“However, the Temple that the Jews—and later, after them, the Templars and the Scottish Freemasons—took for their headquarters was transformed into a bank. It is, still now,” he added, as an afterthought. “Jesus strongly rejected that. He talked about a house of prayer, not a den of robbers. In Luke 16:13, he said, ‘No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon,’” the Professor read, quoting from the New Testament, and then continued, “It became evident in his letter to the Hebrews, Heb 6:20 and 7:11, 15-17, St. Paul described Christ, not as a priest after the law of carnal commandment of Aaron, but 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.”
“In fact,” Dr. Najem came forward with keenness, “In Acts 24:5, at the time when Paul was being judged, we read, ‘For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.’”
Paul gasped inwardly at the new information, concerning the origin of St. Paul. He was a Nazarene too! he thought.
“Jesus used to retreat to his homeland after preaching in Jerusalem, as mentioned in both, Luke 6:17 and Matthew 15:21-31, ‘Jesus went out from there (Jerusalem), and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon,” he said. “Another important issue appears in Matthew 10:5-6, when we read, ‘Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans. Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,’” he halted for a breath, and then explained, “These words reveal two important issues. First, it shows that the Land where Jesus and his disciples ministered was divided into three areas. There was the land of the Gentiles, known as Galilee of the Nations, the other was Samaria where the Samaritans lived, and the third was, as called here, the house of Israel, known as Judea where the Jews lived.” Dr. Najem looked around him. “Second, it shows that the people of Galilee and Samaria did not need preaching, for the Galileans believed Jesus the Galilean to be the Christos they expected. It appeared also that the Samaritans believed in his words and the words of his disciples and had received their baptism, as mentioned in Acts 8. Even Simon Magus, the Gnostic, was baptized by Philip in Acts 8:13; whereas the people living in Judea did not believe in him, thus needing preaching,” he concluded.
“It is very clear,” Paul confirmed immediately. “This verse states, without a doubt, that the people of Galilee of the Gentiles knew him very well, and admired his wisdom. They heard him talking in the open air and by the rivers. In fact, he was not an ordinary man, but a man with a mission—a Nazarene.”
“True! But what does the word Nazarene mean, exactly?” Nabil rushed to ask Dr. Bechara with a glimpse in Paul’s direction, as if wanting to guess from Paul’s expression his knowledge on that particular matter.
“Nazarene is a term that comes from the Phoenician word Nazir or Nazar. It is given to someone who leaves everything behind and consecrates his life by taking a solemn vow to God,” Dr. Bechara explained, puffing his cigar.
“That explains the life Jesus adopted very well,” Paul interfered.
A moment of silence passed, which the Professor broke at last, “There is a supportive reference to Frederic Amsler—a Christian Historian and Teacher—in the New Testament, for we read in Matthew, 23:13-15, ‘But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides…’”
“Woe… Wow!” Paul expressed aloud at the immensity of that statement.
“For the historical record, a proselyte means any convert to any other religion; however, it is always used for a Gentile converted to the Jewish faith,” Professor Michel clarified and glanced at Nabil, to make sure he was following.
“I understand perfectly,” this one answered with a grin. “This is another piece of evidence that shows Jesus was not a Jew, and that he was always in conflict with the Jewish faith.”
“Right!” Dr. Najem uttered, encouragingly. “Furthermore, in John 2:1-3, we read, ‘And the third day, there was a marriage in Kana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was also invited with his disciples to the marriage. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him that they had no wine.’”
Again, Paul examined the maps showing the village of Kana in Galilee. It had indeed been part of the city of Sur (Tyre) back then. Somehow, he recalled a few works penned by Historians on that matter. The Lebanese Historian, Dr. Youssef Hourani, had written about the city of Kana being in Lebanon, so had Padre Joseph in his book, Kana of Galilee in Lebanon, released in Arabic in 1994.
