I'm returning home for a few weeks.
I'll pop down and have a look and ask around.
I have a copy of the John G Jackson book at home.


Kev

http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/we...c/contact.html

Fill-yer-boots as we say here in ole'blighty.

Amen-Moses

Baal the Babylonian God? I think this is an error right off the bat in BobK's post. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Baal was a Canaanite God. Much light has been shed on Baal through discoveries at Ugarit (as someone else mentioned).

I have never seen the "parallel" mentioned and I would bet that much is taken out of context in a similar fashion to the way Mithras is compared to Jesus (e.g. "virgin birth"!).

An excellent place to read about "parallels" in the ancient near east is Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context by John H. Walton.

Finally, someone mentions the 25th of December as relating to Baal. It should be obvious to most educated people here by now that the 25th of December seems related to a lot of things in the Ancient world. So what? The Bible never said that the 25th of December was anything, and so it makes no difference to me if this was not Jesus' true birth date. As a matter of fact, I doubt that it was.

Many "parallels" are blown out of proportion or taken out of context. The book that I recommended above points out the various parallels and gives many bibliographies listing works pertaining to the varied ancient literature (not just Christian apologetic stuff, *sigh*). If you want to know, it's probably there. The book dates to 1990, so there are probably new discoveries.

Ish

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sh0k0nes:
[B]I'm returning home for a few weeks.
I'll pop down and have a look and ask around.
I have a copy of the John G Jackson book at home.

I sincerely hope you get basically the same impressions I get from CHRISTIANITY BEFORE CHRIST.

If not, then what you come up with that's different from what I came up with might be proof that, at age 58, I am beginning to experience senior moments.

NOTE: The above is a point of humor, not a point of hostility.



[This message has been edited by Bob K (edited June 05, 2001).]

Thanks for the info. I was terrified of having to make an overseas long distance phone call. Or of having to do snailmail.

Now, if only they have an email address, ...

And if only they choose to respond to my emails, ...

Wow! Free information!!! Can you just imagine, ...!!!

What like ancientneareast@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk ?

Happy fishing.

Amen-Moses

Ish: Please see a chart of the Bel myth/Jesus myth parallels on my website at http://www.bobkwebsite.com/belmythvjesusmyth.html

Basically, the Baal parallels concern the trial and crucifixion and resurrection, etc., myths, not the virgin birth myth.

The Krishna parallels follow the virgin birth, etc., and are also on my website at http://www.bobkwebsite.com/krishnajesusmyths.html

Moreover, Jackson does indeed refer to the Bel Myth as the Babylonian Christ myth, and the Baal myth as the Bel myth was known to the Hebrews, pp. 43-46.

Jackson cites Arthur Findlay's book, THE PSYCHIC STREAM, as the source, and Findlay's source as a transcript done by an individual at the British Museum of a script of a passion play engraved upon a stone tablet dated 2000 BC discovered in Babylonian ruins and now present in the British Museum.

The possibilities of errors: (A) Jackson citing Findlay, (B) Findlay citing the transcript, (C) the transcriber, (D) the tablet being an hoax.

Who knows for sure?

The website for the British Museum has been provided by another poster, so, if there is a quick and easy and inexpensive way to verify the tablet and the translation, then perhaps we will have an end to any controversies.

Great. I'll be interested to know a little more about this parallel. It will be interesting to see if it is a new one of if it is something in Walton's book.

Thanks,
Ish

P.S. - Bob, something that would help in evaluating your "parallels" would be a link to or bibliography mentioning the original ancient texts. For instance, your Krishna "parallels" (which I personally don't buy) were gleaned from what source? The Bhaghavad-Gita, Upanishads, etc.? I'm afraid your sources aren't very credible to me. Quick question: If Jesus' story so closely parallels both Baal and Krishna, then which do you believe it came from?

[This message has been edited by Ish (edited June 05, 2001).]

The following email has been received from Christopher Walker of the British Museum:

I have requested an email confirming/denying the details of the Bel myth as presented in the text written on the tablets and cited by Arthur Findlay as cited by John G Jackson and as I reported in the initial message on this post.

Bob K.

[This message has been edited by Bob K (edited June 07, 2001).]

Good work, Bob K. Keep us informed!