The Crimson Thread: The Struggle to Become Jesus During the Revolt Against Rome, an Historical Novel PDF
Preview The Crimson Thread: The Struggle to Become Jesus During the Revolt Against Rome, an Historical Novel
THE CRIMSON THREAD The Struggle To Become Jesus During The Revolt Against Rome A Historical Novel By Royston Potter 1 The Crimson Thread THE CRIMSON THREAD The Struggle To Become Jesus During The Revolt Against Rome Copyright © Royston Potter 2005 All Rights Reserved Evanston, Wyoming 2 The Crimson Thread NOTABLE REVIEWS “Royston Potter's novel is the way one should go about approaching history in the First Century in Palestine and he does so in an imaginative, thought-provoking, and historically compelling manner. Since one is largely dealing with fictionalized romance except for Josephus (even at times, Josephus) where the First Century is concerned, fictionalized romance is the way to correct it; and Potter's experience as a Colonel in the U.S. Army gives him an edge over others who are similarly trying to reconstruct the events of this period through the prism of the novel. With a practiced eye, he is able to peer through both the Gospels and Josephus and revive this period with more accuracy than others relying on 'folk' and 'miracle-working wonder tales'. Bringing to bear the precision provided by the Dead Sea Scrolls, he has brought to life a 'Gospel Truth' more incisive than previous more 'wide-eyed', 'Neoplatonic' forays. Choose it for your must- read list.” - Robert Eisenman, author of James the Brother of Jesus. "This book is an excellent window into the true spiritual and religious practices in Israel 2000 years ago, including the impact the Hechalot (later, Kabbalah) had on events in history. He effectively negates the disinformation which has surrounded the official origins of what is now called Christianity, and he does so using historical events that he weaves into an exciting story line with a master‟s touch. A superb and entertaining novel, it clears the air." - James A. Kirkwood, author of Jacob's Ladder, and Biblical Meditations, 22 Spiritual Gifts of Ancient Israel. 3 The Crimson Thread TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Notable Reviews Table of Contents Acknowledgments Dedication Pronunciation Guide and List of Principle Characters Introduction (Author‟s Notes) Prologue Chapters 1-14 Glossary Bibliography Author‟s Biography Endnotes 4 The Crimson Thread ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank all those who have assisted me in the completion of this book. Of course, there is my wife, Carol, who encouraged me onward; also, my good friend, Jim Kirkwood, who guided me in the often difficult aspects of Jewish Mysticism, the Hechalot and the Kabbalah. In particular, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Professor Robert Eisenman‟s encouragement and inspiration. He is one who, as a true patriot, sacrificed himself for the establishment of truth and academic freedom in spite of the odds mounted against him. May we all be so engaged in the battle against tyranny over the mind of man. 5 The Crimson Thread DEDICATION This book is dedicated to the memory of my loving parents. And, to my wife, Carol, without whom I would have no inspiration. “Everything in the Old Testament is perverted and distorted into meanings never intended by the writers. The practice which the writers of the books employ is not more false than it is absurd. They state some trifling case of the person they call Jesus Christ, and then cut out a sentence from some passage of the OT and call it a prophecy of that case. But when the words thus cut out are restored to the places they are taken from, and read with the words before and after them, they give the lie to the New Testament.” -Thomas Paine “I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded upon fables and mythologies.” -Thomas Jefferson “Those who can induce you to believe absurdities can induce you to commit atrocities.” -Voltaire “The All wise Creator hath been dishonored by being made the author of fable and the human mind degraded by believing it.” -Thomas Paine “I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” -Thomas Jefferson (Stated by Jefferson during his campaign for a second term as President of the United States when Christian ministers and lobbyists were insisting he support Christianity as the national religion as a condition of his re-election.) “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it…” -Deuteronomy 4:2 6 The Crimson Thread Pronunciation Guide and List of Principle Characters Amelaus (Ă mĕ lay' ŭs) Herodian noble. Athronges (Ă thrăn' jŭs) Zealot Leader. Bethshemesh (Bĕth shĕm' ĕsh) Same place as Emmaus. Beit Lechem (Bayit Lĕkĕm) Bethlehem. Caiaphas (Kye' ă fŭss) High Priest. Cleophas (Klē ō' phăs) Miryam‟s husband. Elazer (El ā' zĕr) Mystic teacher. Eleazer (El ē ā' zĕr) Miriam‟s brother. Emmaus (Ĕm ā' yŭs) Same place as Bethshemesh but called Emmaus by the Herodians and Romans. The Jews sometimes used this term to disguise their affiliations. Jacob (Yă ā' kōv) Miryam‟s youngest son who was known as James in the New Testament. Joachanin ben Zechariah (Yō ăh' kă neen ben Zekĕrīyă) John the Baptist and the Teacher of Righteousness. Jochanan (Yō kă' năn) Martha‟s son. Joseph of Arimathea (Ār ĭ mă thē' ă) Cleophas‟ brother. Joses (Yō' sŭs) Miryam‟s oldest son. Jude (Yū' dă) Joses‟ twin brother. Kefa (Key fă) One of Miryam‟s sons whose given name was Simon. Miriam (Mēr' ē yăm) Benjamin‟s daughter and wife of Joses . Miryam (Mēr ē yăm) Joses‟ mother. Nikdimon ben Gurion (Nĭk' dĭ mōn) Member of Sanhedrin. On (Own) City of mysticism in Egypt. Reu (Ray' yū) Amelaus‟ servant. Sabinus (Să bī' nŭs) Roman Procurator. Sicarii (Sĭ car' ē) Roman term for militant, armed Zealots. Simon Magus (Sī' mŭn Mă' gūs) Mystic, healer, and magician. Zealots (Zĕl' ŏts) Jewish patriots/firm believers. 7 The Crimson Thread INTRODUCTION The man, legend, or concept known as Jesus can be found in ancient texts long before the New Testament was written, in Old Testament characters, parts and elements found in various so-called Pagan mythologies, principles heralded by Greek philosophers, evidences presented by scholars, new-fangled interpretations, and outright lies. With all the disinformation, sacred cows, and reputations at stake, the whole truth is probably lost forever, corrupted like so many of man‟s other endeavors. Likewise, my effort cannot be judged as anything less or more than those before me. But, there is one difference. I wrote this book and its sequels to force me to study the issues in detail and arrive at the most reasonable answer given what facts are available, and try to balance the rest. One does not challenge the fundamental concepts of a world religion without serious reflection, considerations of moral responsibility, a sense of vulnerability, and raw naked awe at the revelation of the magnitude of the project. This story is based on historical facts and events, which have been ignored or lost to us over the centuries. Academics and researchers have long known of these issues, but I know of few, if any, who have placed them into a readable story. The events of history in the Roman Empire 2000 years ago impact our perceptions and loyalties even today. That fact must be considered when evaluating the actual circumstances of the birth of a new religion around the efforts of Jewish patriots to free themselves from tyranny. The name of the game was liberation from oppression, the independence of Israel and its survival as a nation and people, and the guaranty of individual dignity and liberty. 8 The Crimson Thread The revolt against Rome, for that is what it was, was led by a number of aspiring liberators. The greatest of these liberators taught the idea of the freedom of the individual combined with what modern psychiatry identifies as logotherapy,1 not the prescription of blind acceptance or feel-good spiritualism. He taught that any requirement to obey a dogma, no matter how well meaning, was unrighteous force. While all peoples fashion their gods after the understanding of their own hearts, any attempt to force that image on others upon some pain of retribution or vengeance does not fit in with the need for the right to discover truth for oneself. This is admittedly contrary to the way this story has been handed down through the millennia. History shows us there were many “saviors” at the time in history we are presenting. From the Pagan god-myths of Mythra and Dionysus, to the historically verifiable Hebrew messiah claimants beginning with Yeishu ben Pandeira (100 BCE) through Judas of Sepphoris, Athronges, Judas the Galilean, and even Simeon Bar Kochba (as late as 135 CE) to name a few, there has hardly ever been a time without someone trying to fit the profile and lay claim to the title. The historian Josephus even named the then soon-to-be Emperor Vespasian as the promised messiah from Judea! The fact is, many peoples, if not all of them, have a legend of some “man-god” who saves mankind from himself. Whether it is a collective subconscious hope, or a teaching of the ancients assimilated into every culture and tongue according to their understandings, the fact is it exists. The extant existence of this hope, especially amongst the so-called pagans, seems to me to be more of a revelation of the validity of this hope, rather than detraction from it. But, this brings us to a more plausible explanation of the legend, not of a God-man, but a man accepted by God because of his works and faithfulness. Perhaps, it is most likely 9 The Crimson Thread a blueprint, if you will, for each individual. The truth is not done for you; you do it for yourself. You are the one ultimately responsible. The greatest gift to us is our unquenchable thirst for answers, and no one has the right to inhibit honest inquiry and the experimentation inherent with that as long as we do not interfere with the rights of others. Who really knows the absolute truth? Usually, as history proves, not those who proclaim they do. Often, it is an individual struggle, rewarded with the awe of discovery that brings with it true conversion, not blind obeisance for mere survival. As one of my former teachers put it, the man Jesus was the first to realize the benefits of his religion for himself. The premise of the story I present here is based on a family that was steeped in Judean and Galilean resistance to the kittim (Hebrew for foreign invaders or usurpers, the time in reference occupied by Rome and the Herodians). This family appears to provide the central figures of the revolt against Rome, and their names are shown not only in the New Testament, but in other references as well. The distortions concerning these individuals resulted from the fog of history as well as the deliberate attempts by those who saw this information as somehow damaging to their theology or political control. Evidence of this can be seen in the historian Josephus‟ works, where the period we are discussing basically takes up only four pages in his Antiquities of the Jews and little over two in his Wars of the Jews. By contrast, a similar period during Herod‟s reign took fifty-three pages in the Antiquities alone! Explanations for this abound, but none are satisfactory. Either someone, hopefully not Josephus, omitted the material concerning the time frame in question, or Josephus was a party to the subterfuge: a possibility given his position with the Roman Flavian Imperial family. 10
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