The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light is a 2004 non-fiction book by Canadian writer Tom Harpur (1929–2017), a former Anglican priest, journalist and professor of Greek and New Testament at the University of Toronto, which supports the Christ myth theory. Harpur claims that the New Testament shares a large number of similarities with ancient Egyptian and other pagan religions, that. Download Pagan Origins Of The Christ Myth Book For Free in PDF, EPUB. In order to read online Pagan Origins Of The Christ Myth textbook, you need to create a FREE account. Read as many books as you like (Personal use) and Join Over 150.000 Happy Readers. We cannot guarantee that every book is in the library. Bmw r1200gs repair manual free dishwasher.

The Pagan Christ
Author	Tom Harpur
Country	Canada
Language	English
Subject	Comparative religion
Genre	Religion, history, Christianity
Publisher	Thomas Allen Publishers
Publication date	2004
Media type	Hardcover, Paperback, E-book
ISBN	0-88762-145-7
270.1
Followed by	Water Into Wine: An Empowering Vision of the Gospels

The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light is a 2004 non-fiction book by Canadian writer Tom Harpur (1929–2017), a former Anglican priest, journalist and professor of Greek and New Testament at the University of Toronto, which supports the Christ myth theory.^[1] Harpur claims that the New Testament shares a large number of similarities with ancient Egyptian and other pagan religions, that early Church leaders fabricated a literal and human Jesus based on ancient myths, and that we should return to an inclusive and universal religion where the spirit of Christ or Christos lives within each of us.

The book was named the Canadian non-fiction bestseller of the year by both the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. It was later released under the title The Pagan Christ: Is Blind Faith Killing Christianity? in the United States by Walker Books and in Australia by Allen Unwin. It has also been published in five foreign languages: in Montreal (Le Christ païen) by Éditions du Boréal, in the Netherlands (De heidense Christus) by Ankh-Hermes bv, in Germany (Der heidnische Heiland) by Ansata Verlag, in Brazil (O Cristo Dos Pagaos) by Editora Cultrix-Pensamento and in Japan (異教キリスト) by Basilico.^[2]^[3] In 2007, the book became the basis for a CBC documentary, and that same year, Harpur published a more scholarly sequel entitled Water Into Wine: An Empowering Vision of the Gospels.

Synopsis[edit]

Similarities between Christianity and pagan religions[edit]

Throughout the book, Harpur details stories and sayings in the New Testament which he claims also appear in ancient myths, particularly pointing out the similarities between Jesus and the Egyptian sun god Horus. He states that a number of pagan cultures in different regions and time periods drew on symbolic themes such as virgin birth, deity father, star in the east, raising of the dead, descent into hell, crucifixion, resurrection, and others. Harpur claims that virtually all words and actions attributed to Jesus in the gospels 'originated thousands of years before.'^[4] Recover deleted files mac trash. Although early church leaders such as Justin Martyr and St. Augustine reportedly acknowledged certain commonalities between pagan religions and Christianity, Harpur explains that the extent of these similarities was hidden until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799.

Plagiarism by the early Christian church[edit]

According to Harpur, most modern biblical scholars agree the gospels were written many decades after the presumed death of Jesus, and he concludes the scriptures are inconsistent, inaccurate and do not represent a verifiable historical record. Harpur even makes the case that the original authors of the New Testament set out to combine popular pagan myths with prophecies of the Old Testament, never intending for readers to take these allegorical stories literally. In what he calls 'one of the most far-reaching tragedies in history,' he presents the case that the Christian church in the third and fourth centuries 'made a fatal and fateful error,' namely inventing the myth of a literal and historical Jesus based on 'sublime truth.'^[5] He further suggests that ultra-conservative Christianists 'did everything in their power, through forgery and other fraud, book burning, character assassination, and murder itself, to destroy the crucial evidence.'^[6] According to Harpur's sources, their propaganda included selectively editing the scriptures and inserting false passages about Jesus into the text of the Jewish historian Josephus.^[7]

Personal doubt about historic Jesus[edit]

Asking the question, 'can we say with any authority that Jesus of Nazareth actually existed as historical person', he concludes, 'I have a very grave doubts we can,' adding that his gradual realization that Jesus was a 'mythical copy of many preceding saviours' was difficult to accept himself.^[8] Consistent with the Jesus myth theory, Harpur contends, 'there is no hard historical evidence for Jesus' existence,' and 'no contemporary non-Christian writer even knew of Jesus.'^[9] Noting his belief that the Pauline epistles or letters of Saint Paul (which were written before the four gospels), do not mention the parables and miracles of Christ, and make no reference to biographical details like Nazareth, Harpur concludes, 'I am compelled, therefore, by my own independent research to agree that Paul's Christ was not Jesus of Nazareth.'^[10] To that end, he states that biblical literalism 'commits idolatry by making a flesh-and-blood man into God,'^[11] and that worshiping a perfect superman with magical powers who supposedly lived 2000 years ago is not a sustainable path for the future of Christianity.

Continued belief in the divine Christ[edit]

On Harpur's website and jacket cover, The Pagan Christ is said to reveal 'a cosmic faith built on these truths that the modern church has renounced', and calling for a 'return to an inclusive religion where Christ lives within each of us.'^[2] According to Harpur, he has spent his entire life searching for answers, and now that he understands the scriptures represent symbolic allegories on a central theme rather than cryptic history, God seems more 'relevant and real,'^[12] and 'the Bible comes alive wholly in a new way.'^[13] Instead of challenging his religious faith, Harpur attests that his discoveries 'have made a joyous and life-changing imprint,' which have 'transformed my view of the future of Christianity it into one of hope.'^[14]

Sources[edit]

The bibliography for The Pagan Christ contains over 80 published authors who are cited in the book. Harpur has been studying the classics and the Bible since he was a Rhodes Scholar in the early 1950s, and he draws on individuals as diverse as St. Augustine and Sigmund Freud for supporting quotes. However, he bases many of his arguments on the writings of relatively unknown authors Alvin Boyd Kuhn (to whom the book is dedicated), Gerald Massey and Godfrey Higgins. He also opens himself to criticism by quoting contemporary atheists such as Earl Doherty and Acharya S, who are often targeted by biblical literalists and apologists. As for 'scholars and critics who believe that Jesus was not historical', Harpur presents a list from American historian Harry Elmer Barnes, that was first published 1929, featuring Bruno Bauer, Albert Kalthoff, Arthur Drews, J. C. Stendel, Emil Felden,^[15]^[16]Peter Jensen,^[17]^[18]Samuel Lublinski, Gerard Bolland

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