Jesus of Nazareth
(Saint Issa)



In Blanco's Earth Tails # 1, Jesus of Nazareth joined
other great and influential humans throughout time (like Buddha,
Morgaine, Lao Tzu, Saraswati...) in a boy named Lars Ravenkeep's
dream one night. They all gathered around Big Tree to show Lars
and the rest of humanity that there should be no divisions between
people because of their skin color or religion.

The childhood of Jesus is clouded in mystery. The New Testament
skips his childhood almost entirely - except for one story where a
young Jesus talks with a bunch of old and wise spiritual leaders.
Jesus knows more than they do about their 'Holy Scriptures'.

But, the years after his birth all the way up to when he reappeared
in Israel at the age of 30 aren't even mentioned. There are many
books that were left out of the Bible (both, the Old Testament, and the
New Testament). These books are called the Apocrypha,
and many of them have much to say about Jesus' childhood. Modern
religious leaders don't recognize these books as being valid simply
because the decision was made hundreds of years ago that they were
'false doctrines' and shouldn't be included in the Bible. The
Gospels of Thomas and the Gospel of Nicodemus are part of the
Apocrypha and are worth reading for those interested in a more
complete view of Jesus, the man.

Did you know reincarnation was part of the Bible, but was cut out
when it was being translated from Hebrew to Latin?

Some of the stories of Jesus' childhood were left out because
they were so myth-like and more unbelievable than the miracles
he performed later. One tells how a group of dragons came upon
he and his family (Mary and Joseph) while they were escaping
from Bethlehem to Egypt. The newborn Jesus stood and glowed
and spoke to the creatures. They bowed at his feet and were tame.

Jesus didn't write his story down - his disciples and followers did this
after he was dead. So, it's nearly impossible to know what the real
story of Jesus was. It seems that while retaining much of the truths
Jesus spoke of, the writings of those who followed him were tainted
by their own ideas about what happened - maybe even manipulated
with some untruths added. The simple fact that there are so many
stories about Jesus, his childhood and his teachings should tempt us to
read them all in search of what the real truth was.

Many believe that during the 'missing years' of Jesus' childhood,
he traveled to Egypt with his family and lived there for quite awhile.
He supposedly learned much about Egyptian magick and mysticism.
Then, he left Egypt and traveled throughout Asia. He went to India
and was called Issa. He hung out with and learned from Yogis
and Gurus there. He also traveled through Tibet before returning
to Israel. By the time he returned, his soul had evolved to a level
equal to Buddha. Their teachings are incredibly similar. Some
even say that Christ was the reincarnation of Buddha (Buddha
was born in 623 BC - so it's possible, if you believe in reincarnation).

When he returned to Israel, he talked about what he had learned
and understood about the universe and how it worked. He soon had
a following - 12 disciples helped Jesus 'spread the word'. Jesus
gave his 'sermons' in nature, among the common people. He
refuted the teachings of the Old Testament and stated that
God is of love, not anger or fear. He performed amazing miracles
and said afterward that all of us could do the same if we had
enough faith. He tried to empower the people. This angered
the established order of things in Israel amongst both the Jewish
religious leaders and the Romans who controlled the country.
Jesus spent 3 years teaching peacefully to the world before he
was captured and put to death. 

This seems to be a repeating pattern with mankind. A great person
comes along armed only with truth whose words open other people's
minds to new ideas. People afraid of change become threatened by the
looming change and kill the messenger. This happened to Martin Luther
King, jr. , Gandhi, Joan of Arc, and countless others.

After Christ's death, his teachings were put on paper by some of the
disciples - these writings became the New Testament and started
Christianity. A group called the Gnostics split away from those
who started Christianity and developed their own sect. They
study not only the New Testament, but many of the other works
that were left out of the Bible - the Apocrypha. The Gnostics
are 'mystical Christians'. They approach the teachings of Christ
from more of a shamanic perspective. There are many groups
who split away from the dogma of Christianity and started their
own traditions - the Rosicrucians, the Unitarian Universalist church,
the Baha'i faith, etc...

Click here to listen to an interview with religious scholar Elaine
Pagels who wrote a book called Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel
of Thomas. It's a great and informative interview!


Click here to go to a website with much information about
the 'Life of Saint Issa'

Click here to go to a website that shows how the writings
about Saint Issa have united Buddhism with Christ's teachings

Click here to go to a website about the Apocrypha

Click here to read a translation of the Gospels of Thomas

Click here to go to a website with more speculation about
the mysterious childhood of Jesus


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