Artur Zadikyan
Jesus and Christ
After this, the rapporteur gave some time to reflect on what he had heard. This was used by one of the members of the expert committee.
– Were the Abrahamic religions the creation of Moses or the idea of Abraham? – asked for clarification a man who, according to Rutra's typing formula, resembled the cosmonaut Titov, for which reason he was recorded under the code name Eagle.
In the world, he was the head of the DARPA directorate. The sign in front of him read: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for developing new technologies.
– As I have already said… – the lecturer, apparently out of inertia, began to continue what he had started, – well, well, I will explain, and then what I wanted to say. Abrahamic religions are religions that as if came out of one root. There lived such a man Abraham, he tended his flocks, he was not poor. He lived first in the region between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, which now flow through Iraq, and then through Babylonia. I'm just kidding. As and where they flowed, so they flow now. Babylon became Iraq. How he got there, of course, history is silent, all peoples were once nomads, but in the process of either wandering, or traveling, or nomadic, he ended up in Palestine. It was then called Canaan. There he agitated nomadic shepherds, transit merchants, and locals to become adherents of his religion. He even wanted to sacrifice his son for the sake of his faith and the truth of his religious doctrine. Then he came to his senses. Or rather, – well, I think so, and he who believes, believes – God said to him, "Don't do it, it's enough to sacrifice a lamb. But, interestingly enough, his wife was barren for many years, and this Abraham, driving his flocks through the countries, took a second wife, younger and fertile.
Someone chuckled.
– Why? It was normal back then. It was not normal that he lived with a childless woman for so many years. And now this Hagar gives birth to a son, and Sarah, the first wife, naturally disliked her and insisted that he cast her out. Later, either out of jealousy or the Holy Spirit helped, Sarah also gives birth to a son. All would have been nothing if Sarah had not by this time passed 90 years of age.
Some smiled ironically, apparently knowing the story, while others almost laughed.
– You can go a lot deeper into Bible stories, and almost any story, so let me tell you a story related to the Gospels. By the way, the gospel, the "good news," is the New Testament, and what came before Christ is the Old Testament.
He looked around at his listeners, smiled sweetly.
– I talk a lot out of habit, I apologize. I realize my story is not new to many. However, the Jews are opposed to the last statement. They do not recognize Christ as God, prophet, or messiah. The Muslims at least recognize him as a prophet, but they are against him. But I will tell you honestly, do not judge them harshly, they have their own good reasons. The divine essence of Jesus is a subject of great controversy in the Christian world, but his identity as a prophet is not in doubt. Again, however, there is complete antagonism. This is how I characterize atheism. Although atheism is more broad spectrum…the very definition. Okay, let's not flip through the pages of a related program. So, this Abraham is sort of considered to be the first preacher of religious tenets, on the basis of which Judaism, Christianity with all its many offshoots, and Islam and its offshoots, too, were later born and crystallized. And now let us turn to the main topic.
This statement caused movement among the listeners. They were clearly tired of sitting for so long. Ruthra tapped his fingers on the table to get Phfitnop's attention and, receiving it, nodded and announced a fifteen-minute break. After the allotted time for rest, the professor, glancing at his modest watch, not waiting for the audience to fully assemble, continued his part of the speech.
– As I have already said, it will be very useful to you in the process of mission realization. By the way, from the usual everyday understanding of faith and unbelief, we now have an associative mental and logical reaction to the words "faith" and "believe" when it comes to religion. It was originally about literal faith in the resurrection and the whole story. And then it got so twisted that the concepts of faith and unbelief became all about human attitudes toward good and evil. I'll tell you right away, I'm being frank with you here. There," he pointed with an open palm to the side, and a holographic model of the planet appeared in space, "I am saying something else.
Listeners buzzed over the revelation . The scale of braggadocio was slightly peaking, but after that the equalizer scale of logical clarity began to dominate. The amplitude of the respect-reverence scale also went up. All this was analyzed by Rangit based on the results of constant brain scanning of "applicants".
