Wearing the usual clothes of his office: a black cassock with scarlet piping and buttons, a scarlet fascia, or sash—worn a bit above the waist, a pectoral cross—suspended from the neck by a chain, and a scarlet zucchetto—covering his head, Cardinal Fodano led the way. Cardinal Friedrich followed closely behind him, as they paced the floor of the Vatican passageway, a narrow hall lit by a great many sconces affixed on either side, and leading their path to the Papal office.
The seal of the Vatican had been sculpted above the huge wooden door. Four knocks was the signal, and Cardinal Fodano opened the door, followed by Cardinal Friedrich. It has been the tradition in the Catholic Church to raise some Bishops and Archbishops to the College of Cardinals. Because of their particular commitment and sanctity, Cardinals are often called to assist the Holy Father in the administration of the Church, as part of the Roman Curia itself. In fact, they are the ones who elect a new Pontiff when the See of Peter is vacant.
“Come in, brothers of the faith,” said the Pope in a warm tone. “Be seated, please.”
“We have been wondering about your urgent appeal on the day of the Sun, your day of rest, Holiness,” Cardinal Fodano, who occupied the position of Emeritus Secretary of State of the Vatican City, uttered in a low voice, “Are you not feeling well?”
“I’m not well at all,” the Pope answered, “It’s not my body that aches, but my mind and spirit. Everything is wrong.”
“What is it that troubles you, Holiness?” Cardinal Friedrich, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, hastened to ask, preoccupied for his welfare. “What’s wrong, that we may assist you? Is it the governance of the Vatican? Is it the Doctrine?”
“I feel that our teachings have so far been correct in terms of the faith in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary,” the Pope assured his Cardinals with kindness. “There is nothing wrong in that, and yet, I feel the time has come for us to speak the words of truth, for their time has come, at last. The truth concerning Jesus, his life, his origins, his true identity,” he sighed, “We simply can’t conceal it any longer.”
“What do you mean to do, Holiness?” Cardinal Friedrich inquired with fixed eyes. “The Pope has been named the Roman Pontiff, and considered the successor of Peter for ages. We can’t simply change that, all of a sudden,” he said calmly, “Can you imagine the consequences of such a motion?”
“I’m afraid the consequences would be great, Holiness,” Cardinal Fodano recommended seriously. “We have to continue abiding by the Law, as Peter instructed. We simply cannot separate the Church, and ourselves, from the Old Testament.” He looked at his hands, resting on his lap, considering, and then raised his head and spoke once more, “at least, not for now. We would have to take some preliminary steps. First, we must prepare the large community of the faithful. I believe this will take a very long time, before it can bear fruit on the Christian mind, accustomed as it is to the continuation of the Law.”
The Pope remained silent for a couple of minutes, thinking about what his Cardinals advised. But then he stood up, walked towards a closet, opened it, and retrieved a purple cape, which he draped over his shoulders, looking at a clean mirror on the wall. He turned and faced his Cardinals, seated, watching him and wondering where this would lead.
“Fear not,” the Pope said suddenly, epitomizing Jesus with his white tunic and purple robe. “The hour has come for the manifestation of the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free,” he pronounced, as he sat on his chair once more.
“Amen!” Both Cardinals replied as one, for, in fact, those were the words of Jesus.
“Listen carefully,” the Pope alerted them. “We simply cannot neglect the geographical existence of the Galilean Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Yes, we cannot ignore Galilee and the importance of its many evangelical indications in the New Testament. We cannot overlook Cana in Lebanon where Jesus performed his first miracle. We cannot turn our backs on the name of the God ‘El’ that Jesus always referred to as the Father. We just can’t disregard many other things of great magnitude that show us clearly who the Historical Jesus was. I can’t do that anymore,” he explained, taking a deep breath.
“Even on the theological level, we can’t defy what has been written in John 8:19-47, “Jesus told them, ‘You know neither me, nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father… Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me. Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my words. You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and its father. But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God,’” the Pope quoted directly from the New Testament on his desk then commented, “Two different ministries. I don’t see how they could fit together. This is a straightforward testimony that the Father of Jesus is not the Jewish God.”
A moment of reflection ensued…
“Of course,” the Pope added, “Jesus knew the Devil was not an entity, but the Tempter. His words, from that perspective, are not to be taken literally. The Devil is an errant force of nature, working from the second dimension, the base level of consciousness, which is formed by a chain of malicious wills that create evil actions, like murders. Blind powers coerce this lowest level, set in movement by error and sin.” The Pope paused, “Jesus told them the truth, but they did not believe him. Therefore, had they been impelled by God, they definitely would have heard the words of God. Yet, they did not, for they were guided, not by God, but by these blind forces. He often said to them, ‘Woe unto you, ye blind guides…’”
“In addition to what has been said, we certainly can’t remove St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, Heb 6:20 and 7:11, 15-17, from the New Testament. Can we? I think not. Here, St. Paul spoke about the clear declaration of Jesus on the House of Prayer, and described the Christ, not as a priest after the Law of carnal commandment of Aaron, but rather, as a High Priest of God after the power of an endless life. ‘Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melki-Sedek, a one spiritual priesthood,’ says Paul.”
