An investigation of the historical figure of Jesus and his esoteric teachings
Guest article by John Temple
In his final article on the Search for Truth, John Temple examines the evidence for the existence of the historical figure of Jesus and the occult truths concealed in the Sermon on the Mount.
Introduction
In this series of twelve articles I have shown my readers that much of the Christian religion has been borrowed from the Wisdom Teachings and Mythos of ancient Egypt. In this final article I investigate what is known of the life and training of the historical figure of Jesus and examine some of his esoteric teachings. These teachings, which have come down to us cloaked in the narratives and parables of the New Testament gospels, find their most perfect and beautiful expression in the Sermon on the Mount, which forms the subject of my afterword.
I said 'final article' just now, for I do not intend to write any more upon this subject. The work I began nearly six years ago is finished. This is not to say that I have nothing more to say to my loyal and appreciative readers, many of whom have sent me the kindest expressions of gratitude over the years. But there comes a point in any endeavour when one must call a halt once the goal has been attained. That goal has been to reveal the many links between Religion and the Ancient Mysteries, focusing especially on the hidden Wisdom in the Bible and tracing the source of that Wisdom back to ancient Egypt. I don't think anyone can say that I have not done so thoroughly and honestly in the time and space available to me. One could, of course, fill several books with the subjects I have discussed in these twelve articles, and still not cover all the ground. If time permits and a publisher can be found who is foolhardy and reckless enough to publish my articles in the vain hope that someone, somewhere might wish to read them, this search for Truth may appear in print.
If I have the inclination, time and energy I may write further articles for the website—but that is not a promise. The editors are rather keen I carry on—well, they would be——all the less work for them! They have very generously said I may choose any subject I like. "Any subject?" I asked. "Yes," they replied. I think this was a big mistake on their part. What if I were to take them up on their kind offer and wax lyrical about Psittacus erithacus? That's the 'posh' term for African Grey parrots for those who are interested in exotic birds. My faithful African Grey 'John' (no relation) is still hale and hearty, having reached the ripe old age of 37. Some live to be sixty, so the talkative old chap may yet outlive me! You may be wondering what sort of things he talks about, and whether he knows any really rude words to embarrass unwanted visitors into leaving sooner rather than later. Well, you'll just have to go on speculating, as my lips are sealed!
I could choose to write about growing tomatoes outdoors, not an easy thing to do in the unpredictable and often inclement climate we 'enjoy' in these islands. Global warming? I hear you ask. Not a chance of it in these parts, despite the hot weather we enjoyed in June and July last year (2018). It was considerably warmer in 1990, and also in 1976, when the temperature reached 35 degrees centigrade for five consecutive days in July (that's 95 degrees for my American readers). The summer of 1959 was another scorcher in England. I remember it especially well as it was the year my youngest daughter entered this world on a day when the thermometer hit 33 degrees. Unsurprisingly, she has been a sun-worshipper ever since. This has a double meaning which will not be lost on some of my readers. As I update this series of articles in mid-August 2022, a long spell of very fine and warm weather has just ended in a Biblical deluge of the wet stuff—sorely needed by my parched garden! For the benefit of my many transatlantic fans I should add that we have a saying here that an English summer consists of "one fine day followed by a thunderstorm."
So, the weather here has been pretty normal for the time of year. It is, as we also say in these septic (sic) isles, "just weather", though the meteorologists who now rely on computer modelling for their prognostications rather than weather ships, weather balloons and actual observation, would have us believe that the recent warm spell means climate Armageddon is upon us. Indeed, one tabloid newspaper which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, gleefully trumpeted that "thousands will die." They didn't. The irony of such dire warnings of imminent disaster and death (even the BBC got in on the act), is that tens of thousands of 'Brits' travel to Spain every summer to turn their pasty white bodies tomato red in temperatures a lot higher than those we have just experienced here. Oddly enough, they don't die either. Could the computer models possibly be wrong? Perish the thought!
The one thing which characterises English weather is that we have rather a lot of it. It is by no means unusual for a day to start off as winter, transition to summer by luncheon, and end in a howling autumnal gale by tea-time. Not that this cuts any ice with the climate change and global warming lunatics now running the asylum. During the recent hot weather our caring Government told us to stay indoors. Anyone sufficiently reckless and foolish to venture forth into the glorious sunshine was sternly admonished to 'wear a hat' and 'drink plenty of water.' The BBC, or 'Biased Broadcasting Corporation' as it is not affectionately known to its many critics, is in the vanguard of those pushing the climate change agenda, despite damning evidence that it is all a dystopian chimera designed to enrich the few at the expense of the many As long ago as 2004, the BBC cited the evidence of 'expert' climatologists that the Maldives (a group of islands in the Indian ocean) would soon be submerged by rising sea levels, resulting in the forced evacuation of the 360,000 inhabitants. It didn't happen. By 2022, the population had increased by 50% to 541,000 according to United Nations data. Moreover, recent ocean surveys have showed that the coral atolls of which the islands are made are increasing in size. But I digress. I'm supposed to be writing about The Mystery of Jesus, not parrots, tomatoes, or climate change, which latter subject the authors of this website thoroughly debunk in a recent article, so I'd better make a start or I will still be at it long after my loyal readers have expired from boredom. Do I hear cries of 'never!' and 'perish the thought'? It would be nice to think so, but one doesn't like to count one's parrots! Before we consider the evidence for the existence of the historical figure of Jesus I would just like to add that when this article was updated I had made several new contributions to the website. Please see the list at the end of the sidebar.
