Introduction to the Jesus Mysteries

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

i picked up a Sunday Times Bestseller by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy called

" The Jesus Mysteries - Was the Original Jesus a Pagan God? " In this book it

outlines how many details of Jesus' life patterned the myths of other godmen:

 

(P.5) " At the heart of the Mysteries were myths concerning a dying and

resurrecting godman, who was known by many different names. In Egypt he was

Osiris, in Greece Dionysus, in Asia Minor Attis, in Syria Adonis, in Italy

Bacchus, in Persia Mithras. Fundamentally all these godmen are the same mythical

being. As was the practice from as early as the third century BCE, [3,4] in this

book we will use the combined name 'Osiris-Dionysus' to denote his universal and

composite nature, and his particular names when referring to a specific Mystery

tradition. "

 

The Jesus Mysteries

Was the Original Jesus A Pagan God?

Chapter 1 - P.5

Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy

Element (imprint of HarperCollins'Publishers')

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

ISBN-13 978-0-7225-3677-3

ISBN-10 0-7225-3677-1

 

Notes:

 

[3] Taylor, L.R. (1931), 27. Within a generation of the death of Alexander,

Hecateus of Abdera, in 'Aegyptiaca,', and Leon of Pella were using the composite

name of Osiris-Dionysis.

 

[4] Please note that in line with the modern convention all dates are given as

BCE or CE - 'Before the Common Era' or 'Common Era'. These religiously neutral

terms replace the more usual BC and AD.

 

 

Shri Mataji explains who or what this 'Osiris-Dionysis', that is, the 'universal

and composite nature' is: It is " the Omkara " ; it is " Christ " :

 

" Once you understand this point then you will understand why Shri Ganesha had to

accept to be the Son of Mahalakshmi, was born to Her as Christ. Because He had

to come on Agnya and for the redemption and Ganesha He doesn't do the redemption

part because at that stage He is for the innocence, for the holiness, for the

wisdom or also for destroying negativity. But He had to come up, only He, only

Ganesha could be brought to this very constricted chakra, Agnya chakra. Now why

is it constricted? It is quite a scientific thing which I would not like to

discuss today, but it had to be constricted and it goes on getting more

constricted this Agnya chakra the more, the more we think. The more we go to the

left or right it goes on really becoming like this (Shri Mother holds the first

few fingers of Her hands up like an X) absolutely like this. So in this very

subtle area only Christ will be subtle because He's the subtlest of subtle. He's

even subtler than an atom, because in the atom those vibrations which move

isometric and symmetric movements are subtler than the atom. And this is a

subtler of that also. So in that little very constricted area, only a

personality like Christ which is nothing but purity [could be there]. There is

no other element in Him but purity. All other incarnations have all the 5

elements in them. He had nothing. He is nothing but pure vibrations. That's why

He could walk on the water. Because there was no mass in His body. No matter in

His body. No matter. No element. Except for Chaitanya itself. Omkara with the

wind. Ganesha in the bath or [it] was, [one] can say the thing that came out of

her body. Only the Chaitanya. So at Ganesha's tail we can see that the Chaitanya

was kept in that form, but in the state of Christ it was not. But the whole

drama was played later on of His death and resurrection. Because He is the one

who is responsible for our resurrection, because He is the gate. He's the path

because He's Shri Ganesh. Omkara is the path, and He's the path, and He's the

gate but He is not the destination. His mother is the destination. Even

Mahalakshmi is not the destination. Even Mahakali, Mahasaraswati [is not the

destination]. The Adi Shakti is the destination where you have to reach. All

these things were never told in the Bible. Because He could hardly live for 4

years with public life. Nor did they want to tell about Him because they did not

know. Also there was a definite suppression of all divine things for these

people are all commercialised institutions. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Christmas Puja

Ganapatipule, India

25 December, 1990

 

 

According to the authors, the Pagan Mysteries are not a 'superstitious culture'

as we were led to believe, but a 'sophisticated product of a highly developed

culture':

 

(P.4) Popular understanding inevitably lags a long way behind the cutting edge

of scholarly research and, like most people, we initially had an inaccurate and

out-dated view of Paganism. We had been taught to see it as a superstitious

culture which indulged in idol worship and bloody sacrifice, and dry

philosophers wearing togas stumbling blindly towards what we today call

'science'. We were familiar with various Greek myths which showed the partisan

and capricious nature of the Olympian gods and goddesses. All in all, Paganism

seemed primitive and fundamentally alien. After many years of study, however,

our understanding has been transformed.