The Pope took a sip from a glass of water in front of him, and continued, “How can we close our eyes to the most ancient canon we have of the New Testament, written by a renowned Christian by the name of Marcion?” he asked his Cardinals, and added, “his canon first included the Gospel of Luke and ten of the Epistles of St. Paul. We all know that he was a great follower of Paul and remained faithful to him. Marcion came to Rome around 140 AD with one goal, to rescue Christianity from Judaism, as did Paul before him.”
“But, your Holiness,” rushed Cardinal Fodano, “You know how they’ve often accused St. Paul of anti-semitism. We can’t open that door now.”
“And we can’t keep it shut for ever, Brother,” the Pope hastened to respond. “No one can accuse the Truth of anything. The world has had enough of propagandistic terminologies; I have too. Rescuing Christianity is what we should have done a long time ago.”
The bells rang outside the Papal Office.
That was a good sign…
“Marcion was a Christian, who never believed in the authentic and divine origin of the Old Testament. To him, Jesus was not the son of David, nor was he the Messiah of the Jews, and not even a King, but a Divine Being, sent to reveal to man a whole new spiritual religion,” the Pope explained. “He clarified that Jesus called God—or the Father of goodness and grace—a Loving and Merciful God, whereas the Jewish God, as shown in the Hebrew Bible, is very different. The Hebrew God is, then, distinct from the Father who sent Jesus to reveal the divine truth, preach the glad tidings, and bring reconciliation and
salvation to all men. The Hebrew God is unjust, unmerciful, angry, jealous, and a God of war,” he took a moment to gather his thoughts, and then declared; “No one can ignore the differences. Can you, Brothers?”
Both Cardinals remained silent for a few moments, before Cardinal Friedrich finally decided to speak, “Surely, Marcion must have read The Song of Moses in the Old Testament, The Voice of the Jealous Yahweh, Deuteronomy 32:24-25, ‘They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.’”
The Pope did not comment on that song, for he tried, in the silence of his mind, to measure the unmerciful words spoken there. He must have done that many times before with no comprehension at all. “God is Love,” he muttered under his breath.
“I must add my voice to your voices, Holiness... Brother,” Cardinal Fodano revealed his deepest secrets, concealed somewhere in the depths of his mind and spirit, “No, I cannot ignore that, either. Marcion came to the conclusion that it was impossible that Yahweh could be the God of Jesus, hence Jesus Christ came to abrogate the Jewish Lord, who was opposed to his God and Father, as matter is to spirit, impurity to purity.”
“True,” said the Pope, “Unfortunately, Tertullian of Carthage, one of the early fathers of the Church, viewed Marcion as the most dangerous heretic of the day. He considered his canon and views as Apocrypha, a term incorrectly interpreted as doubtful and false. However, Apocrypha means what is hidden and secret…” he sipped at his glass of water again, tried to look through the window then added, “Quite understandably so, there were strong voices within Christianity standing against the notion that our Lord Jesus was a Jew, ever since the beginnings of the Christian Church. We must listen to them. We should have done so, a long time ago.” He looked at his Cardinals, and smiled, “These voices, led by Paul, considered Christianity a prologue of a new spiritual system, applicable to all, replacing the Mosaic privilege of the Law with a Universal dispensation of Grace. Indeed, these voices have cried, and are still shouting peacefully, but today, voices will rise stronger than ever against those led by Peter—who considered Christianity just a simple continuation of the purported Law, enclosing it into an Israelite institution, or better said: a narrow sect of Judaism.”
Both Cardinals nodded in agreement then the Pope carried on, “Frederic Amsler, a Christian Historian and Teacher, has beautifully explained in his book, L’évangile Inconnu, La Source des Paroles de Jesus, that Jesus never mentioned or cited anything from the Hebraic Bible in his ministries, but rather, was inspired by other sources,” he paused, recalling pages from the book. He then stared his Cardinals, and added, “The text is better known as the Source Quelle, and the book was published in September 2001. It states that the few allusions he made, Jesus that is, allow us to doubt any direct connection with the Jewish Teachings.” The Pope smiled, and said, “The Source Quelle, the Q Document, is still considered the earliest text on Jesus. It was a document, carried by a group already established in Galilee that was always in conflict with Jerusalem. This group is none other than the Nazarenes.”
“At any rate,” the Pope added, “It became transparent that Christianity is an evolved system of the Phoenician-Egyptian Monotheistic theology of Enoch-Taautus-Hermes,” he stopped, looking beyond his Cardinals in thought, and then continued, “in fact, some of the learned early Fathers of the Church spoke of prisca theologia, meaning Primordial Theology. It consisted of a combination of manuscripts that proved the reality of this wisdom. These Manuscripts of fifteen discourses, known as Corpus Hermeticum, were attributed to Hermes the three times great, the Trismegistos, the first teacher, the divine messenger, the Initiate. He was the Phoenician-Egyptian Priest par excellence. The Melki-Sedek of St. Paul—meaning my King is righteous—was his first title,” he concluded.