The early life and education of Jesus
As I have discussed in my previous articles, the Bible is replete with parables, sayings and narratives which are almost identical to those to be found in the Wisdom Literature of ancient Egypt. This is especially true of the four canonical gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. From this it follows that if everything attributed to Jesus in these gospels is true, their compilers must have been acquainted with the Egyptian Mystery Teachings, however fragmentary those teachings were at the time these four books were compiled. Gerald Massey, whose writings I have referred to in several previous articles, distinguished these teachings with the appellation 'the logia—or words—of the Lord', which have their origin in such papyri as the Teaching of Ptah-Hetep, the Teaching of Amen-em-apt and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. We find confirmation of this in the Sefer Toledot Yeshu, which, together with many other sources, such as the Gospel of Thomas, tells us that Jesus was educated in Egypt and passed his infancy and youth with the Brotherhoods of the Essenes and other mystic communities.
The Sefer Toledot Yeshu is a rabbinical text thought to have been composed in the second century of our era which has received little attention from either Jewish or Christian scholars. This is not surprising as it bears the unmistakable stamp of having been composed by one or more writers familiar with the teachings of the Pagan Mystery Schools, which were and remain, anathema to both Judaism and Christianity alike. The title of the text is usually translated as The Book of the generations, history and life of Jesus, and gives the following account of his birth and early education. "Mary having become the mother of a Son, named Jehosuah, and the boy growing up, she entrusted him to the care of the Rabbi Elhanan, and the child progressed in knowledge, for he was well gifted with spirit and understanding. Rabbi Joshua, son of Perahiah, continued the education of Jehosuah (Jesus) after Elhanan, and initiated him in the secret knowledge. But the King, Janneus, having given orders to slay all the initiates, Joshua Ben Perahiah, fled to Alexandria, in Egypt, taking the boy with him."
"While in Alexandria," the story continues, "they were received in the house of a rich and learned lady." It is debatable whether such a paragon existed. I am inclined to see a concealed reference to the Wisdom Teachings of Egypt in the mysterious 'lady', for Wisdom in both the Jewish and Christian traditions was always a feminine principle. Our anonymous writer continues. "Young Jesus found her beautiful, notwithstanding 'a defect in her eyes,' and declared so to his master. Upon hearing this, the latter became so angry that his pupil should find in the land of bondage anything good, that he cursed him and drove the young man from his presence." There then follows a series of adventures told in allegorical language which show that Jesus supplemented his initiation in the Jewish Kabala with the acquisition of the secret wisdom of Egypt. When the persecution ceased, he and his teacher returned to Judea. The 'defect in her eyes' mentioned in the gospel has puzzled many scholars, who not being occultists, were unable to make head nor tale of this enigmatical statement. The solution to the mystery is a simple one and therefore not obvious.
Egypt, at the time Jesus visited it, if he did, which is very possible, was not the Egypt of the initiated pharaohs of old. The emperor Augustus conquered it in 30 B.C., after which it became a province of Rome until the partition of the Roman Empire at the close of the third century A.D. Prior to that Egypt had been ruled by the Persians and the Ptolemies, who although they rebuilt many of the temples, did nothing to maintain the Egyptian Mystery Schools, the last of which had closed it doors more than a thousand years before Augustus set foot on the sacred soil of Egypt. What little remained of the Higher Mysteries once taught in these schools was now so overlaid with superstition and the inclusion of Persian, Greek and Roman ideas that Jesus, intuitively recognizing these corrupting influences, found the teachings imparted to him defective in the Wisdom he sought. Yet enough of that Wisdom remained for him to find it 'beautiful', just as I find it beautiful and many of my readers do too.
This was not a view shared by Jesus' Jewish teacher—the rabbi Joshua Ben Perahiah—who as we read, became 'angry' and 'cursed' him. Why he did so is too complex a subject to discuss in this article, but those of you who have studied the Pentateuch can probably hazard a good guess. For what we read in these first five books of the Bible, especially Genesis, has clearly been borrowed from ancient Egypt and Chaldea, to name but two sources from which the Jews derived their cosmogony and eschatology. Neither should we forget that Moses was said to be "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds" (Acts 7:22). Meaning he was an adept in the Occult Sciences and Magic. No one likes to be caught out in an imposture, and since we may be tolerably sure that the good rabbi was familiar with the history of Moses and well aware of the source from which he drew his 'wisdom', his anger is easily explained. Incidentally, all the best sources tell us that Joshua Ben Perahiah flourished in the second century B.C., which rather puts an inconvenient historical cat among the theological pigeons so far as the birth of Jesus is concerned which most scholars think was around 5 B.C.!
The first Christians were well aware of the Jewish stories about Jesus. The pagan philosopher Celsus, who was famous for his opposition to the early Church, referred to the Sefer Toledot Yeshu as sufficient proof that Jesus went to Egypt where he was instructed in the Occult Sciences. The 3rd century Church Father, Origen, vehemently disagreed, and argued fiercely against Celsus in his book Contra Celsum (Against Celsus), despite the fact that according to the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the baby Jesus to escape the massacre of the innocents ordered by King Herod. The fanatical Church Father Tertullian, writing in the 2nd century, in a fiery diatribe against the Jews, leaves us in no doubt that he shared Origen's views. It is worth pointing out at this juncture that the massacre of the innocents mentioned in the gospel of Matthew and no other (Matthew 2:16-18) is a Christian copy of the universal age-old allegory of a king who tries to kill a child who is prophesied to supplant him. Not knowing which child will grow up to usurp his throne, the king orders the massacre of all the children. The same event occurred at the birth of Krishna, where King Kamsa takes the place of Herod, as we may read in chapter three of The Book of Sa-Heti.
