The
resurrection and the following ascension of Jesus Christ, is
fundamental for the Christians. He not only left them his teachings,
but also a miracle. In his brutal death and resurrection, Jesus
washed away our sins and opened the road to Heaven for his followers.
The crucified Messiah appeared 6 times, after his death. The first
one Jesus appeared to, was Maria Magdalen, whom he asked to inform
his disciples. Theologians comment, that this is highly unlikely. A
woman was held in low esteem (does that ever change) and a testimony
in court, made by a woman, was not valid. Maybe they met, because
they loved each other and knew that their days together were counted?
But
was Jesus dead, when he was taken of the cross? Was he drugged or had
he the power of a yogi? They are capable of performing seemingly
impossible deeds: to die (stop all body functions), stay “dead”
for days, before they awake out of what they call a “trance-state”.
Drugs derived from plants can have the same effect. Some say, that
Jesus stayed in India and Nepal, during the lost years. If so, was he
influenced by Buddhist teachings? He would surely have seen and met
yogi's and saddhu's (wandering holy men). He even might have visited
yoga lessons!
In
the Gospels Jesus appeared and presented himself after his death a
total of 6 times, before he disappears into Heaven on the Mount of
Olives.
It
certainly were decisive days. The apostles got inspired after the
desillusion of Jesus' death and often found a violent death. Peter
was crucified (up-side down) f.i. and the Romans threw his followers
to the lions. Still the miracle of the resurrection and ascension
became a central dogma after the Counsil of Nicea. The official
doctrines were formulated and the content of the Bible was decided.
Now the Christian church started persecuting and even killing
dissidents, while alternative texts were left out and disappeared.
Jesus proved to be the son of God, by ascending into Heaven, to await
his return at the End of Time.
Is
there more evidence, except the stories from the Bible. Little is
said about Jesus in other, Jewish, sources.
The
Catholic Church had, from the start, an insatiable appetite for
relics. These varied from tiny bones of Saints to parts of the
Cross, on which Jesus was crucified. Artifacts, that had touched
Jesus during his life and especially during his suffering, had immens
spiritual powers. Pilgrims came from all around and this garanteed
hugh profits for clergy and church. Many of these artifacts are still
worshipped and are an accepted “factum” in religious practices.
Emperor Constantine's wife went treasure hunting in Jerusalem and dug
up the real Cross, complete. This gave an enormous boost to the new
state-religion Christianity. The real cross disappeared during the
fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine empire. The “Aya Sophia”
was turned into a mosque.
Another
important artifact was “The Spear of Destiny”, als called the
“Spear of Longistus”. With this spear, the Roman soldier
Longistus pierced Jesus' side,to make sure he was dead.
There
are four of them. One in the Vatican, one in Spain, one in Armenia
and the most famous one is in Vienna. It was one of the first things,
Adolf Hitler laid his hands on, when he annexed Austria. It would
make him win the war. In Israel an ossuary (stone box, with the bones
of the diseased), was found. An inscription said: Jesus, brother of
James, son of Josef. If this box was authentic, it could mean that
Jesus was a historical figure and the Bible correct. It also meant,
that Jesus had not risen from the death. The box was authentic, but
the inscription was a forgery.
There
is one more important Roman Catholic relic, that is linked to the
death of Jesus: the Shroud of Turin.
The
shroud appeared during the Middle Ages, but some trace it back to
Constantinople and/or Spain and was always acknowledged to be a Holy
Relic. It became “hot”, when it was photographed for the first
time. The negative show an image of Jesus. This piece of linnen had
covered his dead body. The imprint of his body, his face, his bloody
scars and his pierced hand and feet, could clearly been seen. How
this image appeared on the cloth, remained a mystery. If it was a
forgery, how could this been done? Was it produced by Leonardo da
Vinci? New photographic research has produced perfect 3-dimensional
images. The resemblance to the biblical tale is striking. The
headwounds, the effect of the whip on his back and he looks like
Jesus! His face is the face we know from churches, cathedrals, art
and bibles.
There
is only one problem. Pieces of the cloth have been carbon dated by
several scientists. The outcome? The piece of cloth dated back to
the first half of the 11th century! You can understand,
that these data are disputed as is the method of carbon dating.
The
Russian mathematician Anatoli Fomenko could see this as a support for
his theory, that our history is a fraud and a Medieval construct. In
his “New Chronology” he concludes that Jesus lived and died on
the cross in that period. If true, it explains the unity between the
face on the Shroud and the face of Jesus, appearing everywhere in
Europe. European (Byzantine) Artists may have seen him “at work”.
Foto: ANP