– You understand, religion is the opium of the people… it is the revelation of a person who has consumed this very opium in a physical and in a spiritual sense. Otherwise the experience is false. Or… "the state can be ruled by a cook". All this characterizes the inner world of a person. I would say that… – he scratched the tip of his nose playfully, – okay, or I'll go away again, we all periodically go away, – now he twitched the edge of his mouth, – the main thing is not to cross the point of no return. A lot of things. And the examples I gave to prove it, – he looked silently into the hall again, – yes, yes, I am putting the thought together like this, the association of God with good and love… and of his opponents with evil became logical and self-evident for human consciousness.
The audience began to look at each other and whisper. The reason was the strange structure of the honorable scientist's speech.
– In those times, though not only in those times, it was necessary to declare a monopoly on truth in order to usurp power. After all, such a thing is always relevant, you will agree. That is, the truth could only be from God, and God Himself became a cult for everyone voluntarily and compulsorily. In modern interpretation we can explain it as a monopoly on minerals, natural monopolies – power grids, railroads, highways and the like. Someone will say now, they are in different private hands, at least in capitalist states with free economy. And I'll answer you: there are dozens of different religious sects. For the most soulless system, which is the amorphous system of the state, the power of one person, clan, clan, even party is a threat. The aura of power and the people in power are different substances. The system of power, what I'm talking about, what I'm associatively comparing, that monopoly and this one… in the case of the state, in addition to owning the basic sources that give capital, there is a system of governance. It is the rule and the mechanism, I would even say, the instrument in any system folded into a power structure. This system is subject to the very aura of power, to a certain imperial spirit. It includes management systems: law enforcement, tax systems and the like. The structure varies more and less in ownership depending on the capitalist and, for example, communist system. Either way it is a monopoly on something that everyone needs. No matter how much people blaspheme God, there is no way they want to, if not can't, live without God. It is the same, for example, with law enforcement, military, and medical systems. No matter how much we scold them, there is no way to live without them… I have left the main topic a little bit. Let's go back. As I said, you need to know the gospel stories for your mission. This is necessary both for proper maneuvering within the story itself and for understanding the truth or fiction outside of the story. Knowing at least the story that is officially accepted by almost everyone, you will be able to use it by giving, for example, appropriate quotes from the Gospel to defend your own point of view in discussions on domestic and religious topics. Knowing the theme that has developed historically in the minds and understanding of the masses will enable you to know what the main characters mentioned in the story itself do not know.
– Oh, you're telling me something very abstruse, and you promised me a simpler story, – Venus was definitely not satisfied, a certain gender loneliness of the person with the code name of the commission member was evident.
– Actually, if you look at religious doctrines from the outside, there is a certain inclination towards dictatorship and totalitarianism," the professor answered her serenely, which definitely suppressed her will.
She made no retort or indignation. He continued in his own way.
– As for Christianity specifically…and since it is from a single root, this is true of all Abrahamic religions as well. I am emphasizing on some places concerning the receipt of teachings and knowledge. I will not quote passages from the text, as I promised, and I do not like it, I think even one episode with the so-called fall into sin is enough. After all, why did God kicked Eve and Adam out of paradise? By the way, do not forget, even better always take into account: biblical stories also carry some hidden, even mystical meaning. I am talking here about Eve and Adam. After all, here we do not mean directly people as two persons. The question is broader. Many of you know the meaning of their names.
– Eve is 'life', Adam is 'man'," a thunderous brutal timbre sounded over the airwaves without announcing his call sign.
It was Rangit, whom everyone already recognized, though he could mimic any voice.
To -clarify a bit, the name Eve means "giver of life," and Adam is not only "man," but also "earth." According to the scripture, according to that very secret meaning, Adam as if personifies the whole human race. In any case, from these positions the meaning of the narrative is already revealed in a different way. It's not just two lovers making a mess, it's a whole system. Not for nothing… yes, I think it is necessary, though you all know it already, to indicate where the beds of secret rivers are. As it is known, Eve tasted, either on the recommendation or on the agreement of a certain creature, which is designated as a serpent, something that is designated as a fruit, namely – an apple. Is that what happened after she tasted it? She became, to say the least, intelligent, insightful, knowledgeable. The most interesting thing is that she was the first to realize. And even more interesting is why and how, because she had no examples, no information. Here, and everywhere in the Bible, in all religious texts, one must take into account sober, so to speak, empirical conclusions, arguments and logical considerations. What I mean is this: in order to properly understand the meaning and draw conclusions, logical consideration is necessary. It is necessary at least to imagine oneself as a complete stranger to the Christian religion, that is, as an adherent of another religion, or better yet, as an atheist, or even better, as a person who does not know about the existence of the biblical stories at all. Otherwise we will have a more one-sided view of events. Well, for example, if you are a Christian, you will more scientifically reveal the essence, make a scientific analysis of religious texts, for example, Hinduism. So, the first thing Eve noticed was that she was naked.
