The Original Jesus: The Buddhist Sources of Christianity

Gruber, Elmar R.; Kersten, Holger

ISBN 10: 1852308354 / ISBN 13: 9781852308353

Published by Element Books Ltd, 1996

About this Item

An acceptable and readable copy. All pages are intact, and the spine and cover are also intact. This item may have light highlighting, writing or underlining through out the book, curled corners, missing dust jacket and or stickers. Seller Inventory # 467IJT006F0G

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Original Jesus: The Buddhist Sources of ...

Publisher: Element Books Ltd

Publication Date: 1996

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Acceptable

About this title

Synopsis:

The existence of striking parallels between elements of the New Testament gospels and Buddhist texts has caused controversy among scholars and theologians in recent decades. In this book, the authors of "The Jesus Conspiracy" explore the connections between Buddhist missionaries in the Holy Land and the origins of Christianity. They trace the arrival of Buddhist missions in Alexandria, where a small community was then established based on Buddhist principles. These missionaries, from the theravada school of Buddhism and known locally as "therapeutae", influenced the Essenes and other Mediterranean religious communities, including that at Qumran. The evidence now indicates that Jesus may have been brought up by these therapeutae before continuing his education in other communities whose way of life had strong affinities with Buddhism. Against this background it is hardly surprising to find extensive use of Buddhist material in the gospels, both in the narrative of Jesus's life and in his teachings, and the book makes a detailed comparison between older Buddhist material and the aphorisms of Jesus.