Furthermore, Martiniano Pellegrino Roncaglia—the Italian Professor, Historian, and writer—had succeeded in proving that theory in his two explanatory books: Cana, released in 1995, and In the Footsteps of Jesus, the Messiah in Phoenicia-Lebanon, released in the year 2004. Both books confirmed that Jesus had performed his first miracle of turning the water into wine, there, in Kana and not in Kafar Kanna, which was a different, tiny place on the road to Nazareth. A verity proved today by many Historians and Archaeologists. The greatest deeds appeared to have occurred in Phoenicia-Galilee.
In addition, Mr. George Nasr, the Lebanese researcher, scriptwriter, and director had shown in his documentary, If Lebanon told its story, produced in 1997 that with the advent of Jesus Christ, Christianity had promptly taken root in the city of Melkart in Tyre, and that the first Church ever to exist was built there as early as 54 AD! A mere 12 kilometers southeast of Tyre, the famous wedding of Kana remains still engraved in a rock, picturing people, disciples, the bride, and the faces of Jesus and John the Baptist! It was at that particular wedding that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had asked him for the miracle of wine. Not far from there, beyond the ancient boundaries of the city of Saydoun, in a small village called Makdoushi, people can still see the ancient grotto of ‘Sayadet al-Mantara’ or ‘Our Lady of Mantara’, translated into English as ‘Our Lady of the Awaiting’, standing on a hill above the sea. It was in that place where Mary used to wait for her son to return from his travels, Tradition says. The grotto had lately been converted into a small church, dedicated to the Virgin Holy Mother.
Based on these and many other proofs, Paul would no longer doubt that Jesus Christ had performed many of his first miracles in Galilee. It was there, as well, on the peak of Mt. Hermon, known as, Jabal al-sheikh, and called ‘the Mountain of the Meetings’ by Enoch, that Jesus had professed his divinity through transfiguration. It was there too, where Peter had recognized Jesus as the son of God, and as a result of this, Jesus had entrusted him with the keys to his Church, as cited in Matthew 17!
Unquestionably then, the Phoenicians of Tyre and Sidon had constituted the first group of believers in Jesus Christ, whom they had previously worshiped through ‘Al’ and his son Adonis. Jesus had expressed happiness in retreating to the place where he had first felt ‘accepted’.
“Let’s clarify a major point,” suddenly suggested Dr. Najem, breaking into Paul’s thoughts, “at the time of Jesus, the geographical area of Galilee and Mt. Carmel was part of Phoenicia, thus, its territorial boundaries belonged to the city of Tyre. This area had remained a Phoenician-Lebanese territory until the end of the Ottoman era. However, in 1920 AD it became part of Palestine, and later, in 1948, of Israel.”
Why? Politics of course! And politics are business, Paul thought in irony.
“In addition,” Dr. Najem continued, “the Phoenicians had long erected a Temple to ‘Al’ and Adonis on Mt. Carmel, hence the name Carmel, Carm-El, the Generous Vine of El. Parallel to that, t
he grotto of Bet-Lahem or Bethlehem, located on the Northeastern base of Mt. Carmel, meant in Phoenician language: the House of Bread. Adonis, that young and beautiful god of Gebel who incarnated the cycle of nature and represented the spring—the resurrection of every atom in the kingdom of life—was also worshipped in Bethlehem.” Pausing for a second he then added, “Sir James Frazer, in his book, the Golden Bough, originally published in 1922, wrote that Adonis represented the spirit of the corn and that he might well have dwelt and later worshiped in this Bethlehem.”
“Anyway,” he added, “at Mt. Carmel and in Galilee, the Asayas, Ashayas or healers lived among the Phoenicians and some other groups inhabiting the area. They believed in the God ‘El’, and wore Medallions inscribed with the name ‘Al’, as if embodying the fact that they were Phoenicians, at least in faith. In the Guide de Mt. Carmel, published in Jerusalem in 1946, we read that the first Church rose near the grotto of Mt. Carmel in devotion to Mary—still living among them. Some say the grotto was changed into a chapel. Others say it was probably built from the stones of a Temple dedicated to Ashirai (Asherah)—the Mother-Goddess of the Phoenicians. Ashirai was the Virgin Lady Anat herself—the Queen of Heaven.” Dr. Najem closed his eyes for a moment as if in adoration, and resumed his account, “It is also said that Phoenician and Asayan hermits became Christians after being properly prepared, ever since the day of the Whitsuntide. Hence, Mt. Carmel—cradle of the monastic life—became a place for the veneration of the Virgin Mary and a sanctuary of the spiritual contemplative life that characterized the Carmelite Order,” he concluded.
