come to his defense, but the miracle did 
not come. Kaplan saya Kabbalists were warned for centuries after his 
death that this sort of self delusion was a pitfall of doing Merkabah 
meditation.

There is a tradition preserved by one of the church fathers that 
Judas was raising hard questions. They had been wandering around for 
all this time and no kingdom of heaven. Sp Jesus needed to make 
something happen or lose credibility. According to THE ODES OF 
SOLOMON the Jews then thought it a sin to tempt God, but that god 
also had a responsibility not to push them too far. If God tested 
them too sevelrely, then tempting God was permissible. That is the 
meaning of the statement in The Lord's Prayer, "kead us not into 
temptation." When the miracle did not happen, Jesus tried to tempt 
God (this being permissible in this circumstance) and precipitate it.

> and while Peter drew first blood, Jesus ended the matter and gave 
up. 

He was a pacifist. He resolved this seeming absurdity by assuming he 
would be installed king via miracle, without anyone getting hurt.