The divinity and mission of Jesus
It may surprise some readers to learn that Jesus never claimed to be THE Son of God. Nor did he desire to be worshipped as a god. We are all sons and daughters of God—let no one persuade you otherwise! James, the 'Brother of the Lord,' never calls Jesus the "Son of God." Once only, speaking of Jesus, he calls him the "Lord of Glory," but so do the Nazarenes when writing about John the Baptist. Their favourite expressions about their prophet are the same as those used by James when speaking of Jesus. A man "of the seed of a man," "Messenger of Life," and "of light", "my Lord Apostle," "King sprung of Light," and so on and so forth. These same or similar titles were given to every holy messenger from God to man, of which Jesus was only one among many.
In support of this argument we have Jesus' own testimony regarding John. "What went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:9-11). We should remember that it was the Roman Church who changed Mary, the mother of Jesus, into a goddess. In the eyes of the early Christians she was merely a woman. The inescapable conclusion is that Jesus confessed John greater than himself. Further confirmation of this is found in the language employed by the Angel Gabriel when addressing Mary: "Blessed art thou among women." These words are unequivocal. He does not adore her as the Mother of God, nor does he call her goddess; he does not even address her as "Virgin," but he calls her simply woman, and only distinguishes her above other women as having had better fortune, through her purity.
Those of you who have read The Book of Sa-Heti, mentioned above and published in full on this website, will know that the mythical birth and life of Jesus are a faithful copy of those of the Hindu Saviour, Krishna, while his historical character of a religious reformer mirrors the work of Gautama Buddha in India. In more than one respect their great resemblance in philanthropic and spiritual aspirations, as well as external circumstances is truly striking. Like Jesus, the Buddha felt dissatisfied with the dogmatic spirit of the religion of his country, the intolerance and hypocrisy of the priesthood, their outward show of devotion, and their useless ceremonials and prayers. As the Buddha broke away from the traditional laws and rules of the Brahmans, so did Jesus declare war against the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Each aimed at a social as well as at a religious reformation; and giving a death-blow to the old religions of their respective countries, each became the founder of a new one.
If we carefully compare the prophecies respecting Krishna to be found in the sacred texts of Hinduism with the passages in the Bible concerning the birth of the Saviour, we find some remarkable correspondences, of which the following are just a few examples, Hindu text first. "He (the Redeemer) shall come, crowned with lights, the pure fluid issuing from the great soul. . .dispersing darkness" (Atharvaveda). "The people of Galilee of the Gentiles which sat in darkness saw great light" (Matthew 4:16; Isaiah 9:6-7). "In the early part of the Kali-Yuga shall be born the son of the Virgin" (Vishnu Purana). "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son" (Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:23). "He shall come, and life will defy death. . .and he shall revivify the blood of all beings" (Atharvaveda). "And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish" (John 10:28). "Happy the blest womb that shall bear him" (Vishnu Purana). "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Luke 1:42). "And God shall manifest His glory, and make His power resound, and shall reconcile Himself with His creatures" (Vishnu Purana). "God manifested forth His glory" (John 2:11.). You can read a brief review of The Book of Sa-Heti at the end of the sidebar.
Apollonius of Tyana was a contemporary of Jesus of Nazareth, and, like him, an enthusiastic founder of a new spiritual school. Perhaps less metaphysical and more practical than Jesus, less tender and perfect in his nature, he nevertheless inculcated the same quintessence of spirituality, and the same high moral truths. His great mistake was to confine them too closely to the higher classes of society. While to the poor and the humble Jesus preached "Peace on earth and good will to men," Apollonius was the friend of kings, and moved with the aristocracy. He was born among the latter, and was himself a man of great wealth, while the "Son of man," representing the people, "had not where to lay his head," as the Bible tells us. Nevertheless, the two 'miracle-workers' exhibited striking similarity of purpose. Like the Buddha and Jesus, Apollonius was the uncompromising enemy of all outward show of piety, all display of useless religious ceremonies and hypocrisy. If, like the Christian Saviour, the sage of Tyana had by preference sought the companionship of the poor and humble; and if instead of dying comfortably, at over one hundred years of age, he had been a voluntary martyr, proclaiming divine Truth from a cross as the Church believes and teaches, his blood might have proved as efficacious for the subsequent dissemination of spiritual doctrines as that of the Christian Messiah.
The Nazarenes
As I discussed in my previous article on the facts and fictions of the Church, all the historical sources affirm that the earliest Christians were either Nazarenes like John the Baptist; or Ebionites, among whom were many of the relatives of Jesus; or Essenes, of which the Nazaria were a branch. All these various sects, which only in the days of the early Church Fathers began to be considered heretical, were more or less Kabbalistic. They believed in the expulsion of demons by magical incantations, prophecy, and healed the sick by the laying on of hands.
The Jewish Talmud indiscriminately calls all the Christians Nozari, meaning Nazarenes. The real meaning of the word nazar signifies to vow or consecrate one's self to the service of God. As a noun it is a diadem or emblem of such consecration, a head so consecrated. In common with other initiatic sects the Nazarenes were strongly opposed to the idolatrous and exoteric practices of the dead letter of religion. This accounts for the hatred of the later Nazarenes for the orthodox Jews—followers of the exoteric Mosaic Law.