Cardinal Friedrich, amazed by this conclusion, which he had reached on his own a long time ago, during his studies, smiled, and said, “The knowledge in these manuscripts influenced those early fathers of the Church through the philosophy of Plato, who took it from Pythagoras—the first true philosopher—and through the writings of Plotinus—the neo-Pythagorean. Hence, the other sources that might have inspired Jesus allow us to believe that Christianity is a familiar form of the Pythagorean philosophy, and a simplified form of the mystical way of Buddha, brought by Buddhist missionaries who came to the Land in the 3rd century BC.”
With great eagerness showing on his face, Cardinal Fodano cleared his throat, and elaborated, “Accordingly, Jesus did not cite the Hebraic Bible, but took his inspiration from other sources; these were the other sources that the Q Documents had intended to disclose. The Galilean-Nazarenes, the group who was in conflict with the Jews in Jerusalem, had carried this Primordial Theology. Why shouldn’t we?” he looked at the Pope. “I agree. We should add our voices to the Pauline group. Christianity is a Cosmic Religion, and should be restored into its rightful context. Keeping the word protected from robbery, destruction, and lies remains the primary goal of the Church, now and forever,” he took a moment to add, “Let us remember the words in John 10:10-11, ‘The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd.’”
“The good shepherd is calling,” said the Pope. “‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,’ said Jesus,” he added with a smile. “Let us then spread the word to all the Cardinals, that they may do the same slowly, calmly, and peacefully in their dioceses, and that the Priests will follow suit in their Parishes, leading the faithful in Christ to do the same in their homes, schools, and communities… everywhere.”
Outside the Vatican City walls, despite the sunny day, the tedious weather turned to liveliness. There came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, blowing in all directions, powerfully shaking everything along its path. The trees swayed back and forth wildly. Then, the sound seeped inside like the enchanting melody of an Angel, and filled the Pope’s office, where they were assembled. Tongues of fire appeared over their heads, filling them with the Holy Spirit, and giving them the ability to speak with the languages of Earth.
Then the Pope said, “It reminds me of John 3:5-8. The Church must be born anew, for the wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
And then he smiled.
.33.
Jesus Christ was not a Jew
Wednesday, November 10, 05:03 PM
The three days that followed their meeting on Sunday, compelled Paul to think more about the book the Keepers of the Word had been writing for ages, The True Identity and the Hidden Secrets of the Holy Grail—the Royal Blood of Jesus Christ. The Grail is the word… it is the Royal Blood of Jesus Christ, Paul thought.
Dr. Najem looked at the four Keepers, seated all-around him, holding their breath in anticipation. He looked intently at Paul then at Nabil, before addressing Paul in a grave tone, heavy with admonition, “And you, brother, unless you win over your evil side in the next battle with Satan in the vision of Tsaddi, this errant force of nature will continue guiding you. You are now blind, but fortunately, you are opening your eyes, bit by bit. The road is hard and the battle is near.”
His definition of the Devil as an errant force of nature and his warning were convincing and quite logical. I must be ready for the next meeting with the Devil in me, Paul thought, as he shifted on his seat twice, suddenly uneasy at the fact that Dr. Najem had mentioned it without preamble.
“Again,” he said, “in John 11:6-8, we read, ‘When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. Then after this, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.” The disciples told him: Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone
you, and are you going there again?’”
“This is more evidence, right?” he questioned rhetorically, and answered, “Well, yes, Jesus decided to leave Galilee to Judea, but his Galilean disciples objected, and advised him against it because the Jews of Judea might harm him, or even seek to kill him. Had there been Jews in Galilee, they would have represented the same danger, a fact not raised since there were none!” he explained.
“You’re right!” Nabil exclaimed with excitement in his voice.
“There is more to this,” Dr. Bechara avowed, “It is written in Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, and John 2:13-17 that when Jesus entered the Temple of God he threw out all the traders of oxen, sheep, and doves, and overthrew the counters of the money changers and the seats of the sellers of doves. He said to them, ‘It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of robbers!’”
“The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them,” Dr. Bechara continued, “but when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders he had performed, and heard the children proclaiming inside the Temple: Hosanna to the son of David, they were extremely discontented and reprimanded him, saying: do you hear what these are saying?” he paused for a moment.
“Well, I guess we know why they were offended. Jesus was not from the bloodline of the Jewish King David,” Nabil advanced, confirming the theory. “But I truly wonder what Temple Jesus was talking about?” he then asked.
“Certainly not the Temple of Solomon!” professor Michel interfered, arguing with fervor, “Jesus was referring to the Temple of Shalim, built by Melki-Sedek—the Phoenician High Priest of ‘El’. Actually, Jerusalem is a derivation from the word Ur-Shalim, the city of Shalim—the son of ‘El’. As a matter of fact, Shalim was the god of dusk for the Phoenicians. As for ‘El’, or ‘Al-Elyon’, ‘Eloi’, or the High Al, he represented the very First Light of Creation, and the sun is but its reflection. The High Priest, Melki-Sedek, built the Temple in the city of Jebus, founded earlier by the Canaanite-Phoenician Jebusite tribe. He later called it: the Place of Shalim or Ur-Shalim, which is Jerusalem.”
The Phoenician Code Page 28
