Q: Did your perception of the historical Jesus change as a result of writing Jesus Goes to Hollywood?
A: Yes. As you know, there are many people who believe that Jesus was a myth, and I cover that theory early in the book. But doing the research actually strengthened my belief that he was a real historical person, and a rather admirable one at that.
Q: You do not include any channeled teachings about Jesus or information obtained psychically by people like Edgar Cayce. Why?
A: It is not out of any disrespect for those sources. Some of them have very interesting things to say. It is just that my approach to research is traditional.
Q: Your book includes some material that is uncomfortable from a moral perspective. How do you respond to this?
A: My book is a small encyclopedia of popular alternative theories about the historical Jesus. Some of those theories are very controversial; and by and large, I don't take sides. Some of the moral codes that people lived by in Jesus' time are controversial today. I did not hesitate to discuss them when they were relevant to the theories and evidence being discussed.
Q: You did not provide your personal theory about Jesus. Who do you think Jesus really was?
A: I am going to leave that for my readers to decide. That is what the book is about. :-)
Q: What did Jesus say about the End Times?
A: I devote an appendix to this question, but I will briefly summarize it here.
When most people ask this question, they are thinking about the book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament. The author of that book was not the apostle John, and it is unlikely that the "Jesus" he saw was the true historical Jesus.
Jesus, however, is quoted in the regular gospels concerning a forthcoming "Kingdom of God" (a spiritual utopia on Earth). Jesus is quoted to say that the Kingdom of God will come after a spirit of truth. This statement has been interpreted in many ways. My favorite interpretation is that he was simply making a common-sense statement that when a spirit of truth permeates the human race, a utopia will unfold on Earth. One does not need to be a Christian to see the wisdom in that statement. Perhaps that is why Jesus' biggest pet peeve seemed to be hypocrisy: he may have seen it as the primary obstacle to a spirit of truth. But those are just my thoughts...
Keep exploring!
A: Yes. As you know, there are many people who believe that Jesus was a myth, and I cover that theory early in the book. But doing the research actually strengthened my belief that he was a real historical person, and a rather admirable one at that.
Q: You do not include any channeled teachings about Jesus or information obtained psychically by people like Edgar Cayce. Why?
A: It is not out of any disrespect for those sources. Some of them have very interesting things to say. It is just that my approach to research is traditional.
Q: Your book includes some material that is uncomfortable from a moral perspective. How do you respond to this?
A: My book is a small encyclopedia of popular alternative theories about the historical Jesus. Some of those theories are very controversial; and by and large, I don't take sides. Some of the moral codes that people lived by in Jesus' time are controversial today. I did not hesitate to discuss them when they were relevant to the theories and evidence being discussed.
Q: You did not provide your personal theory about Jesus. Who do you think Jesus really was?
A: I am going to leave that for my readers to decide. That is what the book is about. :-)
Q: What did Jesus say about the End Times?
A: I devote an appendix to this question, but I will briefly summarize it here.
When most people ask this question, they are thinking about the book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament. The author of that book was not the apostle John, and it is unlikely that the "Jesus" he saw was the true historical Jesus.
Jesus, however, is quoted in the regular gospels concerning a forthcoming "Kingdom of God" (a spiritual utopia on Earth). Jesus is quoted to say that the Kingdom of God will come after a spirit of truth. This statement has been interpreted in many ways. My favorite interpretation is that he was simply making a common-sense statement that when a spirit of truth permeates the human race, a utopia will unfold on Earth. One does not need to be a Christian to see the wisdom in that statement. Perhaps that is why Jesus' biggest pet peeve seemed to be hypocrisy: he may have seen it as the primary obstacle to a spirit of truth. But those are just my thoughts...
Keep exploring!