– And she asked for a fur coat," a stray swallow of a mischievous voice suddenly slipped into the monotonous information field.
Strangely enough, the author of the replica turned out to be a representative of the Kurchatov Institute, a Nobel laureate in the field of subatomic particle energy. According to Rutra's classification, he was codenamed Mercury.
Having uttered the remark, he hastened to apologize and designate himself:
– Hopefully, orbital friends will forgive little Mercury's humble banter.
The audience supported him with friendly laughter and turned to listen, for not a single facial muscle on Ffitnop's face was deformed. He gazed serenely into the hall and, when the audience gave in to his hypnotic gaze, he answered:
– According to the legend, there was no need for her to have a fur coat there, but she asked for clothes. Now the question is, how did she know what shame was? I mean, she hid from God. That is, first of all, God here is almost the same as the pagans, walking among his creatures, just like them. Secondly, when he found out that Eve tasted from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and gave her husband a taste, he became angry and drove them out of their comfort zone. That's me putting it in modern terms. Besides, pay attention, there was nothing else to sin with except this fruit. Here I have to make a little disclaimer, but this disclaimer will be a red line through the whole narrative. And I ask you, please, do not lose sight of it. It is very important, because it is only by understanding it that you will be able to grasp the essence of the narrative correctly. And now here it is: all of this is written by people! People! And don't ever forget that. This understanding, interpretation, logic of thinking… even if you believe or admit the divine, even alien, origin of the very idea of this story… all the same it was understood by people, those who wrote it, and before many centuries simply orally transmitted it, in a human way, that is in that logic, which was inherent to them, available to them by the level of development. It may be a little difficult to understand such a representation of the reality of existence, but let us consider the following: God does not perform miracles to please humans. So, sorry, it is better to accept the fact that your interlocutor, neighbor, brother, brother-in-law, matchmaker, whoever, will adhere to another form of reasonable explanation of the metaphysics of the universe.
After saying this, the professor took a breath, took a noticeable sigh, as if what he had said was difficult for him, and, swallowing saliva, continued:
– Complex, perhaps, but in fact simple. It is difficult, but it conveys the essence of the story in the most truthful way in terms of logic and true understanding of what is happening. Be very attentive to this point, because people begin to argue, not taking into account the presence of many versions of the story, many editions of the scripture, and most importantly – the presentation of human understanding. Exactly the presentation of human understanding. And people, keep in mind and the time of origin of history, wrote according to their understanding, their worldview of being, happening and the state of reality. Therefore, when someone argues with someone, say, look, it says this and that, always take into account that this is not a scientific work, not a documentary chronicle, but a free statement, interpretation of what is happening. And another point – not only what is happening. Let some believers forgive me, but religious stories – and I call all biblical stories religious – are largely not reflected in historical chronicles. And if they are, they are told in a completely different chronology and factual reality.
The manner and style of the theologian's speech, and he told his stories, though serene, but very inspired, intrigued the audience and brought novelty to the "powdered" image of a well-known story. There was no question of boredom. They listened to him with interest. Applause was heard to confirm it. At first modest claps of one, and then there was a flurry of emotions. After the hall calmed down, there was silence. As it turned out, from Rangit's unspoken analysis, it was caused by misunderstanding. The one to whom the applause was intended was the one to speak. Even Rutra was surprised by this. After the conference, Ruthra analyzed the cognitive scanning reports of Nomor's reaction and found that he had thought it was sarcastic irony, but later it became clear that his views were shared.