“Surely,” Dr. Bechara took over where Dr. Najem had left off, “The Asayas were very different from the Qumran Community, who appeared by the Dead Sea as a closed religious community that strongly rejected the mainstream Jewish Law of the time. They were Orthodox Jews who refused to live in Jewish territory, taking the caves by the Dead Sea as their homes,” here he paused, and reached for his glass of water—taking a sip, and then continued in the same even tone of voice, “Jesus was not a member of the Qumran Community, as some have claimed. He was an adept of the Asayan society—a healer. After his baptism by John, Jesus became a Nazarene, an adept of the ascetic branch of the Asayas that counted very, very few members. Among them were: John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, and Jesus. Both Mary Magdalene and John knew at once that Jesus was the Christos, and they followed him faithfully ever since.” He took the last puff at his cigar, and delved into his mind.
“The law within the Qumran community was very strict towards women, whom they considered impure.” He continued, “History shows that they formed a male group, choosing and encouraging celibacy in order to engage in ritual purity, and consecrate their life to spiritual awareness. They deemed women selfish creatures, hypocrites, and unreliable. They never trusted nor respected them, as if they’d feared their genus! They were hesitant and careful about marriage, due to the danger of infidelity,” he halted for a moment then added, “The Asayas, on the other hand, respected women greatly. Jesus had many female disciples and followers like Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene—the most famous among them.”
Paul browsed the map again. Here it is, Magdala… it is in Galilee.
The clock on the wall marked 06:43 PM. Time had passed precipitously, much too quickly for them to notice its ticking.
“Until our next meeting later tonight,” Dr. Najem offered in farewell, after looking at the clock. He left the room that evening with a wide grin on his face.
“Until later,” Paul muttered under his breath.
.34.
The Royal Blood of Jesus Christ
Wednesday, November 10, 10:07 PM
Referring to Mt. Carmel with its Phoenician name—the Generous Vine of El—and to Bethlehem as Bet(h)-Lahem—meaning the House of Bread—made Paul think about the most important Phoenician religious ritual of all time; that of the Bread and Wine, performed by Melki-Sedek, and later by Jesus.
Time had come for the Keepers to assemble for yet another meeting on the same day, after dinner. Paul had one thing lingering in his mind since that afternoon: Mary Magdalene—the most renowned female disciple and follower of Jesus—from Magdala in Galilee. “Who was Mary Magdalene?” he muttered under his breath, wondering.
“Mary Magdalene played an important role in the life of Jesus,” Dr. Najem began, as if he had heard what Paul had mumbled under his breath. “She was the witness to the Crucifixion, to Jesus’ burial, and to his victorious Resurrection. She faithfully accompanied him as his disciple, his Initiate. Mary Magdalene was wrongly, and mistakenly, described as a woman of sin in the New Testament—or a prostitute—as some have suggested. In fact, the intimate relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene surged from a decent religious and spiritual background, and, as such, it remained all the time during Jesus’ ministries,” he paused, sighing, “Only the vulgar and the ignorant would frame that relationship within a sexual context. How cheap and narrow-sighted they can be!”
“In truth,” he continued, “This particular issue comes from the Gospel of Philip 63:33-36, a text composed late in the third century AD mentioning a kiss; not a warm kiss on the mouth, but the one of an Initiation rite, on the forehead or the cheek,” he explained, and then added, “At any rate, a kiss on the mouth, if ever true in the text, would not at all imply a sexual relationship. The Initiation rite is clear in the fact that blowing a divine breath into her mouth would open the way for her—the way for a new life. Jesus said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ This verse purely shows a transmission of the spiritual teachings. So, from mouth to mouth Jesus would have given Mary a spiritual kiss, Initiating her into the great secret of the ineffable name—the word.” He halted for a sip of tea.
