The Rivals of Jesus

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The Rivals of Jesus
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Agenda

• Apollonius of Tyana
• Simon Magus
• Tiberius Caesar
• Simon bar Kokhba
• Mithras
• Isis cult
• John the Baptist
• Gnostics

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Apollonius of Tyana

• Born around the same time as Jesus, in modern day
  Turkey
• Many followers from Greek intellectuals to
  Persian nobility
• Strikingly similar profile to Jesus
• Preaches peace and love
• Philosopher
• Healer
• Exorcist
• Unsuccessful because
• Poor marketing strategy
• Way too similar to Jesus

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Simon Magusa.k.a. Simon the Sorcerer

• Same time as Apollonius
• Born in Samaria, next to Judea
• Beliefs in 2 incarnations of God
• male himself
• female Helena

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Simon Magus (cont.)

• Mentioned in the Bible ch. 8
• Acts 8910 (21st Century King James Version)
• But there was a certain man called Simon, who
  earlier in the same city had used sorcery and
  bewitched the people of Samaria, claiming that he
  was someone great, to whom they all gave heed
  from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man
  is great with the power of God. And for him they
  had regard, because for a long time he had
  bewitched them with sorceries.

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Simon Magus (cont.)

• Unsuccessful because
• Conflicts with Peter

O Lord, and let him fall from the height and be
disabled and let him not die but be brought to
nought, and break his leg in three places. And he
fell from the height and brake his leg in three
places. Then every man cast stones at him and
went away home, and thenceforth believed Peter.
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Recap

• Apollonius of Tyana
• Simon Magus
• Tiberius Caesar
• Simon bar Kokhba
• Mithras
• Isis cult
• John the Baptist
• Gnostics

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Tiberius Caesar

• Emperor under whose reign Jesus was crucified.
• Imperial cult

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Simon bar Kokhbaa.k.a. Son of the Star

• 100 yrs. after Jesus death
• Preaches war, not peace
• Fights the Roman Empire and frees Jerusalem from
  Roman occupation
• Declares himself as Nasi Israel i.e. Prince of
  Israel

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Simon bar Kokhba (cont.)

• Unsuccessful because
• crushed by the Roman Empire

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Mithras

• God of the Roman soldiers
• 200 AD many followers, outnumbering those of
  Christianity
• Similarities with Christianity
• Mithras born of a virgin on Dec. 25th
• Sacred meal - bread and wine
• Initiation ceremony

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Mithras (cont.)

• Unsuccessful because
• Mithraism was male only sect while Christianity
  was more inclusive

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Recap

• Apollonius of Tyana
• Simon Magus
• Tiberius Caesar
• Simon bar Kokhba
• Mithras
• Isis cult
• John the Baptist
• Gnostics

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Isis cult

• Worship of the Holy mother of God
• After the Egyptian cult of Isis,
• wife of Osiris
• 500 AD, Isis cult was banned

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John the Baptist

• Has thousands of followers, one of which is Jesus
  problem !!!
• Executed because of the growing fame and
  followers
• Mandaeans

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Gnosticism

• 1945 discovery of the Nag Hamadi Library (Gnostic
  Gospels)
• The rival of the NT Jesus is the Jesus described
  in the Gnostic gospels
• Jesus laughs
• MM is the most important of JC followers
• JC loves MM more than the other disciples
• JC used to kiss MM on the mouth
• ? JC appears more human than divine

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Conclusion

• Constantine accepts Christianity (312 AD)
• rules out all non-Christian religions
• decides which gospels to include and which not
• However, Christianity absorbs many of the
  traditions of its rivalries

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Thank you!

• Questions?
• (answers not guaranteed)