Let’s get back to prophecies of coming or returning prophets and messiahs. In Judaism we also find prophets and prophesied prophets to come: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you [the Lord is speaking to Moses] from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18) And later in the book of Daniel: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) And in Malachi 4:5-6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” And in Matthew 17:10-13: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.”
We also find this passage in the Jewish Bible or Christian Old Testament: “Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman’u-el,” which means “God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14), which was later Romanized as Emmanuel. In the New Testament we find: “All this happened to fulfill what had been declared by the Lord through the prophet, who said, ‘Look, the virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will give him the name Immanuel’—which is translated, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:22-23)
Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah but then in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives the prophecy of the worldwide coming of the “Son of man” on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, quoted earlier. Many of these prophecies appear to have two types of messianic occurrences: one is an incarnation of the Light of God that teaches and guides humanity but the other is a final, world-ending coming of a heavenly being that removes all darkness, evil, and temptation, and all return to the original light and love of the Creator or Creative Energies.
Chapter 5
Tales of the Young
Nazarene and the Magi
Beyond the Gospels there are few historical documents that provide evidence and detail of Jesus’ existence. The most famous and widely accepted as authentic comes from the writings of the historian Flavius Josephus (37 to 100 CE) who wrote the following description of Jesus in his Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, chapter 3:
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, is not extinct at this day.
In Book 20, chapter 200, Josephus wrote about the stoning of Jesus’ brother in 62 CE, including this line that clearly indicates the existence of both Jesus and his brother: “James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ . . .” See the publication James the Brother of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls by American archaeologist and Biblical scholar Robert H. Eisenman, (Penguin, 1998). It’s worth noting that even the Gospels indicate that Jesus had brothers: “While he (Jesus) was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.” (Matthew 12:46) And according to the Edgar Cayce readings, Jesus had two brothers, James and Jude, explaining that after Jesus left the family home to travel, Mary and Joseph had more children, as was the custom in those days: “(Q) Did Mary and Joseph have any other children? (A) James, Jude, and the daughter [Ruth].” (5749-7)
There are more of these non-biblical sources, but they have limited scholarly support for their authenticity. One is a letter that appears to have been written by Pontius Pilate to Caesar. In this letter Pilate describes Jesus: “His golden-colored hair and beard gave to his appearance a celestial aspect. He appeared to be about thirty years of age. Never have I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance.” I can’t image Pilate writing “celestial” and “sweet” as a description of one of his defendants unless he, Pilate, was indeed a sympathizer with Jesus and his message, as some texts do suggest, and his wife, Claudia Procula, had a frightening dream warning not to harm Jesus. (Matthew 27:19) The early Christian scholar Origen of Alexandria suggested in his “Homilies on Matthew” that Claudia Procula had become a secret follower of Jesus Christ.
Another description comes from a Roman official in Judea at the time of Jesus named Lucius Lentulus, ca. 30 CE. It appears in a Latin manuscript, MS 22, in the library of the University of Chicago. The manuscript appears to have been written in Europe, probably Italy, between 1466-1469. In some other medieval manuscripts, the letter is described as being from “Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea, to the Roman Senate.” Since there is no record of a governor of Palestine called Lentulus, the letter is suspect. There was, however, a Publius Cornelius Lentulus (both a father and a son) mentioned by Cicero, who lived in the first century before Christ. There was also a Lucius Lentulus who held the office of consul in Rome, not Judea. Perhaps the letter is from this Lentulus, while he was visiting Judea. While we will never know for sure, here’s what the letter says:
There lives at this time in Judea a man of singular virtue whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the barbarians esteem as a prophet, but his followers love and adore him as the offspring of the immortal God. He calls back the dead from the graves and heals all sorts of diseases with a word or touch. He is a tall man, well-shaped, and of an amiable and reverend aspect; his hair of a color that can hardly be matched, falling into graceful curls, waving about and very agreeable crouching upon his shoulders, parted on the crown of the head, running as a stream to the front after fashion of the Nazarites. His forehead high, large and imposing; his cheeks without spot or wrinkle, beautiful with a lovely red; his nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry; his beard, and of a color suitable to his hair, reaching below his chin and parted in the middle like a fork; his eyes bright blue, clear and serene. Look innocent, dignified, manly and mature. In proportion of body most perfect, and captivating; his arms and hands delectable to behold. He rebukes with majesty, councils with mildness. His whole address whether in word or deed, being eloquent and grave. No man has seen him laugh, yet his manners are exceedingly pleasant, but he has wept frequently in the presence of men. He is temperate, modest and wise. A man for his extraordinary beauty and perfection, surpassing the children of men in every sense.
Of solid authenticity are documents from later periods, long after Jesus’ incarnation, giving evidence to his life and influence. For example, Roman historian Tacitus wrote in 110 CE his account of the persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero, which occurred at the same time as the burning of Rome in 64 CE. Nero