Summary
Title: Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians
Author: Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy
Publisher: Harmony Books
ISBN: 1400045940
Pro:
• Presents alternative perspective on early Christian beliefs
• Critiques traditional Christian dogmas from religious orientation
• Heavily footnoted
Con:
• Conclusions go further than evidence seems to allow
Description:
• Argues that earliest Christians didn’t regard Jesus as literal, historical figure
• Argues that earliest Christians were primarily Gnostic in perspective
• Argues that Literalists have hijacked Christianity, distorting original message
Book Review
According to Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, it does indeed have significant consequences — but none of them good for traditional Christian institutions and power structures. Freke and Gandy made headlines with their previous book The Jesus Mysteries, in which they argued that not only was Jesus not a historical figure, but that he was in fact a Jewish version of the pagan gods common with the mystery religions which had long existed throughout the Middle East.
In their latest book, these two authors continue with this theme and argue that the early Christians themselves did not treat Jesus as a literal, historical figure. Instead, the original Christians held to a set of Gnostic religious beliefs which focused not on literal figures but rather fictional figures who led the interested seeker to higher truths:
- “The traditional history of Christianity is that Literalism took the world by storm, whilst Christian Gnosticism remained a minor heretical fringe movement. This is nonsense. Christian Literalism was initially a minor school of Christianity which developed in Rome towards the end of the second century. By this time Christian Gnosticism was an international movement which had spread throughout much of the Mediterranean, flourishing in cosmopolitan cities such as Alexandria, Edessa, Antioch, Epheseus, and Rome.”
But, if that was the case, how and why did everything change so dramatically?
Freke and Gandy distinguish between two different types of early Christians: the Literalists and the Gnostics. Literalism, the type of thinking which is dominant in many religions today, is the belief which holds that one particular religion is the One True Religion and, hence, the stories behind that religion to be literal, factual history.
Gnostics, on the other hand, consider those same stories to be metaphorical pointers to higher truths. The stories are valued not because they present a unique history, but rather because they can teach more about the true nature of humanity and reality. Because of this, Gnostics do not limit themselves to just one religious tradition, but instead are quite willing to adopt wisdom from other religions without prejudice.
The sympathies of Freke and Gandy lie squarely with the Gnostics — so much so that there is no subtlety in how Literalists are portrayed as evil and Gnostics portrayed as good. Because of this, the authors’ spiritual view is made to appear every bit as polarized as that which they attribute to the Literalists. They leave no room for any sort of middle ground, and that renders their arguments somewhat questionable.
