Unpacking Christian Doctrine

[Jhanananda]

A recent controversy in early Christian literature has emerged in the discovery of fake Dead Sea Scroll fragments

Last year, the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, said five of its most valuable artifacts — once thought to be part of the historic Dead Sea Scrolls — were fake.  Now the museum is facing a harder truth: All of its 16 expensive fragments are forgeries.

This weekend, at a conference in Washington scrambled by the coronavirus pandemic, experts released a 200-page report revealing how the forgeries fooled scholars and buyers on the antiquities market.

"After an exhaustive review of all the imaging and scientific analysis results, it is evident that none of the textual fragments in Museum of the Bible's Dead Sea Scroll collection are authentic," said the leader of the investigation, Colette Loll, the director of Art Fraud Insights, in a statement.

[rougeleader115]

Jesus! That is really crazy. So much like this keeps happening.

[Jhanananda]

Jesus! That is really crazy. So much like this keeps happening.

We just have to keep in mind that for most of its history religion is just a business, full of its own marketing hype.

[Jhanananda]

Genesis Apocryphon
When we combine the epic of Gilgamesh, a flood myth predating Judaism by thousands of years, into the Genesis Apocryphon feminist perspective on Genesis,  plus correct the deeply flawed translations advanced by church patriarchy, we continue to get an increasingly radically different version of the Judaeo-Christian religious mythology without the heavy-handed hegemonic misogynist manipulation.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_Apocryphon

[Jhanananda]

When we examine closely the Apostle known in the New Testament of western Christianity as Thomas we have to seriously question western Christian doctrine as it has been presented by the Western Churches.

Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle (Aramaic: 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, Biblical Hebrew: תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (Toma HaKadosh Thomas the Holy or Toma Shlikha Thomas the Messenger/Apostle in Hebrew-Aramaic), Classical Syriac: ܬܐܘܡܐ, Tʾōmā, meaning "twin"; Koinē Greek: Θωμᾶς),[a] also known as Didymus ("twin"), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he was told of it (as is related in the Gospel of John alone); he later confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing the wounds left over from the crucifixion.

Names and etymologies

The name Thomas (Koine Greek: Θωμᾶς) given for the apostle in the New Testament is derived from the Aramaic תְּאוֹמָא Tʾōmā[21][22] (Classical Syriac: ܬܐܘܿܡܵܐ/ܬ݁ܳܐܘܡܰܐ Tʾōmā/Tāʾwma), meaning "twin" and cognate to Hebrew תְּאוֹם tʾóm. The equivalent term for twin in Greek, which is also used in the New Testament, is Δίδυμος Didymos.

Other names

The Nag Hammadi copy of the Gospel of Thomas begins: "These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymus, Judas Thomas, recorded." Early Syrian traditions also relate the apostle's full name as Judas Thomas.[c] Some have seen in the Acts of Thomas (written in east Syria in the early 3rd century, or perhaps as early as the first half of the 2nd century) an identification of Thomas with the apostle Judas, Son of James, better known in English as Jude. However, the first sentence of the Acts follows the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles in distinguishing the apostle Thomas and the apostle Judas son of James. Others, such as James Tabor, identify him as Jude, brother of Jesus mentioned by Mark. In the Book of Thomas the Contender, part of the Nag Hammadi library, he is alleged to be a twin to Jesus: "Now, since it has been said that you are my twin and true companion, examine yourself…"[23]

Acts Of Thomas.
The early 3rd-century text called Acts of Thomas is one of the New Testament apocrypha. References to the work by Epiphanius of Salamis show that it was in circulation in the 4th century. The complete versions that survive are Syriac and Greek. There are many surviving fragments of the text. Scholars detect from the Greek that its original was written in Syriac, which places the Acts of Thomas in Edessa. The surviving Syriac manuscripts, however, have been edited to purge them of the most unorthodox overtly Encratite passages, so that the Greek versions reflect the earlier tradition.

I recently stumbled upon this article on Thomas in India.

