Christ Conspiracy_ The Greatest Story Ever Sold - Acharya S [180]
Furthermore, the author of 1 Peter entreats:
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.... Fear God. Honor the emperor.
So much for the rebellious Jesus and his movement. No Essene would be preaching such things, but we can pretty much guess who would.
As to the real state of "pure" Christianity and its adherents, Fox relates:
"In privated houses nowadays," claimed the pagan Celsus, c. 170, "we see wool workers, cobblers, laundry workers and the most illiterate rustics who get hold of children and silly women in private and give out the most astonishing statements, saying that they must not listen to their father or schoolteachers, but must obey them. They alone know the right way to live, and if the children believe them, they will be happy. They whisper that they should leave their teachers and go down into the shops with their playmates in order to learn to be perfect. .."3
Most of the early Christians were of the lower, uneducated classes, a fact that was a thorn in the side of Christian proselytizers, who were always very interested in gaining converts of high social status, by bribes of one sort or another. In the early Christian book the Octavius by Minucius, the protagonist "complained that Christians assemble the lowest dregs of society' and `credulous women, an easy prey because of the instability of their sex,' . . ."a And, as Origen stated, most of the "lowest dregs" and poor had "very bad characters."
As Keeler says, "It sounds strange to hear persons in these days express a desire for a `return to primitive Christianity, when all was peace and love.' There never was such a time."
The Essenes
Not only was there no "primitive" Christianity of love and peace that can be traced to the Essenes, many of Jesus's own teachings were in contradiction to or non-existent in Essene philosophy, and Jesus's character and a number of his actions were contrary to the notion of him being an Essene masterhealer. For example:
A poor Canaanitish woman comes to him from a long distance and beseeches him to cure her daughter who is grievously obsessed. "Have mercy on me, 0 Lord," she pleads. But he answered her not a word. The disciples, brutes as they were, if the scene were real, besought him to send her away because she cried after them. Jesus answered, and said: "I was only sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel." She worships him, he calls her one of the dogs.5 (Mk. 7:25-27; Mt. 15:21-27)
In this passage, Jesus is not only uncompassionate, he is frankly rude, sexist and racist. Jesus is thus not the "gentle and loving son of God." Regarding Jesus's unmerited reputation as "Prince of Peace," Baigent and Leigh ask:
Was Jesus indeed the meek lamblike saviour of subsequent Christian tradition? Was he indeed wholly non-violent? Why, then, did he embark on violent actions, such as overturning the tables of the money-changers in the Temple? ... Why, before his vigil in Gethsemane, did he instruct his followers to equip themselves with swords? Why, shortly thereafter, did Peter actually draw a sword and lop off the ear of a minion in the High Priest's entourage?'
The zealous Jesus's rash and brusk behavior is, in fact, contrary to the restraint and discipline of the peaceful Essenes.
In addition, the Essenes were not followers of the Hebrew Bible, or its prophets; nor did they subscribe to the concept of the original fall that required a savior. They did not believe in corporeal resurrection or a carnalized messiah. In fact, it was possibly they, among innumerable others, who were being addressed in the Second Letter of John: "For many