Author Topic: Orthodox Paradox: YAHOWSHUA OR PAUL  (Read 4336 times)

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Orthodox Paradox: YAHOWSHUA OR PAUL
« on: July 12, 2006, 05:27:42 PM »
Modern Christianity is in crisis! The Gnostics are back after staying in the background for so long. As usual everybody is trying to claim Jesus the Christ but he (Christ) himself recognized the fact that many will use his name for all kinds of dubious reasons. The discovery of the lost gospel of Judas (see http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gospeljudas.html) puts conversional Christianity into a morass because it reverses the basis of modern Christianity.

Judas was the figure that Conventional Pauline Christianity used to hide both the Roman Empire basis of modern Christianity (including Protestant and Pentecostals) and modern anti-Semitism. Remember that Paul was the person that declared ?Civic romanus sum? and it was the Roman?s who crucified Christ and persecuted the ?Essene Nazarene Ebionites? or early Christians, if you like, not Jews. Yet in conventional Christian myths Jews are usually blamed for either killing or betraying Christ when the Jews were under Roman rule and had no autonomy.

Shimon Bar-Kokhba (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Kokhba.html) who many Jews regard as a messiah figure instead of Jesus is a definitive evidence of the general Jews attitude towards the Romans at that time. In fact it was the Jewish insurgency led Shimon that led to the sacking of Jews from Palestine and the destruction of the temple. So, could the gospel of Judas show that Jesus?s favorite disciples (Judas and Mary Magdalene) were both demonized by conventional Christianity? What role did Paul play in this historical distortion? For those whose morality is shaped by this fraud and distortion please read on?.

YAHOWSHUA OR PAUL?
ESSENE CHRISTIANITY VERSUS PAULIANITY
AN EXPOSE? AND CALL TO ACTION
by Rev. Abba Nazariah, D.D.

    [NOTE: The Order of Nazorean Essenes is not anti-Paul (nor are we officially associated with Nazariah). We accept Paul to the extent Mar Mani accepted him. We acknowledge, however, that many un-Paul like doctrines were added later to his writings by his school, and that some of the letters said to be written by him were written by others. The culture promoted by Paul was once a threat to the Nazorean culture of original Christianity, but since the demise of that original Nazorean culture, the writings of Paul can be appreciated for the mystic content within them.]

\"Paul was the first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus!\"
-- Thomas Jefferson

In previous articles published in \'The Essene Path\", I have briefly touched on the topic of how Paul, the self-proclaimed Apostle, violently opposed the original vegetarian Essene Christianity of Jesus, first by killing and imprisoning its leaders, then by infiltrating the movement and leading a schism. The schism led by Paul -- a meat-eating version of Christianity -- replaced the teachings of Jesus with the teachings of Paul. As briefly described in previous articles, \"Paulianity\" evolved into the Roman Catholic Church and gave birth to all of what is considered mainline Christianity today, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. Whereas I have briefly touched on this topic in previous articles, it is the purpose of this article to deal with it in great depth. I will begin by setting the stage; I will describe early Christianity as it existed prior to the advent of Paul. What were the main tenets of this pre-Pauline, Essene Christianity? What was the early Christian doctrine of salvation? Having set the stage, I will describe in detail the schism led by Paul which evolved into modern Christianity. I will conclude this expose? with a call to action: A CALL TO REJECT PAULIANITY AND RETURN TO ESSENE NAZARENE EBIONITE CHRISTIANITY. The choice is simple, yet profound; and every Christian must make it: YAHOWSHUA (Jesus) OR PAUL?

First, some necessary background information must be given. There was an ancient Jewish religion which was very mystical, high and noble. It was a very evolved form of religion, rooted in respect and care for all of creation. This ancient Jewish religion was both very esoteric -- as evidenced by its Kaballah mysticism -- and yet very practical, as evidenced by its emphasis on daily lifestyle disciplines, ecology and communal economics. It was also VERY VEGETARIAN: not only was animal sacrifice forbidden, but so was the eating of animal flesh absolutely condemned. War and slavery had no part in this nonviolent religion. Women were the equals to men; women were entitled -- in fact, encouraged-- to participate in the Priesthood. This Priesthood -- called \"The Priesthood of Melki Zadek\" -- was governed by God via good angels and the divinely inspired BOOK OF THE ETERNAL COVENANT. Their original founder was Enoch; later, Moses led a major remanifestation of their movement. THIS ENLIGHTENED ANCIENT JEWISH RELIGION WAS KNOWN AS \"THE ESSENE NAZARENE HASIDIM.\"

But Essene Nazarene Judaism was not the only form of Judaism. A violent, flesh-eating form of Judaism based on bloody animal sacrifice became the dominant religion in Israel. The nonviolent, vegetarian Essenes were persecuted by the animal sacrifice cult. Both forms of Judaism expected a Messiah: the sacrificial cult expected the Messiah to be a warrior king; the Essene Nazarenes expected a Messiah of Peace, a spiritual King. And so it was that the Messiah of Peace, the spiritual King of Israel, came to earth through the Essenes; for it was the Essene scriptures and prophecies that proved true. And so it was that the Essene Nazarene Jews, practitioners of the authentic Judaism established by God through Enoch and Moses, BECAME THE VERY FIRST CHRISTIANS!