In conclusion to get to whatever truth the Bible and gospels may contain one would have to realize it has been misinterpreted for centuries and all translations into English are deeply flawed. For instance: the personal name 'Thomas' was not a personal name at the time of Jesus. At that time Thomas meant "twin". The implications of this deeply flawed translation suggests there were not 12 apostles, and Jesus recognized Thomas as his clone; therefore,  'Thomas' was not doubting Thomas, but his spiritual twin. 

[Alexander]

Thomas the Apostle

Toma is Aramaic for twin
Maybe he had a twin
The plot thickens

[Jhanananda]

Thomas the Apostle

Toma is Aramaic for twin
Maybe he had a twin
The plot thickens

Correct, The Nag Hammadi copy of the Gospel of Thomas begins:

"These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymus, Judas Thomas, recorded." Early Syrian traditions also relate the apostle's full name as Judas Thomas.[c] Some have seen in the Acts of Thomas (written in east Syria in the early 3rd century, or perhaps as early as the first half of the 2nd century) an identification of Thomas with the apostle Judas, Son of James, better known in English as Jude. However, the first sentence of the Acts follows the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles in distinguishing the apostle Thomas and the apostle Judas son of James. Others, such as James Tabor, identify him as Jude, brother of Jesus mentioned by Mark. In the Book of Thomas the Contender, part of the Nag Hammadi library, he is alleged to be a twin to Jesus: "Now, since it has been said that you are my twin and true companion, examine yourself…"[23]

[Tad]

This is what the Yoga monastery from NM has about St Thomas. The same website that has the article about the Unknown Life of Jesus.


Before embarking on an outline of the various beliefs held by Saint Thomas Christians, it should be made clear that the teachings of Saint Thomas Christianity are not a set of imposed dogmas, but rather a way of spiritual life. Saint Thomas Christians emphasize spiritual practice and the experience and knowledge gained from such practice rather than the intellectual concepts of theology and dogma. Naturally there is a broad framework within which the Saint Thomas Christians pursue their spiritual life, but theological details are left up to the individual. Obviously a person who does not believe in God and in the spiritual legacy of Jesus (see The Christ of India) and the Apostle Thomas (see The Apostle of India) would not become or remain a Saint Thomas Christian. Yet there are certain concepts which, when rightly understood as metaphysical rules of the spiritual road, facilitate the individual’s seeking. They need not be blindly believed, but it helps to accept them provisionally–that is, with an open mind and the understanding that in time the seeker will come to know for himself their truth and relevance.

The Three Eternal Things
Saint Thomas Christians believe that there are three eternal things: the transcendental God beyond creation, the immanent God (Ishwara) and the individual spirits within him, and the eternally cycling creation. And these Three Eternals are the real Father, Son(s), and Holy Spirit.

God
God is the ever-existent Spirit, the Absolute Consciousness That encompasses all things but is encompassed by none. Therefore God is totally beyond the reach of the human intellect and utterly indefinable or intellectually comprehensible. We can easily say what God is not–for anything we might say will not express him; but we cannot say a single word about what he is.

In Vedic religion, Sanatana Dharma, God is referred to as Brahman, the Absolute Being that is transcendent and beyond any qualities or conditionings whatsoever. However, with the inconsistency that is a marked trait of Eastern thinking, the ancient seers have given us a definition that enables us to get as much of a grasp of God as is possible for our minds. God is said to be Sat-Chit-Ananda: Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss.

Sat
God does not exist in the sense that things in relativity exist. Rather, he is existence itself. Or, more to the point, God is the very ground, the basis, of existence, in and through which all things exist. He is the ocean and all else are the waves. “He shining, all things shine,” says the Veda, and: “His shadow is immortality.” God can equally fittingly be called Reality itself.

Chit
God is Pure Consciousness, the very Principle of Consciousness itself. He is therefore omniscient–not in the sense of just knowing all things in the present moment, but in the sense of knowing all things whatsoever–past, present, and future–simultaneously. This is because God is outside of time and all things are present to him; nothing is past and nothing is future. God is the Eternal Now. Since all things are known to him, we can say that God is Conscious, as well.

Ananda
“God is ever-new joy.” This was the definition of God given by the great Master, Paramhansa Yogananda. God is not joyful, he is joy itself. God, then, is ever-existent, infinitely-conscious bliss.

