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The Nazarene
Way of Essenic Studies http://www.caesarsmessiah.com/main.html |
John Atwill’s, Caesar’s Messiah, parallels the line of investigation we’ve pursued and been writing about since 2002 - with one major difference. Dr. Atwill focused on Matthew’s Gospel almost exclusively, arguing that Matthew was the first written, dismissing evidence that Mark was first, Matthew second, Luke-Acts, then John. That Matthew and Luke copied large portions of the first gospel, Mark, and portions of a second unknown text called the Q document, has been firmly established, in our opinion.
As we demonstrated in Luke’s Light and Josephus’ Jesus, Matthew reworked Mark in order to remove the signs and signals that lead to the real message it contained; Luke reset them and finished the story in Acts. John (the original version before interpolations) attempted to establish a doctrine consistent with Greek philosophy, primarily Plato. Later additions turned it into a pro-Matthew/Paul and anti-Jewish gospel.
Atwill starts down the right road but misses one of the first turns. Focusing only on Matthew’s Gospel makes sense if you’re Jewish, offended by Matthew’s attack on Judaism, and have information about Matthew’s methods and purpose. But Luke’s work followed Matthew’s. And Luke attempted to restore the signs (as much as could be done considering later tampering). If the complete and accurate story is to be told, all the gospels must be examined, but Luke-Acts, the most complete, is also the most important.
Atwill is correct: Matthew was written by a “Christian Jew” who opposed Orthodox Judaism. But Matthew also opposed Rome’s plan for a peaceful conversion of Jews to a Judaism merged with Greek philosophy.
Matthew’s purpose was to use the popularity of Mark’s, “Jesus of the sect called ‘Nazorean,’” while preserving a means of vicarious atonement, a basic tenet of Judaism but rejected by the Greeks. The “dying-and-resurrected gods” of Greek mythology were created to demonstrate “Eternal Life,” infinite numbers of cycles of life (motion), death (rest), and rebirth (motion) repeated eternally. The emphasis was on living ethically, not finding a scapegoat.
Our work relies on one of the most important figures contemporary with Jesus, Philo of Alexandria. Philo is known for demonstrating that Greek Philosophy was derived from Mosaic Judaism when interpreted allegorically. He is also recognized for teaching the allegorical method of interpreting scripture. It is the allegorical method Philo taught that unravels the story behind the gospels and reveals the history that Atwill rightly says, “was intended to be unraveled at some future time.”
Atwill suggests the reason the gospel codes were designed to be broken was an “ego desire for a future legacy.” We believe their use of allegory was a sincere desire that the truth be told. We fully agree that the time has come, the time is now. But there is a great deal more to the story than Dr. Atwill has discovered by limiting his study primarily to Matthew.
It is indeed a complicated web of intersections and side roads that make it extremely difficult to put on paper. But the revelations that come when the “first turn” is correctly taken, and Luke-Acts is examined alongside Matthew, Mark, John, and Revelation, is well worth our effort to present them, and hopefully, worth your effort to follow along, difficult as it may seem at times. We’ve created several charts that may be helpful.
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“Luke” opened Chapter One with two high-flying red flags, both of which come from “Philo’s Rules for Allegory”:
1) Multiplying the numbers in Luke Chapter One = 4,320, one of the most “Sacred” of numbers. Sacred Numbers are found throughout Luke’s gospel, all leading to the mystery Schools of Pythagoras and Plato. The numbers are the most easily identifiable “red flag” that something is hidden within the words. (Philo’s Rule #21: “numeral symbolism.”)
2) In the introductions to Luke and Acts, Luke addressed “Theo-philus,” a name that leads to the Theo-logian Philo. (Philo’s Rule #7-8-9: “A play upon words must be utilized for finding a deeper meaning…(the) allegorical sense may be gathered from…the parts of a word…” and 10: “Every word must be explained in all its meanings, in order that different interpretations may be found.”)
Philo provided a list of identifiers that signal “allegory” and explained how to interpret these sections of text. Applying these rules to interpret the gospels - and the historians’ accounts of similar events - reveals the history of the time and the Roman Plan for the peaceful merging of Judaism with Greek Philosophy.
