A new book by Barrie Wilson and Simcha Jacobovici, “based on an ancient manuscript claims Jesus Christ was not crucified. Instead, he married Mary Magdalene, and the couple had two children. Entitled ‘The Lost Gospel,’ the book is based off a translation of an Aramaic manuscript found inside the British Library.”
This story certainly belongs within the Unbelievers Compliment Christianity archives as such personages would never dare attempting to discredit any religion (actually relation as in a personal one with the Messiah Jesus) except for Christianity.
What was lost has been found! Again? Every few years someone discovers a new document or some such notion (receiving much media attention and approval) it is discredited (the discrediting is not given media attention) and a few years later the claim raises its discredited head yet again and again and again.
You may recognize the name Simcha Jacobovici from the claimed and discredited “Lost Tomb of Jesus” (see here for details). Well, he is back from the Lost Tomb of Jesus with the Lost Gospel.
Note a substandard double standard; when it comes to the Bible, why, we better have hundreds of thousands of manuscripts (which we do have; see here) but when it comes to anything that seems to challenge the Bible “an Aramaic manuscript” will do; “an” as in singular, as in one—and that is good enough because our pop-occulture is foaming at the mouth to discredit Christianity and only Christianity.
“Gathering dust in the British Library is a document that takes us into the missing years of Jesus’s life,” the book begins. “According to the document that we uncovered, sometime during this period he became engaged, got married, had sexual relations and produced children. Before anyone gets his/her theological back up, keep in mind that we are not attacking anyone’s theology. We are reporting on text.”
Got it? They are contradicting the historical record within and without the Bible which forms Christian theology but they are not attacking anyone’s theology. We are reporting on text. Well then, perhaps they can wrote a book entitled The Lost Surah about Muhammad’s suicide attempts because he thought he was being deceived by jinn aka djinn. After all, they would not be attacking anyone’s theology (and actually, this is a fact of Muhammad’s life).
“The Lost Gospel” is based off a translation of the Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias Rhetor, a text brought to the U.K. in 1847 after it was recovered from an Egyptian monastery, the Washington Post reports. Scholars have studied it but disregarded it. Wilson and Jacobovici studied the text for six years and say that it has “embedded meaning.” While the text does not use the name Jesus Christ, the character described as Joseph bears striking resemblances to Christ, the scholars say.
It is interesting that such personages are never labeled as wacky “conspiracy theorists” by the media. After all, forget what the one text states; it contains “embedded meaning.” Only revealed to, through and by Barrie Wilson and Simcha Jacobovici. Note another substandard double standard; when it comes to the Bible, why, we better have autographa (hand written text by the original authors) that were written while Jesus was speaking (early dated) but when it comes to anything that seems to challenge the Bible one text that was completed circa the end of the 5th century AD will do (the later the better when it comes to such works).
Note that Barrie Wilson and Simcha Jacobovici conclude that it is not their opinion but “According to the document” it turns out that (or so we are told centuries after the fact) Jesus “became engaged, got married, had sexual relations and produced children” but “the text does not use the name Jesus Christ, the character described as Joseph.” This is what is meant by “embedded meaning” as Joseph is not Joseph but is Jesus, Joseph’/Jesus’ wife is named Aseneth but is really Mary Magdalene and on it goes with the bait and switch.
So, here is how to can be referred to as scholars; find a long known, studied and discredited (discredited in terms of known to not contain facts) document, read it, claim that it does not mean what it states and does not state what it means and there you have it; the media at your feet, interviews, lectures, book deals, documentaries, etc.
To paraphrase Johnathan Well’s statements with regards to the flawed study claiming to find turkey DNA within a triceratops[1]; this is not scholarship. It is not even myth. It is comic relief! (although, it is not even funny). This is either the greatest scholarly hoax since the Jesus Seminar or else the utter bankruptcy of attempts to discredit Christianity.
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Sources:
Zoe Mintz, “‘Lost Gospel’ Book Claims Jesus Christ Married Mary Magdalene, Had Two Children,” International Business Times, November 10, 2014 AD
[1] Johnathan Wells, Icons of Evolution (Regnery Publishing, October 1, 2000 AD), p. 133
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