The Jewish Prophet Who Is
At the Center of Christianity
At the Center of Christianity
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
A partial view of a painting by Carl Bloch (1834-1890)
Classic theosophy says the New
Testament should not be read literally, or on a superficial dead-letter level.
The very Gospels suggest the same idea.
The truth expressed by
parables, myths and legends is deeper than merely material facts. The narrative
of the miraculous birth of Jesus, for instance, symbolizes the process of the
first great Initiation, not his material birth. The teaching is true, but not
its dead-letter interpretation.
It has been said:
“The Initiate of the first
degree is as pure as a child. The center and focus of his soul has been born
already to the realm of immortal consciousness. His perception of life is
initially like that of a defenseless child. His survival is precarious. He is
threatened by Herod, an expression of collective selfishness. In spite of the
danger, he is already born and has been placed in the very center of material
life, shedding light on all things around him.”
And also:
“Humbleness, symbolized in
Christian parlance by the poor manger, refers to the absence of pride or
egocentrism. The presence of various animals around the holy child means the
essential communion with all beings. The stars in the sky tell us that such a
unity includes the whole universe.” [1]
Jesus himself warned his
disciples that he taught through parables, in Matthew 13:10-16. And yet, even
today people attach themselves to the habit of mental laziness and read the New
Testament in a literal way.
At this point, readers can
legitimately ask: if the New Testament story about the birth of Jesus is an
allegory, what about his actual birth?
Then uncomfortable facts
emerge.
Just like his disciples, Jesus
was a Jew. It should not be too much of
a surprise that the story of his birth can be found in the Jewish
tradition.
Helena Blavatsky shares this
systematically suppressed story in a long footnote at “Isis Unveiled”. The narrative should be read calmly and
several times. It deserves being slowly examined, and meditated upon. According
to the narrative, a man named Ben-Panther actually was the sinful father of
Jesus, whose mother was innocent and free of sin.
Blavatsky starts by indicating
various sources:
“See Gaffarel’s version;
Eliphas Levi’s ‘La Science des Esprits’; Mackenzie’s ‘Royal Masonic
Cyclopædia’; ‘Sepher Toldos Jeshu’; and other kabalistical and Rabbinical
works.”
Then she makes a summary of
the facts:
“The story given is this. A
virgin named Mariam, betrothed to a young man of the name of Iohanan, was
outraged by another man named Ben Panther or Joseph Panther, says ‘Sepher
Toldos Jeshu’. Her betrothed, learning of her misfortune, left her, at the same
time forgiving her. The child born was Jesus, named Joshua. Adopted by his
uncle Rabbi Jehosuah, he was initiated into the secret doctrine by Rabbi
Elhanan, a kabalist, and then by the Egyptian priests, who consecrated him High
Pontiff of the Universal Secret Doctrine, on account of his great mystic
qualities. Upon his return into Judea his learning and powers excited the
jealousy of the Rabbis, and they publicly reproached him with his origin and
insulted his mother. Hence the words attributed to Jesus at Cana: ‘Woman,
what have I to do with thee?’ (See John ii. 4.) His disciples having
rebuked him with his unkindness to his mother, Jesus repented, and having
learned from them the particulars of the sad story, he declared that ‘My
mother has not sinned, she has not lost her innocence; she is immaculate and
yet she is a mother…… As for myself I have no father, in this world, I am the
Son of God and of humanity!’ Sublime words of confidence and trust in
the unseen Power, but how fatal to the millions upon millions of men murdered
because of these very words being so thoroughly misunderstood!” [2]
These are Blavatsky’s words,
reproducing the traditional Jewish view of Jesus. The suffering of Mary as
shown in this ancient narrative of Jesus’ birth does no harm to the essence of Christianity. [3]
More evidence is found in the
fact that the authentic Templars - unlike the modern ones - shared the view
that Jesus was a normal human being. While comparing the more recent and
ill-informed Templars with the authentic mystical Knights who existed until the
14th century, Helena Blavatsky wrote:
“The present-day Templars,
adhering strictly as they do to the Bible,
can hardly claim descent from those who did not believe in Christ, as God-man,
or as the Saviour of the world; who rejected the miracle of his birth, and
those performed by himself; who did not believe in transubstantiation, the
saints, holy relics, purgatory, etc.”
“The Christ Jesus was, in
their opinion, a false prophet, but the man Jesus a Brother. They regarded John
the Baptist as their patron, but never viewed him in the light in which he is
presented in the Bible. They
reverenced the doctrines of alchemy, astrology, magic, kabalistic talismans,
and adhered to the secret teachings of their chiefs in the East.” [4]
The richness of the wisdom
present in Christian tradition is not strengthened by suppressing facts. Real
Christians are not afraid of looking at reality. It is correct to seek for
truth and to accept it, even if it is often uncomfortable. Jesus didn’t create
any Church, for instance, and never said he was a god, nor the “only son” of a
God.
Jesus was a “son of God”, like
anyone else in his Jewish nation. By “Father in Heaven” he meant the immortal
Spirit or higher self of each human being.
NOTES:
[1] See “The Magic of the End of the Year”.
Regarding other aspects of the great initiations, read “The Cosmic Creation in Every Foetus”,
and “Easter And The Inner Rebirth”.
In order to examine the symbolism of Christmas: “The Nativity Scene in Our Hearts” and “Don’t Ask Who Is Born at Christmas”.
[2] Blavatsky’s words
are reproduced from volume II of “Isis Unveiled”, page 386,
footnote.
[3] Mentioned by Blavatsky
in her footnote at “Isis”, the book “La
Science des Esprits”, by Eliphas Levi, presents several narratives of the
birth of Jesus according to the Jewish tradition. An important Talmud document
on the birth of Jesus, included in “La Science des Esprits”, is published
online in Portuguese language: “Jesus Segundo o Talmude”.
[4] From Blavatsky’s
text “The Mystery of the Templars”.
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The above article published in
the associated websites since October 1st, 2021. An initial version of it was published with no
indication of the name of the author in the March 2021 edition of “The Aquarian
Theosophist”, pp. 1-3. Click to see the
text in the theosophical blog at The Times of Israel: The Panther Theory Regarding the Birth of Jesus.
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