Understanding the Bible

For me, much of the Old Testament is historical and allegorical. The Old Testament is the law of “eye doctrine”, while the New Testament is the law of love and redemption. When reading the New Testament one naturally must focus on Jesus and his parables. When reading the Good Book it is useful to make Jesus a principle rather than a person. There is much wisdom in this if you are ready to accept it.

Here are some sayings of Jesus that I would like to expand and discuss.

Baptism of Jesus by John

Here are the explanations on sayings of Jesus with the Eastern perspective using the Ancient Wisdom as guide…

Let me repeat for emphasis,  when reading the Bible and seeing ‘I am’, referring to Jesus, it is helpful to mentally substitute ‘The Christ Principle’, and think in Universal concepts rather than as a person.

Mt. (3.13.) ‘Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan, unto John, to be baptized by him.

Mt. (3.14.) But John stayed him, saying: I ought to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?

Mt. (3.15.) And Jesus answering, said to him: Suffer it to be so now. For so it becometh us to fulfil all justice.

John was the Teacher preceding Jesus, if not in importance but in timeline. He virtually taught the same principles with some variations.
Baptism by water, versus baptism with fire; that was the technical difference. This action of baptism was actually an initiation for spiritual advancement.
When Jesus agreed or even encouraged John to baptize him – he acknowledged his own need to advance to the next level, which was his sixth initiation.
As most initiations were tests, this was a test for Jesus in humility and showing that he overcame his Ego. He was a well-known teacher and he lowered himself in order to show this example. There can be no rivalry between the true followers on the Path, as both Jesus and John were.

Jesus is tempted by the devil

Mt. (4. 1.) ‘Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil.

Mt. (4. 2.) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry

Mt. (4. 3.) And the tempter coming said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Mt. (4. 4.) Jesus answered and said: It is written, not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.‘

“Word of God” in this sense symbolically refers to the Wisdom (God’s Consciousness) and Spirituality that man needs to live as much as one needs water and food to stay alive. God’s Consciousness affords men life beyond death, not in body but in spirit.
Bliss and Myth are needed to make life worthwhile. The secret is Mind-heart link and Love.
The word of God is the understanding man’s divinity and his potential to defeat death and gain immortality.
The test in material life is to learn to live in the physical world without losing the Awe and Bliss those Myths gave us.

I am the way, and the truth

Jhn. (14.1) ‘Do not let your hearts be distressed. You believe in God, believe also in me.

Jhn. (14.2.) There are many dwelling places in my Father’s house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you.

Jhn. (14.3.) And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too.

Jhn. (14.4.) And you know the way where I am going.’

Jhn. (14.5.) Thomas said, ‘Lord, we don not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’

Jhn. (14.6.) Jesus replied, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jhn. (14.7.) If you have known me, you will know my Father too. And from now on you do know him and have seen him.’

Jesus refers to God and “his father” as a separate entity, a sign that Jesus is human and not God incarnate.

When one replaces ‘I am’ with the ‘Christ Principle’, one would find a symbolic affirmation that we are on the right track in our path to God’s Consciousness if we get overshadowed by the ‘Christ Principle’.
The ‘dwelling’, ‘house’ and other metaphors for the ultimate goal for men, which is One-ness with God, but not in the flesh only in Spirit.
Jesus is showing the way and in fact the only way to spiritual advancement by Love, Service and Sacrifice. He is hinting to them what follows (his impending death and ascent).
To me, it says, in no uncertain terms that the disciples can have the same eternal life as the Master, if and when they also achieve the same as He.

Was Apollonius of Tyana the Historical Jesus?

This is an interesting controversy. It allowed me some time to examine the historical facts of the existence of these men, their accomplishments and their legacies. Clearly Jesus wins over Apollonius in name recognition if that was the ultimate goal.

Historians argue whether Apollonius was born in the same timeline as Jesus (some placing Apollonius birth date to the proximity of Joshua of Nazareth (later known to be Jesus).

It is obvious that we have a task here to show;
1) Jesus of Nazareth actually existed as a historical figure,
2) And also show that he was or was not actually the same person as historian refereed as Apollonius of Tyana.

So what is the truth? Ultimate facts and proof will not be forthcoming as with any ancient texts there will be a room for debate, question and interpretations of texts.

The problem is that historians without any faith based bias will have to reject any mentions of the gospels which are not written by contemporaries but disciples.
Here we have the “evidence” of Paul, whose letters start ~ 50 CE+. Paul not only never met Jesus, but makes the following statement in Galatians: [11] “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. [12] For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. “ Isn’t this a hint coming from Paul that all the talk of Jesus was a talk about the principle, not a real man?

The Historical Jesus

“I tell you the truth. The person that believes in me will do the same things I have done. Yes! He will do even greater things than I have done. “John 14:12

It is speculated that Jesus (the historical figure) had lived about 100 years before the Biblical one. This is why there are no only little traces of him in texts other than the disciples etc) Biblical scholars are befuddled even today that Apollonius and Pythagoras had so many more outside references of him, than Jesus.
So, the whole biblical story of the crucifixion is perhaps a metaphor of the ascension and Christ principle.
The real rabbi, Joshua that the Talmud has actual references was a sorcerer and was killed (probably stoned to death.
It is very likely that historical, Talmud figure, Joshua and the Christ principle was bound together in the Bible as we know it.
However, if the historical Jesus had lived and crucified in the Biblical manner or stoned to death according to the Jewish law, he most likely he had done something of murderous in his past life to deserve this fate. Remember there is murder and there is spectator to murder both equally wrong.

Whether Jesus died on the cross, as the Bible says or was the Bible story a metaphor is not that relevant in my view. The principle of ascension and Jesus teaching; that all men can do (and even do greater things) is what matters. There is no need for the clergy, and definitely no need to give money to televangelists.

My take on this and it is based on my intuition rather than historical facts. That Jesus actually lived albeit ~100 years prior to the biblical Jesus (as Madame Blavatsky suggested) and he was born sometime around the spring as a Pisces teacher. His identity as the Christos, the Christ principle is more important than the actual man.
Apollonius was a contemporary of Jesus and more of a historical figure than the mystical Jesus. His existence was also the proof that anyone can achieve the Christ level just by rising up to it and follow the examples already shown.