Making of the Messiah

by Robert Sheaffer

"This book presents a picture of the origins of Christianity very different from anything that has been published before," writes Robert Sheaffer in the Introduction to The Making of the Messiah. "Many Christians will find this book as offensive as Moslem fanatics did Salman Rushdie's 'blasphemous' Satanic Verses." Sheaffer has provided fascinating reading for all those not afraid to question the jargon and inconsistencies that lie behind the "accepted truths" of Christianity.In his attempt to dispel the myths surrounding the life of Jesus, Sheaffer presents Christianity with one of its greatest challenges. His approach differs from the conventional works of freethinkers by suggesting a radically different picture of Christianity's rise from (to borrow Friedrich Nietzsche's phrase) the "spirit of resentment." Sheaffer tells why Christianity could develop only as it did, as it emerged from the envious anger of the lower classes against the power and wealth of Rome. He shows how early Christian writers altered historical facts to make the new religion "sell" to potential converts. What emerges is a scheme of deliberate distortion and deceit that could grace a mystery novel, leaving in its wake a trail of highly suspicious and incriminating evidence.The Making of the Messiah presents a compelling argument that Jesus was never "crucified by the Romans" but slain and hanged from a tree, under Jewish law, as a heretic and blasphemer. It shows that behind the Virgin birth story lurks a darker tale of Mary the adulteress whose "divine child" was rejected by her husband, Joseph, as a bastard. And finally, it traces the accounts of Jesus' Resurrection to reveal that the earliest gospel (that of Mark) contains no actual sightings of a risen Jesus. With time, however, Christianity's claims of a Resurrection gradually evolved, progressing from "vision" to "established fact" - the result of purposeful embellishment and mythologizing.Working from the same ancient sources that biblical scholars use - some of the sources having only recently come to light - Sheaffer pieces the evidence together in a new way. The picture that emerges will generate much controversy. This unconventional perspective on some of the basic tenets of Christianity radically impacts biblical criticism in a manner that humanists and freethinkers will wholeheartedly applaud.

Genres: Religion

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1991

Reviews

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strikes at the root ideas and claims of Christianity with surprisingly well-aimed blows. It is difficult to imagine a satisfying account of the origins of Christian belief without a close examination of the evidence offered in this work.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE WELL-KNOWN UFO SKEPTIC LOOKS AT THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS

Robert Sheaffer (born 1949) is a freelance writer for Skeptical Inquirer, Fate Magazine, and Spaceflight, and was a founding member of the UFO Subcommittee of the Committee for SCICOP; he has also written other books such as 'Psychic Vibrations: Skeptical Giggles from the Skeptical Inquirer,' 'The UFO Verdict: Examining the Evidence,' 'UFO Sightings: The Evidence,' etc.

He wrote in the Introduction to this 1991 book, "This book presents a picture of the origins of Christianity very different from anything that has been published before... This book contains a reinterpretation of Christianity's beginnings, attempting to set aside myths about the life of Jesus that are unsupported by sound scholarship. Our purpose in writing is to make apparent why Christian Doctrines and Scriptures assumed their present form... It is the way these sources are pieced together, and the picture that emerges from them, that will generate so much controversy." (Pg. 9)

He states, "We know from Matthew 1:18-20 that Joseph doubted the fidelity of his betrothed, a potentially embarrassing fact which no other Gospel admits, although this is abundantly clear in the Toldoth, as well as in various noncanonical Christian texts." (Pg. 25) Later, he argues, "For centuries, Christians have assumed from the fact that Jesus never married, and had no known involvement with women, that his Godly nature precluded all interest in the opposite sex. Now we see a more direct explanation: as a mamzer [someone born of adultery], Jesus was forbidden to marry any Jewish woman." (Pg. 114)

He admits, "I personally do not doubt that one 'Jesus of Nazareth' was a real first-century figure. So many nearly contemporary writings mention him, some quite flatteringly, while others are exceedingly hostile. Imaginary figures do not engender such divisiveness. No ancient Jewish text expresses the slightest doubt as to Jesus' real existence... Ironically, the most persuasive proof of Jesus' historicity may be the strident tone of hostility in the rabbinical writings ... This 'Jesus of Nazareth' MUST have been a real person to have left the rabbinical establishment in such a stew... No merely mythological being is ever surrounded by such spirited partisans, both pro and con." (Pg. 59)

He argues, "We find in John frequent but puzzling references to 'the disciple Jesus loved.' All such passages occur after Jesus' raising of Lazarus... In John 13:23 we find this puzzling male disciple 'leaning on Jesus' bosom.' Christians, horrified at the hint of homoerotic behavior in their Savior, explain this away as the traditional oriental posture of leaning on a couch during a banquet... Many people 'lean back' at tables in the gospels, but the Beloved Disciple is the only one who ever lies on anyone's 'chest' or 'bosom.' In John 19:26-27, Jesus' last act before expiring is ... apparently to bind together his lover and his mother." (Pg. 117-118)

A controversial interpretation (although much less original than he thinks; see the 1987 book, 'The Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives,' for example), this book will be of interest to those seeking a skeptical interpretation of the life of Jesus.

[Brett C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A neat and thorough analysis of the basis of Christianity. The author presents some good points/arguments about the concept of a messiah. It was an interesting read.