The \"first Christians\" were not called \"Christians\"! That term was not used until years later. They were called \"Essene Nazarene Ebionites\". For short, they were usually referred to simply as \"Nazarenes\" or \"Ebonites\". Let us begin our description of early, pre-Pauline Christianity with a look at the meaning of the terms \"Nazarene\" and \"Ebionite\".

The term \"Nazarene\" refers to a member of the Essene movement associated with Mount Carmel in Northern Israel. The Essenes considered Mount Carmel to be so holy that none of the natural vegetation growing there could be disturbed: no trees cut, no bushes cleared away, no permanent dwellings built. Some of their priests lived on Mount Carmel in tents (similar to yurts) but no permanent structures were permitted. Even their Temple atop Carmel was a type of large tent, a beautifUl yurt with a bloodless altar. Only a small contingent of their priests actually lived atop Mount Carmel, the majority of their membership lived in an Essene cooperative village -a couple miles from the southwestern edge of the base of the mountain. That Essene village was called \"Nazareth\". Those who lived there were called \"Nazarenes\", as were all members of the Essene sect associated with Mount Carmel. Thus, the fact that Jesus was referred to as \"the Nazarene\" and his first followers were called \"the sect of the Nazarenes\" demonstrates the link between early Christianity and the Essene Nazarenes of Mount Carmel.

The other term that the first Christians were called was \"Ebionite\". The word \"Ebionite\" comes from the Hebrew word \"Ebon\" which literally means \"poor\" but implies \"THOSE WHO HAVE VOLUNTARILY RENOUNCED WORLDLY MATERIALISM TO ENTER THE ESSENE LIFESTYLE OF SIMPLE LIVING AND RADICAL SHARING IN COMMUNITY.\" Simply put, an \"Ebionite\" is an \"Essene renunciate\", an Essene who has given up materialism to serve God within the context of the communal lifestyle in which all is shared. While all frilly initiated Essene Nazarene Ebonites lived in, or were sent out on missions by, the network of Essene Christian communes, there was a large outer-circle of members not yet frilly initiated who still lived in private homes. These outer-circle devotees were called \"Hearers\"; until ready to divest themselves of private wealth and join the communal economy, they studied the teachings and supported the communes by tithing. In the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared \"Blessed are the Ebon (\"Poor\"), for they shall inherit the Earth.\" He was not pronouncing a general blessing on all poor people; neither was he praising poverty. Rather, he was making specific reference to his sect, the Essene \"Ebon\" or \"Ebionites\" gathered around him atop the Mount.

The terms \"Nazarene\" and \"Ebionite\" are central to a correct understanding of early, pre-Pauline Christianity. why? Because certain specific beliefs and practices can be identified with those terms. We know from many sources that both terms --Nazarene and Ebionite -- are associated with: vegetarianism, reincarnation, God as both Father and Mother, communalism, pacifism, an absolute prohibition against slavery, absolute sobriety (no intoxicating drinks or drugs), equality of men and women, holistic health and Essene Yoga. THOSE ARE THE BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF THE VERY FIRST CHRISTIANS, the beliefs and practices of the ESSENE NAZARENE EBIONITES.

And what was the doctrine of salvation of these early, pre-Pauline Christians? They believed that SALVATION IS DEPENDENT UPON FOLLOWING THE SAVING TEACHINGS OF YAHOWSHUA (Jesus). In a profound contrast with the theology of Paul -- which became orthodox Christianity (\"Paulianity\") -- the literature of the Essene Nazarene Ebionites NEVER TAUGHT SALVATION VIA BELIEF IN THE SACRIFICIAL DEATH OF JESUS ON THE CROSS. The Pauline doctrine which asserts that you can only be saved by believing that Jesus died for your sins, is called ATONEMENT. The Essene Nazarene Ebionites had a very different doctrine of Atonement; it was AT-ONE-MENT. They believed that to be AT-ONE with God (the goal of religion) one must follow THE SAVING TEACHINGS OF YAHOWSHUA, not simply believe in his sacrificial death. The Essene Nazarene Ebionites based their doctrine of salvation on the actual instructions they personally received from Yahshua before his crucifixion. Unlike Paul, who NEVER EVEN MET JESUS, the leaders of the Essene Nazarene Ebionites were PERSONALLY TRAINED AND INITIATED BY THEIR SPIRITUAL MASTER, YAHOWSHUA. In The Essene New Testament, Jesus tells his disciples that blood sacrifice cannot bring salvation:
Jesus was teaching his disciples in the outer court of the Temple and one of them said unto him, \"Master. it is said by the priests that without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Can blood offerings take away sin?\" Jesus answered, \"No blood offering. of beast or bird. or man. can take away sin. for how can the conscience be purged from sin by the shedding of innocent blood? Nay, it will increase the condemnation....For sins against the Law of God there can be no remission. except by repentance and amendment.\"

So, Jesus made quite clear that no blood sacrifice --not even his own -- can provide salvation for your sins; rather, you must quit sinning (repent) and follow his SAVING TEACHINGS. And that was the doctrine of salvation of the Essene Nazarene Ebonites.

See Full article here - http://essenes.net/NazPaul.htm