The oldest Nazarenes, whose last prominent leader was John the Baptist, although never very orthodox in the sight of the scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem were, nevertheless, respected and left unmolested. Even Herod "feared the multitude" because they regarded John as a prophet (Matthew 14:5). But the followers of Jesus were primarily Essenes—a Nazarene sect which became a still more exasperating thorn in their side. It appeared as a heresy within another heresy; for while the nazars of the past were Chaldean Kabbalists, the adepts of the new dissenting sect of the Essenes were religious reformers and innovators from the first, so it is not surprising that Jesus should have become their pupil, but whether he remained so is open to question, for he taught openly whereas the Essenes did not. Nor does he appear to have practised the strict asceticism of his teachers, as the Bible tells us: "The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!" (Luke 7:34).
What is not in doubt is that Jesus preached the same philosophy as the Buddha. Both attempted to benefit humanity by instigating a religious reform which should give it a religion of pure ethics and rules of conduct. For until Jesus' began his mission, the true knowledge of God and the eternal spiritual laws of the Universe were solely in the hands of the esoteric sects and their adepts. As Jesus used oil and the Essenes never used anything but pure water in their rites, he cannot be called a strict Essene. And yet he was an Essene and Nazarene, for we not only find him sending a message to Herod, to say that he was one of those who cast out demons, and who performed cures, but also called himself a prophet, equal to the other prophets.
Gustave Doré — The Sermon on the Mount — wood engraving coloured by occult-mysteries
Who was the real Jesus?
When I was first ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church I accepted the canonical gospels as containing a faithful and accurate record of the birth, life and ministry of Jesus. When I later learnt that there was a historical teacher called Yeshu (or Jehoshua or Joshua) ben Pandera, who lived around 100 B.C., mentioned in the Talmud, I made the common mistake of supposing that he and the Jesus portrayed in the gospels were one and the same historical personage. But after weighing up all the evidence and much soul-searching over many years I changed my mind. The reasons for my change of heart were many. Firstly, this date does not agree with the generally accepted time of the birth of Jesus. Secondly, if Jesus was Jehoshua ben Pandera, and he lived around 100 B.C. as Massey and others have stated, why did it take more than a century for a following to gather around him? But the most compelling reason was the inescapable fact that the parables and narratives of the gospels bear too close a resemblance to the Wisdom Teachings of Egypt, the life and teachings of Krishna, (who antedated Jesus by some 3,000 years), and the mythical Messiah of all times and peoples, to be dismissed as mere 'coincidences'.
The "blasphemous writings of the Jews about Jesus," as the second century Christian apologist Justin Martyr calls them, always refer to Jehoshua ben Pandera, and not to the Jesus of the gospels. Gerald Massey has shown that it is ben Pandera they mean when they say they have another and a truer account of the birth, life, miracles and death of the Jesus of the gospels. The only Jesus known to the Jews was this same Jehoshua ben Pandera, who, as the Sefer Toledot Yeshu we mentioned earlier tells us, learnt the arts of magic in Egypt, and who is said to have been put to death by them as a sorcerer. This was likewise the only Jesus known to Celsus who wrote that Jehoshua was not a true logos, but a man who had learnt the arts of sorcery in Egypt. Gerald Massey tells us that the Christians of the fourth century traced the pedigree of Jesus to Joshua ben Pandera, the pupil of the Rabbi Joshua, son of Perahiah mentioned earlier, the same who becomes one of the magicians in Egypt, and who was crucified as a magician by the Jews. Whatever the truth of this, one thing is clear; the Jews vehemently refuted the identification of Joshua ben Pandera with the Jesus of the gospels, of whom they, his supposed contemporaries, knew nothing. On the other hand many Christians and scholars did and still do identify Jesus with ben Pandera.
Another candidate for the person of Jesus was one Jesus ben Ananias. The historian Josephus tells us that beginning in 66 A.D., ben Ananias prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders of the city turned him over to the Romans who tortured and then released him. He died much later from a catapult shot during the Roman siege of Jerusalem. Perhaps the most unlikely candidate was Ben Stada whom I mentioned in my previous article on the facts and fictions of the Church. Ben Stada or Stara as he is also called was a second century Jewish agitator who met his end in the town of Lydda (twenty five miles from Jerusalem) at the hands of a Romans.
Who is right and where is the truth to be found? Gerald Massey was convinced that Jesus and Joshua ben Pandera, or Jehoshua Ben-Pandira, as he calls him in his books, were one and the same person. His arguments are quite compelling, but I remain sceptical for the reasons given above. So, you may take your pick of the many 'Yeshuas' who flourished around the times Jesus is thought to have lived, but I doubt that the identity of the man himself will ever be firmly established. Nor does it matter a great deal, except to Biblical scholars and pedantic Christian theologians. What matters, or should matter to those of us in search of Truth and nothing but the Truth, are the teachings attributed to the Jesus of the gospels. All too many seekers are so obsessed with 'authorities' and personalities that they entirely lose sight of the fact that it is what is spoken that matters, not who said it.