– I, of course, would like to voice a lot of things regarding my conclusions, but, alas, I have a clear task. Therefore, if, of course, you wish, I will try to fly quickly through the obligatory program, and after that… and after that, as they say, there will be another time. I hope you understand me. Let me remind you once again, perhaps someone, and maybe everyone, counted on some romance connected with such a training program, but again, alas, knowledge is knowledge, no matter what position your body is in, it is always the same in the brain and memory. This is also a certain postulate, like the constancy of the speed of light. So, first of all, so to speak, for stimulus, what will information training give you in general terms? It is necessary, as I have already said or hinted… yes, yes, I leave room for your own reflection… So, knowledge of the topic will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with answers to popular questions related to repetitions and discrepancies of texts in the Evangelists, the events of Jesus' death and resurrection, the commandments of the Sermon on the Mount, references to John the Baptist, interpretation of parables, and so on. Let's continue with the Gospel of Mark, because it's the shortest, sort of, in terms of our teaching position. But the Gospel of Matthew, perhaps this is my subjective opinion, is the most detailed. It devotes almost seven chapters to the Sermon on the Mount, for example. The Gospel of Matthew is suitable for those who are interested in the theoretical part of the doctrine and the history of the life of Jesus Christ.
The lecturer gave a little time to the "applicants" to decide whether they had questions or not, and proposed the next "chapter":
– The Gospel of Luke. It contains the greatest variety of parables and descriptions of events. The Gospel of John is… perhaps, I would say, the most interesting and diverse. It repeats and supplements the previous three Gospels, and it already shows the censorship and propaganda, if I may say so, that has passed since the time of the events described. I say this because it emphasizes the perception of Jesus as Love, Truth, Word and Light in the world. This is where you must properly, in a sort of Nietzschean way, understand with pure reason. The way I have suggested to you, for an unbiased perception. That is, you must feel yourselves not only not Christians, not only not religious, but also not inhabitants of the planet in question. You must be unbiased statists. Why? Because this whole story described in the book of Bereshit (the book of Genesis – the first book of the Torah, the Old Testament and the whole Bible), may Gods and believers forgive me, and most of all – believers in Christ… by the way, I can't help saying again, the very question "do you believe?" has a different meaning than the one formed in minds now… and even then, as well as the story described in this book.
The listeners were a little puzzled by the strange way of constructing the lecturer's speech: the incompleteness of the first part of the sentence and the Christian theologian's use of the name Bereshit instead of the Book of Genesis. However, the professor himself apparently thought that everything should be clear to everyone. He continued by explaining the second part of the sentence:
– Initially, it had a meaning: do you believe in the Immaculate Conception, in the resurrection from the dead, in the divine election and divinity of Christ? That is, it was something new, as a religion for the lower, let's say simpler, common people. As sad as it is, we humans usurp everything, because before Christ, God was for the rich. People were considered equal before God strictly on the caste principle. Later, of course, everything was perverted again – a king, tsar, emperor or other ruler was appointed to rule over people with God's blessing.
He made a cocky "ts" sound with a curl of his lips that rustled clearly on the airwaves, while showing an "ok" gesture with his fingers and blinking one eye.
– I'm sorry, why do we see some decorations of religious scenes in paintings? I'd like to see the faces with whom in the group.
It was a ringing female voice, so I didn't have to specify whose it was. However, they decided to make a joke.
– And you, Venus, what shape are you in at the moment? – Mars asked.
Knowing his mischievous disposition, most chuckled. There was a chuckle on the air, which did not embarrass the lady in the least.
– Oh, my goodness. By the way, I'm supposed to be the Magdalene. So I might as well get erotic. I have nothing to be embarrassed about.
– All right, let's get on with it… it's business as usual.
– An hour," Mercury hinted as if wanting a speedy conclusion.
– By the way, who will be Maria? – A woman's voice sounded again.
– You will be. It's not like we can send all the characters. Remember, your purpose is to correct the course of history. That's why you may not have to go into Maria's mind," Ruthra explained.
And then a wave of understanding of the presence of an invisible observer swept through everyone's consciousness, or somehow the subjects had forgotten about it. It was Rangit who reminded of himself and his capabilities.
– Let's continue, I'll try not to take too long. Yes, by the way, about how and what to see and perceive – that's also part of the program, so let's test mental communication, that is, silent communication, – Nomor suggested. – Ready?