“The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Coptic version from around the 2nd century AD, clearly reveals a spiritual discourse between Jesus Christ and his female disciple, Mary Magdalene. It confirms a highly mystical teaching that made his male disciples wonder if such wisdom was really taught by Christ to a female. However, from mouth to ear Jesus Initiated them into the Mysteries of the Father—the word. Similar Initiation practices occurred in both the Hermetic and the Pythagorean systems,” he elucidated then added, “That Jesus was or ever lived as a member of the Qumran Community should not be a question anymore, since Jesus was not at all Jewish. He simply lived as a true Galilean, an Asaya, a Nazarene,” he said at last.
A moment of silence went by before the Professor broke in, saying, “Let’s now talk about the hour of the last supper,” he proposed. “Judas Iscariot, whom Jesus called the devil, would soon betray him and deliver him to the Jews, as written in John 6:70-71 and John 13:26-27.”
“True! In John 18:19,” Dr. Najem conferred, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered. Now, Judas—who betrayed him—also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Judas, having taken a detachment of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing all the things that were happening to him, went forth and said to them, ‘Who are you looking for?’ They answered him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am he.’ Judas, who betrayed him, was also standing with them. Therefore, when he said to them, ‘I am he,’ they stumbled back, and fell to the ground.”
“Wait! Hold on a bit on that thought,” Paul interrupted quickly, looking at the Keepers around him. “Here is another evidence. Judas was an agent of the Temple, and he knew Jesus very well, whereas the soldiers and the chief priests of the Temple did not know him at all because he was not one of them, not a Jew! In fact, why should they need Judas to identify Jesus with a kiss, if they knew him as one of them?” he wondered aloud.
“True!” Nabil exclaimed in approval. “Why hadn’t they caught him in the Temple, then?”
&nb
sp; “It is mentioned in the New Testament that they could not, for he always managed to elude them,” Professor Michel answered evenly.
“Indeed, they were searching for Jesus the Nazarene of Galilee, a man they did not know well, and rarely saw in the Temple,” Nabil murmured as if to himself.
“Exactly!” Professor Michel replied in confirmation to his theory. “So, without a doubt, Jesus never entered or taught at the Temple. In Breaking the Da Vinci Code, published in 2004, Ph.D. Darrell L. Bock wrote that Jesus was not a Rabbi. He didn’t even act like one. For the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus didn’t hold an official role within Judaism!”
“Certainly, there is nothing Jewish in Jesus,” Dr. Bechara asserted firmly, holding his cigar between his fingers. “In fact, he appeared only a few times outside court or inside the atrium of the Temple when he descended to them from Galilee, down Mt. Olive. It was then that he spoke out to shake their beliefs, which actually was the main reason why they wanted to capture him. Yet, he always managed to evade them. Evidently, the soldiers and the chief priests of the Temple sent their spies into Galilee because they simply did not know him. Judas stood for their eyes—the eyes of the big brother!” he uttered, as he stood up, and walked calmly towards the window to look outside.
A moment of reflection rendered them all silent.
Dr. Bechara cleared his throat, turned his head towards the Keepers, and commented in a clear voice, “The kiss of betrayal of Judas delivered him to the Jews and then to the Romans. Before Pilate, in John 18:33-37, Jesus was asked ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Do you say this by yourself, or did others tell you about me?’ To which Pilate answered, ‘I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done?’ Jesus then answered, ‘My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I would not be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.’” After he finished reading the quote, he added, “If truth be told, Jesus refused to be called King of the Jews, for he was not. He plainly declared that his Kingdom was not from this world. He also added something very important, proclaiming that if his Kingdom were of this world, then his servants would fight, that he would not be delivered to the Jews. Well, notice this, he did not say, that I would not be delivered to my own nation.”
The Phoenician Code Page 29