Had it not been for interference from what we call “the Matthew faction,” the focus of Atwill’s thesis, the destruction of the Temple in 70 ACE might never have been ordered. The Roman Plan for Pax Romana was infiltrated, derailed, and turned into a hateful attack against the Jews, against the Romans, and against the leaders of the planned “New Judaism.” That was not a part of the original plan!
It all started with Augustus Caesar (aka Octavian) in the first century BCE. There were two royal families under his jurisdiction and control that could be used to unite the Empire and pacify the Jews. The two families were descendants of the Hasmonean High Priests (the Maccabees), and descendants of Antony and Cleopatra.
When Hasmonean Mariamme bore King Herod the Great two sons and two daughters between 38 and 30 BCE, the royal blood of a multitude of Empires and Kingdoms were flowing in the veins of just one family. Still lacking, however, was a royal bloodline from northern Africa and Egypt. When Augustus Caesar defeated Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, he found himself looking into the royal face that would help him unite the Roman Empire. (It is possible that the victory at Actium actually inspired the Plan.)
About 29 BCE, Herod ordered the execution of his royal Jewish wife, Mari, and his uncle, Joseph (notice the names here!), as well as the High-priest king of the Emessenes, (aka Essenes?) Sohaemus. Herod was goaded into these murders by his “wicked witch” sister, Salome. Mari’s two sons (and perhaps her two daughters) were taken to Rome to be “educated” (read indoctrinated).
As Octavian, before he became Emperor, Caesar Augustus studied Greek philosophy under Athenodorus of Tarsus (an important gospel location). He moved Athenodorus to Rome to indoctrinate all the royal children who would help implement the Pax Romana. These “Royal Orphans and Half-orphans” were:
Mariamme’s sons, Alexander (III) and Aristobulus (IV); (perhaps daughters Salampsio and Cypros (II))
Antony and Cleopatra’s (VII) three children: Cleopatra Selene (VIII), Ptolemy, and Philadelphus;
Juba I’s son (black King of Numidia/Libya/Mauretania), Juba II;
Antony’s children by Augustus’ sister, Octavia;
Antony’s children with other wives.
After their indoctrination into Greek philosophy and the Pax Romana, Augustus matched them based on their ancestry. The key matches most important to his plan were:
Hasmonean Alexander (III) married princess Glaphyra of Cappadocia (both had royal ancestors scattered throughout the Roman East);
Juba (II) married Cleopatra Selene (ancestors in all of north Africa and Egypt).
King Herod the Great had his own ideas about the bloodlines. His matches were:
Hasmonean son Aristobulus (IV) with Bernice (I), his cousin (daughter of Herod’s sister Salome and husband Costobarus);
Hasmonean daughter Cypros with Antipater, her cousin (son of his sister Salome and husband Costobarus;
Hasmonean daughter Salampsio with Phasael, her cousin (son of his brother Phasael);
It was the next generation, the children of these marriages that the Caesars would use to carry out the plan set in motion by Augustus. These royal grandchildren were also taken to Rome and indoctrinated in Greek philosophy AND Judaism. They were, after all, Hasmonean princes and princesses. The religious philosophy they were taught was Mosaic Judaism merged with Greek philosophy and mythology, exactly what Philo was teaching in Alexandria in the first century ACE.
Josephus wrote, literally, of the marriages between the Hasmonean descendants of Aristobulus and Bernice: King Herod (Chalcis) and Bernice (II); King Agrippa I and Cypros (IV); Ethnarch Archelaus and Mariamme (IV); Tetrarch Herod (Philip) and Herodias; etc.
And he wrote, literally, of the sons and daughters of Salampsio and Phasaelus: Antipater (married Cypros; two sons, one daughter); Herod (died childless); Alexander (died childless); Alexandra (married Timius of Cyprus and died childless); Cypros (IV) (married Agrippa I, the son of Aristobulus IV and Bernice; three sons, two daughters). (Antiquities 18.5.4)
What Josephus reported using Philo’s allegorical method, however, are the marriages of greatest importance to the story of the Caesars’ Messiah. And it is this lineage that Dr. Atwill failed to explore by focusing primarily on Matthew, rather than Luke-Acts.
Alexander (IV) (Alexander (III) and Glaphyra’s son) all but disappeared from literal history. But he can be easily found and followed when the allegorical history is examined and Philo’s method applied to Luke-Acts, Josephus, and other related historical texts.