The audience was silent.
– We focus on John. In his Gospel, Jesus' identity is more openly presented by the narrator as not of this world, and parallels are drawn between the Father and the Son. I recommend to study it in detail, it will help you when in the program you directly have to join the ranks of Jesus' followers with a sermon. Though for the beginning I would advise you to start with studying the summary of the Gospel of Luke, which is full of events of the life of Jesus Christ, descriptions of miracles and healings, and includes many individual parables and popular Gospel quotations. A few words about it now. A summary of the Gospel of Luke. So, what you'll find in it....
Two predictions by an angel about the births of Jesus by Mary and John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah did not believe and became numb for 9 months. Mary asked the angel for details and visited Elizabeth.
The birth of Jesus in the cave of Bethlehem. The joyful appearance of the angels to the shepherds. Circumcision of Jesus. The sacrifice for the firstborn, the prophecies of Simeon and Anna. Jesus at the age of 12 was lost in the Jerusalem temple for three days.
John baptizes, washing the people in the Jordan River, preaching the doctrine of repentance. He denounces King Herod and is imprisoned. Thunder at Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit from Heaven. Jesus is 30 years old, thought to be the son of Joseph.
Jesus interprets the Old Testament in the synagogues, some like it and others are furious. Heal the sick, Peter's mother-in-law.
The calling of the apostles Peter, James and John with the promise of catching people. Healing a leper and lowering a paralyzed man from a roof with forgiveness of sins.
Elects 12 apostles. Preaches the commandments.
Jesus confirms to John the Baptist that He is the Messiah. Glorifies John in front of everyone, but rebukes the Pharisees. Forgives the sinner.
Jesus calmed the storm, drove a legion of demons into pigs, and raised Jairus' daughter.
Jesus told the 70 disciples to preach, to heal from demons, to spend the night with the worthy, to eat everything.
The Lord's Prayer.
Keep the commandments, give all to the poor, you will find Heaven. About death and resurrection.
The glorification of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus drove the merchants and shoppers out of the Temple.
Give God's things to God and taxes to Caesar.
The preparation of the Passover, the Last Supper. Drink wine and eat bread in remembrance of Jesus. The new covenant is in the blood for you. Judas kisses and Jesus is seized at night in the garden, Peter denied. Sanhedrin sentenced to condemnation.
Jesus is accused before Pilate, but Pilate disagrees and sends him to Herod. Herod finds no guilt. The crowd demands death. Crucifixion of Jesus and the villains. Jesus dies in an eclipse and is buried in a cave by Joseph.
On Sunday it appeared that the cave tomb was empty. An angel told the women that Jesus was alive. The resurrected Jesus appeared to the two disciples, the eleven apostles, eating fish and honey. Ascension of Jesus. The disciples praise God in the Temple.
…I see this abbreviated interpretation says little to those who know the Gospel story, and little to those who do not know the Gospel story. So I will spend a more informative time with my story. So: The New Testament. The Gospels. Preliminary information. The word "gospel" means "good news," "pleasant, joyful, good news." It is the name given to the first four books of the New Testament that recount the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The vast majority of Christians honor him as the son of God. Except that it turns out to be a curious situation. It is as if he is his own father and his own son. Though in ancient religions there were many sons of God. Every little king called himself a son of God. Who had a strong power and could create a succession, respectively, to prolong his personality cult even after his death, was later honored, so to speak, voluntarily and compulsorily as a son of God. I will even go a little ahead and say that Christianity and established itself in the broad masses, because it proclaimed God for the middle and below average strata of the population. Simply put, for laborers and slaves. For understanding I will explain – slaves were not supposed not only to have property, but also to have God, God's patronage. It was a kind of insult to the powerful and rich, because it put the slave on the level of nobility. For the most part, this was the main motive for the persecution of Christ. Before the coming of the Son of God to the earth, people visualized God as an all-powerful Creator, a formidable Judge, and an unapproachable glory. Jesus Christ gave a new concept of God as a close, merciful and loving Father. Here again, however, there are some ambiguities. If Herod's tyranny and Pilate's dictates were in place at that time, how could Christ help the oppressed, the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the sick, and anyone in need? It is understandable if it was help as verbal comfort, but in that case it would not have been difficult for many to speak beautiful and pleasant words. After all, there were a great many itinerant and non-itinerant preachers in those days. In the ancient world it was a kind of political declaration and even a fashion. There was no professional medicine, and science was like something from the realm of fantasy. Therefore, the one who could cure any disease, the more severe, and even if he could apply something scientific, knowledge of astronomy or chemical interaction of metals – this person was automatically endowed with a supernatural, divine aura. I will tell a little about the origin of the Gospel text. Yes, by the way, of course, all this is not my personal interpretation, in some places I will quote different sources, so perhaps I will repeat myself somewhere. After our peculiar lecture, I will drop the files for public access, or rather, they will be written to your internal artificial memory, in disputable situations you will always be able to consider the opinions.