Before I conclude this part of my investigation let us also get away from the pious awe with which the name 'Yeshu' is now bandied about by those who know little of the real history of Christianity and less about the ancient Egyptian Mythos. 'Yeshu' or 'Yeshua' is simply a variant of Jehoshua, Yehoshua and Joshua. There is nothing 'magical' or 'holy' in the name, which was a very common one in Biblical times, much like 'John' is today. Our word 'Jesus' is derived from Iēsous, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua or Joshua. We must also take into account that the identification of Jesus with Joshua ben Pandera presents further problems. The Apostle Paul makes reference to a rival teacher preaching 'another Jesus' in 2 Corinthians 11:4, while the author of Ecclesiasticus is given as Yeshua ben Sira, or Jesus, the son of Sirach. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, mentions no less than nineteen different persons named Yeshua who lived between the reign of Herod the Great (74 B.C.- ca. 4 A.D.) and the fall of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Here we may have something of interest, for this period coincides with the advent of the 'Teacher of Righteousness' mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumran near the Dead Sea in 1947. Was that teacher the historical Jesus immortalized in the gospels? Possibly, even probably, but we have no idea of his name. What we do know is that he cannot have been Joshua ben Pandera as Massey thought or the scrolls would mention him by name and they do not.
Jesus and the mythical Messiah
As I have shown in my previous articles, the historical figure of Jesus depicted in the gospels is a faithful amalgam of the type of the mythical Messiah who was Horus (the Saviour) in the Osirian mythos at Abydos; Khonsu (the Light of the World) in that of Amen-Ra at Thebes; and Iu-em-hetep (the Prince of Peace) in the cult of Ptah at Memphis. I said earlier that the word 'Jesus' is derived from Iēsous, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua or Joshua. Now, 'iu' is the root of the name Iuasus in Egyptian, which means 'to come.' Iu-em-hetep, the son of Ptah, was the 'Ever-Coming One,' who is always portrayed in the Egyptian mythos as the marching youngster, in the act and attitude of coming, while 'hetep' means Peace. Hence, the entire name means and signifies 'he who comes with peace', as the foremost or first of the peacemakers, the Sons of God, as the Sermon on the Mount which I discuss in my afterword, tells us.
This is the identical character in which Jesus is announced by the angels. And when Jesus comes to his disciples after the resurrection it is as the bringer of peace. "Learn of me and ye shall find rest," says the Christ. Khonsu-Nefer-Hetep, the 'beautiful one of Peace' fulfilled the same role and function as Jesus does in the gospels in the cult of Amen-Ra. The Egyptian Jesus, Iu-em-Hetep, was the second Atum; Paul's Jesus is the second Adam. In one rendition of John's gospel, instead of the 'only-begotten Son of God,' a variant reading gives the 'only-begotten God,' which some scholars have declared an impossible rendering. But when we learn that the 'only-begotten God' was an especial type in Egyptian mythology, and that the fifth century Egyptian priest of Isis, Horapollo says, "to denote the only-begotten or a father, the Egyptians delineate a Scarabeus," the variant makes perfect sense. Horapollo adds: "By this they symbolise an only-begotten, because the creature (scarab beetle) is self-produced, being unconceived by a female."
Now, the youthful manifestor of the beetle-god was Iu-em-hetep, the Egyptian Jesus. The phraseology of John faithfully echoes the inscriptions found on the Egyptian monuments, which relate how the Universe arose in the beginning. The Scarabeus was the zootype of Khepera or Khepri, who was the Beginner of Becoming from the first, and who made all things, but who himself was not made. Not only was the beetle-god continued in the doctrine of the 'only-begotten God' of Christianity; the scarab-beetle was also adopted as a symbol of the Christ. Ambrose and Augustine, amongst the early Christian Fathers, identified Jesus with, and as, the 'good Scarabeus,' which further identifies the Jesus of John's gospel with the Jesus of Egypt, who was the Ever-Coming Son and Prince of Peace from the earliest times.
From the descent of the Holy Ghost to overshadow Mary, through the parables of Jesus, to the ascension of the risen Christ on the third day after his crucifixion, the subject-matter, the characters, occurrences, events, acts, and sayings of the gospels bear the unmistakable stamp of the Sacred Egyptian Mysteries and the dramas enacted within them which told the story of the mythical Messiah and the trials of initiation. Every time a Christian turns to the East to make his obeisance to the Christ, it is a confession that the cult is solar, the admission being all the more telling because it is unconscious. Every picture of the Christ, with the halo of glory around his head, of the infant Jesus in the arms of the Mother of All, of his depiction as a lamb, as a shepherd feeding his flock, as the fisher of men, and as the Prince of Peace and Ever-coming Son are sure and certain proofs of his origin in the mythical Solar Messiah of Egypt, who was Horus in one phase of the Mythos and Osiris, Khonsu and Iu-em-hetep in others.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is my firm conviction that the Christian religion is nothing more nor less than the ancient Egyptian religion with the Egyptian wisdom taken OUT. It has taught men to believe that the vilest spirit may be washed white in the atoning blood of the purest, offered up as a bribe to an avenging God. It has divinised a figure of helpless human suffering, and a face of pitiful pain. It has reared its dogmas on the lie of 'original sin' and the need for a human scapegoat to atone for the wickedness and impiety of men. But a time will come when the fable of this fictitious fall of man, and the false redemption by the cloud-begotten angry and jealous 'god' of the Old Testament shall have passed away like a shadow in the night of man's idolatry and blindness. Then men and women will awaken to learn that there is a God of Love and Light and that we—not priests, or a blood-soaked scapegoat hanging on the cross of wooden ignorance—are the arbiters of our own salvation or damnation.