Herod’s sister Salome, the “wicked witch” in the Hasmonean story, went into action once again and convinced Herod to murder Mari’s two sons. Josephus reported that Herod ordered the execution of his two Hasmonean sons in 7 BCE but he was required to get approval from Caesar Augustus to do so. Augustus demanded that the sons be sent to Berytus for a trial to determine if they were guilty of planning to kill their father, or guilty only of planning to flee his wrath; if found guilty of a murder plot, they were to be sent to Sebaste for execution.
The evidence supported the “flee his wrath” defense, but the jury found them guilty; therefore, they were “sent to Sebaste” for execution. Sebaste is Greek for Augustus. So, Josephus reported: “They were sent to Augustus” for execution.” (Philo #10: “Every word must be explained in all its meanings in order that different interpretations may be found.”)
Augustus had a Grand Plan for peace in the Empire and peace with the Jews. These two Hasmonean sons, the last of the line of Maccabees, were selected, educated, and trained to help implement it, and they were critical to the plan. Would he actually execute them on the word of a mentally-deranged, paranoid, and murderous King of a relatively minor client-Kingdom?
Josephus reported that a “Spurious Alexander” claiming to be the “dead Alexander” was delivered to Caesar: “Yet he did not deceive Caesar; for although there was a resemblance between him and Alexander, it was not so exact as to fool one who looked at him carefully, for this spurious Alexander had rough hands due to the kind of work he had been doing…” (Antiquities, Book 17.12.2). This story ends Chapter 12.
Antiquities 17.13.1 opens with a story about the “dead Alexander’s” half-brother, Archelaus (same father, different mothers): “Moreover, [Archelaus] transgressed the law of our fathers and married Glaphyra…who had been the wife of his brother Alexander…while it was a thing detestable among the Jews to marry the brother's wife.”
After describing the uproar over this marriage, and describing Archelaus’ dream foretelling his banishment (17.13.2-3), Josephus returned to Glaphyra (17.13.4):
“The like accident befell Glaphyra…who…was married, while she was a virgin, to Alexander, the son of Herod…but since Alexander was slain by his father, she was married to Juba, the king of Lybia; and when he was dead she lived in widowhood in Cappadocia with her father. Archclaus divorced his former wife Mariamne, and married her, so great was his affection for Glaphyra, who, during her marriage to him, saw the following dream: She thought she saw Alexander standing by her, at which she rejoiced, and embraced him with great affection; but he complained, ‘O Glaphyra! You proved true the saying that women are not to be trusted. Didn’t you pledge to be faithful to me? And were you not married to me when you were a virgin?”
After reporting the arrival of a Spurious Alexander with the hands of a carpenter, and the marriage of his widow the Virgin Glaphyra to Juba II, Josephus closed Antiquities at Book 17.13.5: “Cyrenius…was sent by Caesar to take account of people's effects…and to sell the house of Archelaus.”
Antiquities 18.1.1 immediately returned to Cyrenius, but Josephus also introduced two new characters: “Cyrenius came to Judea, now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of their substance, and to dispose of Archelaus's money. In the beginning, the Jews were infuriated by the report of a taxation. But they ceased further opposition on the advice of Joazar, the son of Beethus the high priest. So, being over-persuaded by Joazar's words, the Jews gave an account of their estates without any dispute. Yet there was one Judas, a Galilean (Gaulinite) of a city whose name was Gamala, and with him Zadok, a Pharisee. They were zealous to convince the Jews to protest. Both said this taxation was no better than an introduction to slavery and exhorted the nation to assert their liberty. They also said that God would not be with them if they did not resist the taxation. So men received what they said with pleasure and this bold attempt proceeded to a great height.”
Antiquities 18.1.2-5 describes two sects of Judaism in general terms: Sadducees and Pharisees, and the third sect, the Essenes, in great detail. Josephus then returned to Judas the Galilean:
“But of the fourth sect of Jewish philosophy, Judas the Galilean was the author. These men agree in all other things with the Pharisaic notions, but they have an inviolable attachment to liberty, and say that God is to be their only Ruler and Lord.”
What was this “fourth sect of Jewish philosophy” called?
Acts 24:5: “We have found this man…an agitator among the Jews…a ringleader of the sect of the Nazoreans.”
