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Those Incredible Christians

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The follow up to Dr Hugh J Schonfield's controversial bestseller "The Passover plot" does not dissapoint. In fact Schonfield's case is much stronger this time, where the passover plot was largely on informed speculation, we are working with comparitive concrete this time.
In "Those incredible Christians" Schonfield explores the "grey area" in time between the Fall of Jersualem and the spread of Orthodoxy in the third and fourth centuries.

The first three Chapters are somewhat painful, and Schonfield provides what he admits is a "strange introduction" into the rise and rise of Christianity.
Generally speaking Schonfield presumes his audience is well read, often providing a blanket statement that those familiar with critical New Testament scholarship would readily accept, but the average neophyte Christian reader would blink at in untold horror.

Where Schonfield treads bold new ground is in the enlightening treatise on "the Christology of Paul". Schonfield alone seems to understand that in Paul's cosmology Jesus is not God, rather he is GOD's FIRST PERFECT CREATION. Furthermore, he is man in his original unadulterated spiritual state.

How did orthodox Christianity end up so confused? This is detailed in the Chapter "The man called John" where new light is shed on the mysterious author of the fourth Gospel.
While I agree with Schonfield's hypothesis for the most part, my own interpretation is that

1) John Son of Zebedee is simply a red herring, he was executed before the fall of Jerusalem and could not have written the classic Greek of the fourth Gospel
2) John the Presbyter/Elder was the last surviving authorative figure who had seen Jesus in the flesh (see Papias) I also tentatively agreee with Catholic tradition the the Presbyter was the author of Revelation
3) The author of the Gospel of John was a "third John". With my tongue firmly in cheek I refer to this person as "John the redactor". This is the young idealistic Greek Schonfield is looking for as the author. Likely "John the redactor" gained the testimony of "John the Elder" or spoke to someone who had heard him teach, which equipped his own Hellenistic Christianity with an actual firsthand tradition, the perfect blend of historical fact and Greek mystical dogma.

Some 30 years after the death of Paul, it was the Johanine tradition that gave Paul's Christology a good dose of Asian Hellenism incorporating the Logos and Gnostic themes, and as Schonfield so aptly notes, other then Paul "John" has provided the greatest influence on the modern Church.

If you can stick with Dr Schonfield past his extended "introduction", the book becomes a real page turner by Chapter Four.

An interesting side issue is Schonfield's explanation of the meaning of 666 or 616 in some early manuscripts)tracing it to the value inscribed on coins of Emperor Domitian. (Domitian also placed an imperial Mark on the hand or forehead for trade)
All in all, "Those incredible Christians" is a highly recommended introduction to critical New Testament scholarship

Stephenhanes@yahoo.com

Dr. Schonfield has been the recipient of much undeserved flak from those who missed the point of his prior work, The Passover Plot. This volume is more interested in true historical information, detailing the progression of thought in the early Christian church and encouraging the reader to muse for themselves as Schonfield demonstrates the evidence. Might be scary reading for those who want to think Martin Luther and Jesus are the same figure, but that audience doesn't make much habit of reading anything beyond "inspirational"/"Aesop's Fables" works anyhow.

This is one of the most exciting religious history texts I've ever read. I first read it as a teenager, and was 'blown away.' Together with Schonfeld's "Passover Plot," it was just too much for Baptists and the Catholic League to bear. Rereading it at mid-life has been a real treat. It should most definitely be filmed!