If this, and the previous articles in this investigation, have opened the eyes of even one of my readers to the Ageless Truths I have endeavoured to put before them and shown them something of the beauty, grandeur and wisdom to be found in the Bible and other sacred texts, my labours will be amply repaid.
The Search for Truth
In this unique series of twelve articles, the author explores and investigates the many links between Religion and the Occult, focusing especially on the hidden meaning concealed within the Bible and its many correspondences with the Wisdom Teachings of ancient Egypt. Along the way he explores the nature of true spirituality, the illuminati who are supposed to 'rule our lives', the problem of good and evil, prayer and talent. While each article can be read on its own, they form an ascending scale of revelation, the full import of which will only become clear when they are studied in their proper sequence, in the order of publication listed below.
Searching for Truth. The moving and true story of one seeker's troubled and eventful journey of spiritual discovery as related to the author.
Who are the REAL illuminati? The author dispels the many misconceptions surrounding the mysterious 'illuminati' and attempts to discover who the occult masters who are said to 'rule our lives' really are and what they do.
Esotericism in the Nativity. An investigation of the Bible story of the birth of Jesus, revealing the many layers of hidden meaning it contains, and the historical parallels between Jesus and the many saviours of other religions.
If God is good why does he allow evil? An investigation of the problem of Good and Evil from the perspective of Occult Science and some important extracts from the Oera Linda Book which shed light on this age-old question.
Hidden Wisdom in the Bible. Why and how it was concealed, and the tools the sincere seeker needs to dig it out. In his afterword the author examines the hidden meanings within the Biblical parable of the prodigal son
Esoteric meaning of Easter. An investigation of the true significance and esoteric meaning of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, and the parallels between the Christian and ancient Egyptian religions.
Hidden meaning in the Book of Proverbs. An investigation of the origins of the Biblical Book of Proverbs and the hidden meaning in it, and their close similarity to the maxims found in the ancient Egyptian Teaching of Ptah-Hetep
The sayings of the Saviour analysed. An occult investigation and analysis of some parables from the NT gospels, the real origins of Christianity and its close connection with the wisdom teachings of ancient Egypt.
The metaphysics of Talent. An analysis of the hidden meaning in the parable of the talents in the New Testament, what talent is; whence it comes, where it leads, and its right and wrong use.
The power of Prayer. An investigation of the nature, purpose and power of prayer, the many misconceptions surrounding it, and an analysis of the occult truths contained in the Lord's Prayer.
Facts and fictions of the Church. An investigation of the origins of the Christian Church, some of its doctrines and dogmas, and the so-called 'heresies' which threatened its survival in the early centuries of our era.
The Mystery of Jesus (this article). An investigation of the evidence for the existence of the historical figure of Jesus and the occult truths concealed in the Sermon on the Mount.
'John' (no relation)
About the author
John Temple is the pen-name of a writer who has studied and practised the occult sciences for more than 60 years. He graduated from Cambridge University with a first in Theology and Religious Studies and was ordained as a Minister in the Anglican Church in 1957. He left the Church in 1972 and has since lectured to students around the world on a wide variety of occult, religious and mystical subjects.
John retired in 2002 and now lives quietly in London with his wife, two Yorkshire terriers and a talkative African Grey Parrot called John, shown in typically meditative mood at left.
In this afterword I examine the esoteric truths concealed in the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount—known as the Beatitudes—has been the source of inspiration, comfort and guidance to ordinary men and women for nearly two thousand years and remains a beacon of hope and solace for millions to this day. But there is very much more concealed in these teachings than the obvious and literal one, and it is the purpose of this afterword to uncover the great occult truths it contains.
The Sermon on the Mount consists of verses 3-11 in chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew which begin with the word 'blessed', which itself has a deeper meaning as we shall see as I develop my theme. But the nine verses which form the Beatitudes are really eight, since verse 11 is a recapitulation of verse 10. Some scholars think this has been added from Isaiah 51:7. I agree and incline to the view that it may have been interpolated to bolster the Church's dogma that the historical Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, rather than a son of God, as we all are, or daughters of God, if we are female. But before we consider the hidden meaning of the Beatitudes, it is necessary to see what we can discover about their origins.
Origins
As I discussed in my article on the Sayings of the Saviour, no one knows for certain when the Gospel of Matthew was written or by whom. This applies to the Sermon on the Mount too. Some scholars believe it is derived from a hypothetical collection of sayings referred to simply as 'Q', from the German Quelle, meaning source. This theory is based on the fact that the eight Beatitudes in Matthew are broadly similar to the Sermon on the Plain found in verses 20-22 in chapter 6 the Gospel of Luke.
"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake."
Other scholars dispute this theory, citing the absence of such sayings in the Gospel of Mark as evidence that each sermon was composed independently of the other. Given the similarity between them, this seems unlikely to me. A more reasonable hypothesis is that the 'Q' source provided the basic framework for the two sermons and that each was rearranged to suit the intentions of the compiler, or compilers. For it is noteworthy that the Sermon on the Mount is imparted to the chosen disciples of Jesus on the mountain, whereas the Sermon on the Plain was delivered to the multitude assembled below it. I shall return to this important distinction later on.
