Prologue by the author
Introduction
- Questions
- Remarkable similarities
- Papal Encyclical “Faith and Reason”
- The Objectives of this book
Chapter 1: Modern Historical Research of Jesus and early Christianity
- From the Renaissance to Thomas Jefferson
- The Development of the Seven Pillars of Modern Historical Biblical Research
- Methodology and Findings of Modern Critical Biblical Scholars
- Were the Gospels Inerrant and Inspired by God?
- Two Portraits of Jesus: the Map of Relationships between the Gospels
- Rules of Written Evidence
- The Oral Tradition prior to the Gospels and the Rules of Oral Evidence
- The Distinctive Voice of Jesus
- The Unassertive Sage
Chapter 2: The Paradoxical Teachings of the Godmen.
- The Problem of Paradox
- What Did Jesus Really Do According to Modern Historical Research?
- Is Yoga a Religion?
- Yoga as a Philosophy
- Who Are the Yoga Siddhas?
- What is the Literature of the Yoga Siddhas and Their Teachings?
- Similarities between Jesus and the Yoga Siddhas and their Teachings
- The Yamas, the Restraints: Yoga Sutra II:30
- Was Jesus a Guru?Devotees versus Disciples
- Are There Any Differences between Jesus and the Yoga Siddhas?
Chapter 3: Gospel of Thomas: A Gnostic Text?
- History and Distinctiveness of the Gospel of Thomas
- The Gospel of Thomas: A Gnostic Text?
- The Kingdom of Heaven is Already Here
- The Hidden, Gnostic Heart of the Gospel of Thomas: Jesus as Initiator of His Most Worthy Disciples into Esoteric Knowledge: Gnosis
- Discounting Prophecy and its Fulfillment for our Freedom
- Who Am I?
- On Entering the Kingdom of Heaven
- Was Jesus a Gnostic?
- How to Realize the Gnosis, the Saving Knowledge?
Chapter 4: Early Christianity: the formation of the Church and its Dogma
- Paulism
- The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essenes
- Early Doctrinal Issues
- Docetism
- Ebionitism
- Marcionites
- The Gnostics
- The Proto-Orthodox
- The Cultural and Political Factors which favored the proto-Orthodox
- The Rule of Faith and Creeds
- The Gospel of John versus the Gospels of Thomas, Matthew, Mark and Luke
- The Formation of the Proto-Orthodox New Testament
- Constantine and the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea
Chapter 5: What did Jesus Really Say?
- Reversing Natural Human Inclinations
- The Kingdom of Heaven
- On Entering the Kingdom of Heaven
- Why Should Jesus Say that Those Who are Poor, Hungry, Suffering and Persecuted are Blessed?
- On Purity
- On Worry, and Being Present
- On Aspiration
- Showing the Path to Others
- The Lord’s Prayer
- God’s Unconditional Love
- Forgiveness of Sins and the Karmic Consequences of our Actions
- Hidden Treasure
- The Good Samaritan
Chapter 6: What did Jesus not say?
- The Gospel of John
- The “I am” Sayings
- The Farewell Prayer
- The End of the World
- Jesus’ Dying Words
- At the Tomb
- Doubting Thomas?
- The Familiar Tenets of Christianity Cannot Be Traced to Jesus Himself
- Consequences of Christianity’s Replacing the Teachings of Jesus
Conclusion and Recommendations
Notes
Bibliographic References
Glossary
Appendix A: Index of Red and Pink letter sayings from the Jesus Seminar
