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Title: The Messianic Legacy by Michael Baigent ISBN: 0-440-20319-8 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 May, 1989 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.39 (28 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: False Christianity
Comment: I began reading this book out of curiousity but quit about halfway through. The absolutely bogus research that went in to this book was more than I could stomach.
The back cover hype, ie "...rocked the foundations of Christianity" and "...earth shaking consequences" should've been a clue that this would be the same tired old Christian-bashing nonsense which has so much appeal for new-agers and atheists who refuse to accept Chrisianity for what it is.
Here are only a few examples from the book:
Paul started a new pagan cult with Jesus as God. Please show me in the New Testament where Paul proclaimed Jesus was God!
(p.96) Most Biblical scholars concur that the churches that developed in Syria, Asia Minor, and Egypt were not diluted by Pauline thought as in Rome.
Fact: The Syrian Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East, and Coptic Egyptian churches, although not influenced by Rome, are very orthodox in their beliefs, use and revere the very same Bible but only in their native language, ie Coptic, Arabic, or Assyrian/Aramaic, revere the Apostle Paul and read his epistles in their liturgies. Have these "Biblical scholars" ever researched these churches or sat in on one of their liturgies? Do they even exist?
(p.103) Simeon bar Kochba was angry with Jewish Christians for foresaking their Zealot roots and becoming pro Roman pacifistic "Pauline" Christians.
Fact: Simeon bar Kochba was a fanatical self-proclaimed messiah who murdered Jewish Christians for remaining faithful to Jesus and not accepting bar Kochba as the messiah.
(pp.107-108) Nazarean thought survived in the heresy known as Nestorian Christianity.
Fact: So called "Nestorian" Christianity refers to the Assyrian Church of the East which prior to the 5th century was part of the Syrian Orthodox Church. As such, they revere the Nicene Creed which they recite in their liturgy, use and revere the same Bible we do only in their language, and revere the Epistles of Paul and read them in their liturgy.
Egyptian monastic communities perpetuated "Nazarean" thought.
Fact: Anybody who has ever read the Sayings or Lives of the Desert Fathers would know that the Egyptian hermits were ultra-orthodox in their beliefs, read and often memorized the same Bible, especially the Pauline Epistles, and abhorred Gnostic dualism.
The book claims that the Jewish Christians used the Gospel of Thomas which predates the canonical Gospels.
Fact: The Gospel of Thomas was written in the second century and used by Gnostic Christians who tried to add pagan myths to Chrisitanity and went so far as to deny Jesus' humanity.
These are only a few examples of the absurdities presented in this book.
The book makes references to the fictional "Passover Plot" by Hugh Schonfield and the research of Robert Eisenman, a sensational Christian basher (see my review on James the Brother of Jesus).
I'm not a fundamentalist Bible thumper but a serious seeker. I regret that I've wasted too much time reading this kind of junk. If you want to understand Jesus and early Christianity, stick with your family Bible.
Rating: 2
Summary: Graduates of Conspiracy University
Comment: Why are some people seemingly obsessed with viewing the world through a Matrix-like lens? Reality is actually a deep, dark mystery if we would only sit up and take notice. These modern Gnostics have their own rules - discarding texts they don't like, elevating obscure scribblings to Holy writ, developing a new theory of history based on multi-age conspiracies. The only problem with this approach is that all historians, theologians, archeologists, and other professionals must be discarded and discounted.
Nowhere is this more true that in studies on the origins of Christianity. Perhaps this is because it is the only major religion that attempts to validate its claims through non-theological means, i.e. archeology. The particular subject of the Knights Templar, Mary Magdalene, Jesus and his offspring, his "real" purpose and mission, the Shroud of Turin, etc has become a cottage industry, churning out speculative "studies" that are greeted with the approbation they deserve. Sometimes it appear in fictional format ("The DaVinci Code") but more often as a non-fiction treatise with wildly differing claims ("The Sacred Mushroom" vs "The Passover Plot").
"The Messianic Legacy", read without context, is a rambling but coherent argument. The operative word, though, is "context". Accepting Baigent means discounting Jesus Seminar (searching for the historical Jesus), authors Robin Lane Fox, A.G Wells and other international scholars - they're all wrong. Baigent would say they are not asking the right question / thinking outside the box. But it is clear that at some point in the first century a group of Jews began to think of this Orthodox rabbi as someone special but specifically meant for them.
The lack of absence supporting the various claims to kinship is deafening. The fact that James, his brother, allegedly led the group after the death of Jesus confirms the customs of the day. Like the X-Files, the truth is out there (but only the brave dare inquire) and the mythology is real (but bad guys - Mossad, CIA, Catholic Church) suppress it. The conspiritorial silence is to a degree not seen before or since. The author would better devote his time to debunking the ridiculous claims of others of his ilk.
Rating: 3
Summary: Mixed feelings about this work
Comment: Having been fascinated by the authors' The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, I had high expectations for this one. The first part of the book met these expectations, with a historical review of Judeo/Christian evolution.
Then came part 2...
The rambling and incredible bias presented in this section almost caused me to put down the book (despite the fact that I don't disagree with their opinions). It is editorialism at its worst and greatly detracts from the book.
Part 3 somewhat redeems the book, with a focus back on the Prieure de Sion, and the touch of historical journalism that made the first book so powerful.
If you can bring yourself to skim through (or skip altogether) the second part, the book is very recommendable. While I can sympathize with the authors' angst, it really detracts from the book's literary value, and creates a disjointedness making it hard to follow. That said, I gained much from the more factually stated portions of the book.
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Title: The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ by Lynn Picknett, Clive Prince ISBN: 0684848910 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 12 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Woman With the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail by Margaret Starbird, Terrance A. Sweeney ISBN: 1879181037 Publisher: Bear & Co Pub. Date: June, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Jean-Yves Leloup, Joseph Rowe, Jacob Needleman ISBN: 0892819111 Publisher: Inner Traditions Intl Ltd Pub. Date: 30 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: DEAD SEA SCROLLS DECEPTION by Michael Baigent ISBN: 0671797972 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 12 April, 1993 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Temple and the Lodge by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh ISBN: 1559701269 Publisher: Arcade Books Pub. Date: 22 April, 1991 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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