mightyjoemoon

Has anyone else read the book, "The Christ Conspiracy - The Greatest Story Ever Sold" by Acharya S.?

I'm on my second journey through it. Her basic argument is that the Jesus story (and in fact the entire bible) is a collection of earlier pagan mythos, astrotheology, etc, that was compiled to unify the Roman Empire under one state religion. It's a pretty fascinating read, at the least. It can be a bit dry at times, and feel like "homework," but it's intriguing enough to keep you reading. I know that the author has some strange beliefs herself, but her analysis of the Gospel story seems pretty well founded.

If anyone else has read this, I'd be interested in your opinion.

Notsri

Hey, mightyjoe. I've read only about 3/4 of the book, though I'm determined to finish it at some point. I've been unable to make it through at this point, simply 'cause Acharya made up far too much for me to enjoy the book. To me (as with most, no doubt), if a scholar is required to fabricate their materials or distort facts to make an argument, well, it says a lot about that argument, ya know. It was page after page of stuff that just wasn't true. I actually sort of felt embarassed for her. I mean, in the preface, for instance, she's described as this master linguist, and then she makes a number of linguistical errors in the book: e.g., suggesting 'El' is the singular of 'Elohim', which it's not; Eloah is. El is the singular for Elim. I'm no linguist for sure, but this is basic stuff, and someone who's supposedly able to read the Bible in Hebrew should (would!) know that. So, anyway... :down:

regards,
Notsri

Peter Kirby

You might look up the review of Robert Price in The Journal of Higher Criticism 7/2 (Murdock, the author, has an apoplectic reply on her site--apparently it was also published in Free Inquiry).

best,
Peter Kirby

Rick Sumner

Wow. Apparently she also has a new book coming out (that may be old news, I don't spend a lot of time on www.truthbeknown.com )

http://truthbeknown.com/sunsofgod.htm

"Suns of God will also vindicate the much-maligned Kersey Graves, who is accused by the less erudite of "fabrication" and "lies." Suns of God traces a number of Graves's assertions to older sources, such that he may be exonerated of such charges. In this regard, Acharya has written a new "Foreword" to the latest version of Graves's The World's 16 Crucified Saviors published by Adventures Unlimited Press."

Is there anything that can vindicate Kersey Graves in the eyes of this "less erudite" accusing him of "'fabrication and 'lies'"? You'll forgive me if I'm unconvinced. You'll forgive me again if I don't bother reading Acharya's work to find out.

Regards,
Rick Sumner

Vorkosigan

Well, vindicating Graves may not mean establishing he was right; it only means showing that he didn't make up his sources.

Vorkosigan

Chris Weimer

A native Hebrew speaker (by native I mean just that, first language) told me that Elohim is not really a plural at all, but he said he would explain that when he got back (from a trip). So I'll explain it when he does. Note, though, Eloah is not the singular of Elohim.

Notsri

Hey, cweb. As mentioned, I'm not a linguist - and certainly no Hebraist - but I'm pretty sure I'm right on this. Robert Girdlestone says in his Synonyms of the Old Testament, p. 31: "Although the plural Elohim is ordinarily used for God, the singular form Eloah is found in fifty-seven passages, most of which are in the book of Job." He goes on: "The plural of El is Elim..."

regards,
Notsri

Chris Weimer

From here
Also, if you sign up for Original Tongue at Yahoo groups, I asked the question there and got some positive responses especially concerning the linguistical part it played. I'd recommend that group for anyone seriously interested...

mightyjoemoon

Is there even any good evidence that the books of the Jewish Bible (Old Testament) were originally written in Hebrew at all? Or is the oldest version left the Greek Septuagint?

I suppose I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to textual archaeology. I read one thing from one source and the complete opposite from another, with no good means of deciding which of the two is probably correct. For all I know, the King James Bible could have been composed in 1958 by Hitler and Mengele in their South American hideaway, and then imposed upon the world via microwave radiation mind control. :Cheeky:

CX

With all due respect, Acharya S. is generally regarded as a crackpot and a joke. I'm sure reviews of her book, such as it is, are posted in the archives.