 

Pagan spirituality was actually the sophisticated product of a highly developed

culture. The state religions, such as the Greek worship of the Olympian gods,

were little more than outer pomp and ceremony. The real spirituality of the

people expressed itself through the vibrant and mystical 'Mystery religions'. At

first underground and heretical movements, these Mysteries spread and flourished

throughout the ancient Mediterranean, inspiring the greatest minds of the Pagan

world, who regarded them as the very source of civilization.

 

Each Mystery tradition had exoteric Outer Mysteries, consisting of myths which

were common knowledge and rituals which were open to anyone who wanted to

participate. There were also esoteric Inner Mysteries, which were a sacred

secret only known to those who had undergone a powerful process of initiation.

Initiates of the Inner Mysteries had the mystical meaning of the rituals and

myths of the Outer Mysteries revealed to them, a process which brought about

personal transformation and spiritual enlightenment.

 

The philosophers of the ancient world were the spiritual masters of the Inner

Mysteries. They were mystics and miracle-workers, more comparable to Hindu gurus

than dusty academics. (P.5) The great Greek philosopher Pythagoras, for example,

is remembered today for his mathematical theorem, but few people picture him as

he actually was - a flamboyant sage who was believed to be able to miraculously

still the winds and raise the dead. "

 

The Jesus Mysteries

Was the Original Jesus A Pagan God?

Chapter 1 - P.4-5

Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy

Element (imprint of HarperCollins'Publishers')

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

ISBN-13 978-0-7225-3677-3

ISBN-10 0-7225-3677-1

 

 

The authors state that just as there is the external historical advent of Jesus

2,000 years ago (the " Outer Mysteries " ), there is also the " Inner Mysteries " ,

which is the gnostic understanding of that external advent; an understanding

that is supposed to lead to gnosis or Self-knowledge:

 

(P.17) " Whilst the Jesus Mysteries Thesis clearly rewrites history, we do not

see it as undermining the Christian faith, but as suggesting that Christianity

is in fact richer than we previously imagined. The Jesus story is a perennial

myth with the power to impart the saving Gnosis which can transform each one of

us into a Christ, not merely a history of events that happened to someone else

2,000 years ago. Belief in the Jesus story was originally the first step in

Christian spirituality - the Outer Mysteries. Its significance was to be

explained by an enlightened teacher when the seeker was spiritually ripe. These

Inner Mysteries imparted a mystical Knowledge of God beyond mere belief in

dogmas. Although many inspired Christian mystics throughout history have

intuitively seen through to this deeper symbolic level of understanding, as a

culture we have inherited only the Outer Mysteries of Christianity. We have kept

the form, but lost the meaning. Our hope is that this book can play some small

part in reclaiming the true mystical Christian inheritance. "

 

The Jesus Mysteries

Was the Original Jesus A Pagan God?

Chapter 1 - P.17

Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy

Element (imprint of HarperCollins'Publishers')

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

ISBN-13 978-0-7225-3677-3

ISBN-10 0-7225-3677-1

 

 

It appears that the 'Pagan Mysteries' are about 'gnosis' - but this fact was

suppressed by the Christian forefathers. As Shri Mataji has said, 'there was a

definite suppression of all divine things for these people are all

commercialised institutions' [2]. The authors explain that the word 'pagan',

meaning 'country-dweller', was a derogative term, first used by the Christians

against the spirituality of the ancients. This, of course, helped to suppress

gnosticism, which is to " Know Thyself " :

 

" 'Pagan' was originally a derogatory term meaning 'country-dweller', used by

Christians to imply that the spirituality of the ancients was some primitive

rural superstition. But this is not true. Paganism was the spirituality which

inspired the unequalled magnificence of the Giza pyramids, the exquisite

architecture of the Parthenon, the legendary sculptures of Phideas, the powerful

plays of Euripides and Sophocles, and the sublime philosophy of Socrates and

Plato. "

 

The Jesus Mysteries

Was the Original Jesus A Pagan God?

Chapter 2 - P.19

Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy

Element (imprint of HarperCollins'Publishers')

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

ISBN-13 978-0-7225-3677-3

ISBN-10 0-7225-3677-1

 

 

So, the philosophy of Socrates was inspired by the spirituality of the ancients,

which Christians called 'paganism'! Shri Mataji taught us that Socrates is one

of the ten masters of the 'Guru Principle', of how to become our own master;

that Socrates is one of the ten masters related to the crossing of the 'Red Sea'

or 'Void', as it is known in the human subtle system knowledge. This 'Void' is

the 'Ocean of Illusion' that human beings need/needed to cross over, to reach

the knowledge of their Self, which we know today as " Self-realisation " .

 

regards to all,

 

violet

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates