Re-Examining the Jesus Chronicles

Not a legend, but documented history, at a considerable remove in time. Not a god, but a man of his people and of his time. One who may have aspired to be recognized as above the human clay and who succumbed to the vengeance of the powers, of those whose authority he challenged.

Two millennia in human history is a prodigiously lengthy period of time; a mere nano-second in astrophysical or geological terms - but a considerable gap exists between the 21st Century and the biblical era of the New Testament.

Legends, even if they owe their existence in part to dim memories of a recollected human past of some drama and significance, have a tendency to divert from what actually occurred, since humankind have a propensity to embellish that which they wish to allocate great moment to.

There have been quite a few re-writes of late, theories that appear more acceptable than the written word speaking of miracles and God's word and His anguish over his son's suffering in the name of humanity.

Now a Jerusalem-based archaeologist has brought us fresh hypotheses, alterations in the historicity of this fabled figure of ardent devotion, unleashed at a time when the Christian world surrenders to the renewed belief in the divine, clasping the hope that a messenger of the word on high willingly sacrificed himself to demonstrate honour, courage, truthfulness and ineffable belief in the Almighty.

Even while, suffering the agonies of crucifixion, he appealed to God the Father for release, begging to know why he had been thus abandoned to the cruelties of human lust for power and revenge. Leaving a populace transfixed with the knowledge that they observed God's child suffering to absolve them of their own sins.

God bade Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to test his loyalty, then offered a sheep instead. A sterner God would not release his own son Yeshua, from his bitter fate.

Little wonder, at the time, that Jews, Greeks and Romans would give no credence to the growing legend. What powerful almighty Spiritual Redeemer, after all, would send his own and only offspring to walk the Earth, preach godliness among humankind, then sacrifice him in his human shape to suffer the gruesome tortures of crucifixion?

The Final Days of Jesus releases to a world audience the educated theories of Shimon Gibson, its author. The result of many long years of intense study, archaeological activities and expert knowledge of the archaic times during which which Jesus strode the land of Israel. Among other items revealed; the Via Dolorosa has been long in error, its route elsewhere, gleaned from records and intuition.

One may read of the common Roman practise of disposing of criminals and in the process ensuring that restive peoples under the Roman yoke understood what might await them through crucifixion. The condemned scourged with whips, forced to heave a weighted crossbeam to the crucifixion site; the nailing of feet and hands, and the agonizingly slow welcome of the final frontier toward which all humankind advances.

The Gospel forgiveness of Pontius Pilate as a basically decent and compassionate overseer, forced to succumb to the demands of the vengeful Pharisees in the Sanhedrin is placed in doubt, and with fairly good reason. "This is not at all credible. He was undoubtedly a hard and manipulative man", explained Mr. Gibson illustrated by the massacre of Samaritans so atrocious he was recalled to Rome.

As for the momentous occurrence leading to the jubilation on the discovery of the empty tomb and the sturdy belief that Christ had risen, Mr. Gibson claims himself to be without knowledge or faith, utterly agnostic. "The reality is that there is no historical explanation for the empty tomb, other than if we adopt a theological one; i.e., the resurrection.

"I leave it up to the reader to make up his own mind." And billions do, venerating Easter for the promise of sacrifice and renewed life.