The scientist paused and continued:
– Now let's go textually. All of the New Testament sacred books are written in Greek, but not in classical Greek, but in the vernacular Alexandrian dialect of Greek, the so-called "koine," which was understood by the entire cultured population of the Eastern and Western Roman Empire. This is why the evangelists wrote in this language, in order to make the New Testament holy books accessible to the reading and understanding of all educated citizens. Only the capital letters of the Greek alphabet were used for writing, without punctuation or even separating one word from another. Small letters began to be used only since IX century, as well as separate writing of words. Punctuation marks were introduced only after the invention of printing in the 15th century. The present division into chapters was made in the West by Cardinal Hugues in the 13th century, and the division into verses by the Parisian printer Robert Stephan in the 16th century. In the second half of the ninth century the New Testament sacred books were translated into the "Slovensk language", to some extent common to all Slavic tribes. The modern Russian translation was made in the first half of the XIX century… Now a little about the time of writing of the Gospels. The time of writing of each of them cannot be determined with unconditional accuracy. There is a prevailing opinion, agreement, on the time period: they were all written in the second half of the first century. This opinion comes from the fact that many ancient chroniclers, philosophers, and authors make references to certain New Testament holy books. However, there are other opinions as well. And, let me tell you, very plausible ones. Plausible – in the sense of supported by analysis and research. For example, Bruno Bauer – German Hegelian philosopher, theologian, religious scholar, biblical scholar, historian and publicist – refutes the historical reliability and authenticity of the Gospels and other sacred books, attributing their appearance to a much later time. Bauer believes that many of the religious texts, ideas and thoughts contained in them are rewritten, borrowed from the writings of the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, who lived in Egypt in the 20s-54s AD. Of course, they were slightly modified and interpreted in their own way. In particular, in the writings of Philo of Alexandria, Bauer finds the entire theology of the Evangelist John in an almost ready-made form. There are differing opinions about the authenticity of this whole story, but, you understand, there are more proponents of authenticity. At least for now. This was accompanied by both the general mood for change and the desire of those in power to adapt the teachings to their propaganda. And already derivative were such factors as … in general, the Crusades, and propaganda, and scribes, and politicians worked on it, in particular, the same Bruno considered Christianity an invention not Jewish, but Greco-Roman, and most importantly – the Inquisition. However, the main trump card to the opponents of authenticity is given by the same believers in authenticity. The fact is that, in addition to the official Gospels, there are other, up to 50 other writings claiming apostolic origin. The Church has placed them on the list of "apocryphal" – that is, unreliable, rejected books. These books contain distorted and questionable narratives. But, please note, this is from the perspective of theologians. Primarily Christian theologians. Such apocryphal gospels include the First Gospel of James, the History of Joseph the Carpenter, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Nicodemus, and others. In them, by the way, are recorded for the first time legends relating to the childhood of Jesus Christ… Another fact in favor of those who reject the authenticity of history is the classification of these writings. You can't buy them or borrow them from the library. Which brings to mind. Oh yes, I almost forgot, they try not to even mention them, so you don't even have to wonder what's in them. Apparently, there is something there, besides the narrative of the life and teachings of Christ, his crucifixion, death and burial, and after his resurrection from the dead, which is intended for the congregation, that should not cause questions and doubts in the minds of parishioners. And not only parishioners.