It is the close similarity between many passages in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke which led 19th century scholars to posit the prior existence of a common source used in both—the aforementioned 'Q'. This is posited on two main grounds. Firstly, the congruence between many passages in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Secondly, the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, which I mentioned in my investigation of the Mystery of Jesus at left. The book consists of the Logia of the Lord, that is, sayings attributed to Jesus, sometimes as standalone statements and sometimes contained in short dialogues or parables. The Gospel of Thomas was well-known to many of the early Fathers of the Church, and is mentioned by Hippolytus of Rome and Origen.
In the 4th century, Cyril of Jerusalem mentions a 'Gospel of Thomas' twice in his Catechesis, warning his readers that: "Let none read the Gospel according to Thomas: for it is the work not of one of the twelve Apostles, but of one of the three wicked disciples of Manes." Manes or Mani was a Persian prophet who founded the so-called 'heretical' sect of Manichaeism which was one of many threats to the emerging Christian Church from the third to seventh centuries of our era.
Cyril, being a fanatical pillar of the early Church, was naturally opposed to anything that smacked of the hated Pagan Mysteries. Hence, he had every reason to discourage the 'faithful' from reading the Gospel of Thomas which bears the unmistakable stamp of the Wisdom Teachings of ancient Egypt, as I said in my article. From this it seems quite clear to me that the Beatitudes are a genuine, if fragmentary and distorted copy of the Secret Sermon of Hermes in the Mount of Regeneration found in Book Seven of The Divine Pymander. Needless to add, this is not a view shared by Theologians or Biblical scholars. The sole exception being Gerald Massey, whose writings I have referred to in several previous articles, and who did so much to show that the historical figure of Jesus is a faithful copy of the Mythical Christ.
The Beatitudes
Before I come to analyse the eight Beatitudes themselves, let us look at the verses which precede them. "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him, and he opened his mouth, and taught them. . ." (Matthew 5:1-2). There are several important things to note in these two seemingly simple verses if we are to get at the occult, or hidden sense of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus did not deliver this teaching to the multitudes, for they remained at the foot of the 'mountain', whereas he ascended to the top, and there imparted his teaching to his chosen, pledged disciples in secret.
This 'mountain', 'mount', 'hill' or mountains occurs many times in the gospels, where it is always a metaphor for the 'holy mount', to which every teacher of the Eternal Verities both retires to, and teaches from, during the course of his mission. Here we have a concealed reference to the higher realms or worlds of Light to which all such teachers belong and from whence they descend to earth to fulfil their mission.
The 'multitudes', on the other hand, receive that message of the teacher in the form of parables, for they lack the ability to ascend to the mountain top, being young in evolution as well as in experience. Not that this is any slur on their worthiness, or some form of spiritual 'elitism' on behalf of the teacher, whether Jesus, or any other. It is simply a universal law of life, which Jesus himself refers to, as we may read in Matthew 13:13: "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." But to his chosen disciples, those who are capable and ready to hear the great truths, Jesus says: "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matthew 13:16). This is the occult meaning of those three verses, which are not so simple after all!
It is for these reasons that the profound sayings which comprise the Beatitudes are very commonly misunderstood. They are generally interpreted as a series of moral maxims with a kind of promise attached to each, but with no suggestion of how or why each particular promise is to be fulfilled. The purpose of this afterword is to fill in these gaps by demonstrating that these eight verses are really statements about the spiritual universe and its laws, which tell us what must inevitably come to pass through cause and effect. Laws which we neglect to our real peril and follow to our real gain. Laws that reveal what is positive, which in most cases is what the masses—both then and now—would consider negative.
Those of you who know somewhat of the science of numbers will have noted that these important teachings are found in chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. The number five was considered of peculiar value by the Pythagoreans who called it 'Equilibrium' and 'the Privation of Strife,' because it unites in friendship the even and odd numbers two and three and divides the perfect number of ten—the Tetractys—into two equal parts.
Five was also used as an amulet or talisman to ward of evil, and the Greek Mysteries were divided into five parts, the last and most awesome of which was described as 'friendship and interior communion with God' by Theon of Smyrna. As I have mentioned in my previous articles, numbers are an important key to unlocking the hidden meaning in the Bible, so it is not unreasonable to conjecture that the inclusion of the Sermon on the Mount in the fifth chapter of Matthew is no accident.
But this is by the way. Let us now consider the individual Beatitudes in the order they appear in the Gospel of Matthew to see what we can discover within them, over and above their obvious and literal meaning. Each begins with the word 'blessed'. This requires some explanation, for there is more in this simple promise than meets the eye. To be "blessed" is a synonym for moving upward on the Path to the Light, the path to wisdom, leading to the spiritual realms on high.
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Contrary to what you may have been taught or read, the 'poor in spirit' are not the destitute and poverty-stricken of this world, for they may have brought these misfortunes on themselves through the choices made in this or a previous life. Nor are the poor-spirited meant, those lacking in initiative and courage. Not even those who are poor in spiritual life, but those whose minds are non-possessive. This verse defines our whole attitude to things and persons. What we have does not matter at all. If we can attain to this 'detachment' as some mystics call it, we shall inevitably attain to the freedom of Heaven: we shall enjoy that mental and spiritual freedom which belongs to the Higher Realms of Light. Acquisitiveness, whether it shows itself on a large scale as aggression, or in a mean way as greed and jealousy, is negative and retards our evolution. Non-possessiveness is positive and places our feet firmly on the Path to the Light.
2. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Earthly life consists of a series of tests and trials which bring 'mourning'. Grievous things happen to us and to our families, especially in a time of war. It is easy to rebel, or to shrink from such sufferings and sorrows or be overcome by them, as so many are. But this is negative. The positive attitude is to accept all such trials, such 'mourning', gladly. They are a sign that we are accepted as worthy of special discipline, and that as surely as day follows night we shall be 'comforted'—that is, we shall receive a fuller measure of that inner Peace which lies on the Path to the Light.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Not the weak or the lazy, still less those who are too timid and fearful to fight the battles of life, but the humble is meant here. Those who have got beyond all desire for admiration and approbation, in whom personal pride has ceased to exist altogether—they are on the positive upward path. Humility shows an intelligent appreciation of the wisdom and goodness of God, who alone can bestow on us that of which many in their blind stupidity, are so proud, for all self-esteem is the result of ignorance and negative thinking. Therefore only the truly humble 'shall inherit the earth.' This has three possible interpretations:
Firstly, 'earth' stands for the spiritual realm depicted in Vision 6 of The Golden Star, which is truly a higher 'earth' which is the rightful inheritance of the meek as a reward for their labours in this vale of tears and broken dreams. Secondly, the meek are those who exert an influence for good in the history of the earth, though they may be quite unknown and unappreciated by the mass of humanity. Thirdly, it is the meek who may eventually evolve to take a share in planetary rule, as the authors of this website suggest in their afterword on the true destiny of man in their article on Evolution.
4. Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
The meaning of this is obvious and twofold. Firstly, it is only the sincere aspirants to Wisdom and Truth who shall attain these blessings. This attainment is not a mere pious promise, but the inevitable result of the Hermetic Law of Cause and Effect. Secondly, their influence will be so beneficial that they will be filled with the joy of leading others along the 'righteous' or upward path, for they are not seeking their own righteousness only, but righteousness as a universal condition for all mankind.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
The merciful and the tolerant, they who look on the weaknesses, prejudices, stupidities and even the wickedness of others with a real tolerance, knowing that they themselves have once been there, possibly far back down the path, shall obtain mercy when they need it. Again, this is not an optimistic promise but a statement of fact in accordance with universal spiritual laws. To the merciful will come the same tolerance from the more fully developed, for the barriers are down which intolerance unconsciously but most surely raises, and nothing now bars the way to the inflow and outflow of 'mercy' in all its forms.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
The pure in heart are those who have no 'axe to grind'—whose relationships with other people are completely clear, not only in the matter of moral chastity (though that of course is included in this Beatitude), but in any kind of contact. They neither expect nor derive any return for the service they render, not even thanks or recognition. Being pure in heart they are completely free from any bondage to the lower self and all their thoughts and acts are guided by the 'still, small, voice' which receives its inspiration from the ever-watchful Soul. To these alone comes clear sight of the divine, for their Higher Self is at one with their Soul, and they attain the vision of things as they truly are, not as they appear to the erring senses, finally reaching right through to the glory and mystery of God Himself.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Sons of God.
This is perhaps the grandest and most profound of all the Beatitudes. The real peacemakers among men are not those who sit in the United Nations! Nor are they those who make up quarrels between individuals or even nations, but those whose whole being radiates Inner Peace. Disharmony dies away in their presence, feelings of irritation subside, worry and anxiety are banished, and nobody quite knows why. It is, of course, because the peaceful vibrations are so strong that they overcome and disperse all discordant conditions.
Such men and women are the true Sons and Daughters of God, whether they are in the most humble positions on earth, or great messengers sent from the Higher Realms to teach and guide humanity in its path of more or less blind existence. Their whole being is creative and positive. But before that can radiate peace to others they all have had to learn to make peace in themselves first.
8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The test of sincerity is opposition. Those who can stand being persecuted, pursued and harried by the powers of darkness, sometimes in the most subtle and sometimes in the most blatant way, whether through the thoughts and deeds of their fellow human beings or through the evil machinations of the dark elementals, and still walk steadily upwards on the Path to the Light, to them of course belongs Heaven's high Kingdom. They cannot miss it, for their way to it lies straight and true before them at all times.
We have now seen that rather than being an exclusively Christian teaching, the Beatitudes are an epitome of the eternal spiritual laws of the Universe which every man and woman may follow regardless of their religious beliefs.
Here, in these eight verses, is a 'noble eight-fold path' as grand and sublime as anything taught by the Buddha, whose life and teachings the authors of this website discussed in their series of articles on Tibetan Buddhism. As such, I commend these grand Beatitudes to all my readers for careful meditation and study.
Further contributions by John Temple
John Temple has written several further articles and afterwords for us. These are listed in order of publication below, oldest first. All these contributions are well worth reading in their own right as well as extensions to this series of articles on The Search for Truth.
A Modern Easter. In his afterword to this satirical story by Gabrielle Annunziato, John Temple unveils the hidden meaning of the Last Supper.
The Mystery of Love. In his afterword John Temple examines the many references to Love in the Bible.
The Importance of Being Humble. In his afterword to this article by Seán Mac Gréine John Temple examines some known and unknown quotations about humility.
Folly and Wisdom. The wisdom of Folly and the foolishness of Wisdom. Afterword: an analysis of the book of Ecclesiasticus in the Old Testament Apocrypha.
Star Children. An occult analysis and appreciation of a short story by Charles Dickens.
Mr Tilly's Séance. An appreciation and occult analysis of a ghost story by the novelist E. F. Benson.
The anatomy of Sin. An occult investigation of the theological concept of Sin and its origins, and the macabre custom of sin-eating.