Link: https://ocoy.org/original-christianity/esoteric-christian-beliefs/

[Alexander]

I can’t keep track of all of them

Now you have me fascinated

St Thomas Christians (Christians of India)
Mongolian Christians (Nestorian?)
Ethiopian Christians (have their own version of the Bible)

[Tad]

I read a book on medieval history for relaxation and it talks a lot how Christianity split into all kinds of factions quite early after the teacher was gone. Kind of reminded me how buddhist split into a bunch of sects almost immediately after Buddha's death.

[Jhanananda]

I read a book on medieval history for relaxation and it talks a lot how Christianity split into all kinds of factions quite early after the teacher was gone. Kind of reminded me how buddhist split into a bunch of sects almost immediately after Buddha's death.

Yes, the more I study very early Christianity the more I realize there was a larger expression of Christianity before the first Nicaean council

The First Council of Nicaea (/naɪˈsiːə/ ny-SEE-ə; Ancient Greek: Σύνοδος τῆς Νῑκαίᾱς, romanized: Sýnodos tês Nīkaíās) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325.

This ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all Christendom. Hosius of Corduba may have presided over its deliberations.[4][5] Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the divine nature of God the Son and his relationship to God the Father,[2] the construction of the first part of the Nicene Creed, mandating uniform observance of the date of Easter,[6] and promulgation of early canon law.[3][7]

[Jhanananda]

I recently did some more writing on:

The Apostle known as Thomas

When we examine closely the Apostle known in the New Testament of western Christianity as 'Thomas' we have to seriously question western Christian doctrine as it has been presented by the Western Churches.

From Wikipedia

"The name Thomas(Koine Greek: Θωμᾶς) given for the apostle in the New Testament is derived from the Aramaic תְּאוֹמָא Tʾōmā[21][22] (Classical Syriac: ܬܐܘܿܡܵܐ/ܬ݁ܳܐܘܡܰܐ Tʾōmā/Tāʾwma), meaning "twin" and cognate to Hebrew תְּאוֹם tʾóm. The equivalent term for twin in Greek, which is also used in the New Testament, is Δίδυμος Didymos."

Since the name 'Thomas' was not a personal name at the time of Jesus but meant 'twin.' This means since the authors of the New Testament composed it in Greek then they knew 'Thomas' meant 'twin' and had no interest in making it into a personal name.

The implications of this deeply flawed translation suggests there may not have been 12 apostles, and Jesus clearly recognized Thomas as his clone; therefore,  'Thomas' was not doubting Thomas, but Jesus's spiritual twin.

Additionally in the Book of Thomas, part of the Nag Hammadi library, he is alleged to be a twin to Jesus, which means Jesus acknowledged the apostle "Thomas" as his chosen heir.

"Now, since it has been said that you are my twin and true companion, examine yourself…"[23]

The implication of this is when the apostle "Thomas" is dismissed as the doubter, and a recent translation of the Gospel of Thomas is titled "Thomas the Contender," and no published translation of the New Testament translates 'Thomas' as 'twin' then we can conclude the institutions of western Christianity have throughout their 1700 year history made every effort to deny "Thomas" was Jesus's chosen representative. And, western Christianity's focus upon Peter and Paul, instead of Thomas, represents a corruption of the life and teaching of Jesus.

In conclusion to get to whatever truth the Bible and gospels may contain one would have to realize it has been intentionally misinterpreted and mistranslated for centuries and all translations into English are deeply flawed.

[Michael Hawkins]

Thanks for this, Jeffrey.  Indeed, it wasn't until, about 15 years ago now, I purchased a library of biblical language tools that I really started to understand just how corrupted Christian doctrine is.  By focusing on Peter (first in the line of Popes) and Paul (agent of the Empire), the early Church chose the books of the Bible in a way that would completely remove Jesus' deep teachings on attainment - which are present in the Gospel of Thomas and many other apocryphal/repressed texts.  In this sense, orthodoxy really does amount to total control.

[Jhanananda]

I so much agree with you, Michael, the more I scrutinize the New Testament and post Nicaean church the more I realize just how much it was engineered to suppress mysticism in favor of blind faith in a deeply flawed version of the life and teachings of Jesus.