medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
'cept that the links between the Barlaam/Ioasaph:Gautama legend are a lot stronger and more explicit than the Jesus/Mithras link.
Also - and this comment could bear correction from more up-to-date/knowledgable - that the Mithras/Jesus link is more in the subsequent development of
the Gospels rather than the historical person. In other words, the idea is that yes, there was a historical Jesus but he is a lot different than the Jesus of faith
or the Gospels, which embellish based on various Greco-Roman saviour myths.
Or something.
One of the things I continue to be curious about are the purported "letters from Jesus" to the Armenian King Abgar. I seem to recall there is some conflation
of persons, but does anyone know the earliest reference to these "letters"? Do such references predate Eusebius?
George the Less.
On Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:49:50 GMT, Marjorie Greene wrote:
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>Thanks, Maureen. I was just licking my wounds in silence. But George the Less' comments:
>"Sts. Barlaam and Ioasaph were also wildly popular, and John Damascene wrote (a very long) Vita on them, yet it is pretty obvious that they were just
>Christianized versions of Arabic transpositions of the story of Gautama Buddha" reminded me that some doubt the historicity of Jesus, claiming He's just a
Christianized version of Mithras :-))
>Happy Thanksgiving to all my compatriots and to all who celebrate with us!
>MG
>p.s. Your description of myth as a story shrouding a transcendental truth is spot on.
>Marjorie Greene
>http://medrelart.shutterfly.com
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