Acts 24:14: “But this I admit to you, that according to The Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors…”
According to scholars, the members of this fourth sect of Judaism were called Zealots, not Nazoreans. Why? Perhaps Matthew’s claim that “Jesus was called a Nazorean” because he “came from Nazareth” had something to do with their identification as Zealots, rather than Nazoreans as Luke reported in Acts.
Luke 2:1-2: “In those days [when Jesus was born] a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Cyrenius was governor of Syria.”
How clever of Luke! If Josephus dated the banishment of Archelaus or the registration by Cyrenius, the birth of Jesus can also be dated. If only…
“When Cyrenius had now disposed of Archelaus's money, and when the registrations were come to a conclusion, which were made in the thirty-seventh year of Caesar's victory over Antony at Actium,…” (Antiquities 18.2.1).
Caesar’s victory over Antony at Actium was in 31 BCE; therefore, Josephus dated the birth of Jesus as 6 ACE. What a coincidence! Jesus was born the same time Judas the Galilean arrived and gave birth to the sect of Nazoreans, encouraging Jewish opposition to taxation! And, as if that weren’t enough, it also marked the return of the “dead Alexander” with the hands of a carpenter, and the Virgin Glaphyra’s dream! All these events occurred in the same year, and Josephus was able to date them all in the same story! And it was in the recitation of Glaphyra’s dream that Josephus revealed a most surprising marriage: Glaphyra and Juba II.
How clever! Yet, Jesus Seminar Fellows, the self-proclaimed “experts,” have criticized and ridiculed John Atwill and me for suggesting that Josephus and Luke collaborated to reveal an esoteric story behind the exoteric story. Atwill’s critic, Robert M. Price, reviewed Caesar’s Messiah and posted it on the Internet. My JS critic was discreet, polite, and generous with his time; he will remain anonymous.
The marriage of Glaphyra and the black-skinned Juba II may be the most important marriage in the history of Christianity. Whether historical or fictional, that marriage opens the door that leads to the treasure: the historical identities of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
With their marriage, Glaphyra’s Hasmonean sons and Juba’s dark-skinned children became brothers and sisters. If Cleopatra (IX) (Juba II and Cleopatra Selene’s daughter) should marry Alexander IV (Alex III and Glaphyra’s son), it could be said: “Alexander married his sister.”
Virtually all mythological gods married their sister. It was a theme in the marriages of Egypt’s Pharaohs. It was a theme found in The Song of Solomon, an Old Testament story that Luke referenced when the “Sinner” anointed Jesus (Luke 7:36 to the end of the chapter):
“You have ravished my heart, my sister my bride…How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride! (Song 4:9-10)
“A garden locked is my sister, my bride…” (Song 4:12
“I come to my garden, my sister, my bride…” (Song 5:1)
“While the king was on his couch my nard [fragrant anointing ointment] gave forth its fragrance.” (Song, 1:12).
“…Jesus took his place at the table [reclining on a couch]…and a woman brought an alabaster jar of ointment…kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:36-38)
“I sought him, but did not find him; I called him, but he gave no answer.” (Song 5:6)
“Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women? Which way has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?” (Song 6:1)
“They came to the tomb, taking the spices…when they went in, they did not find the body.” (Luke 24:1-3)
“O that you were like a brother to me…O that his left hand were under my head, and that his right hand embraced me!” (Song 8:1; 3)
“In his right hand he held seven stars…” (Rev. 1:16);
“The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand…” (Rev. 1:20);
“…these are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand…” (Rev 2:1);
Seven in Hebrew is Shabbat, the same root also means goddess;
Star in Greek is Astarte, it also means goddess.
The morning star is Venus, also a goddess.
“It is I Jesus…I am the root and the descendant of David, the Bright Morning Star.”
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’” Rev. 22:16-17)
“I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has gazed on me.” (Song 1:5-6)
The Hasmonean Alexander and the “black and beautiful” Cleopatra were married. They had two sons, one daughter, and several grandchildren. (Magdalene’s Men Chart, Family #4-5.) The bloodlines of Alexander and Cleopatra can be traced to Royalty whose kingdoms encompassed the geographic area that surrounded the Mediterranean Sea and spread outward:
From North Africa and Egypt eastward into Arabia as far as the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian Sea (Persia, Parthia, Media, Idumaea, Edessa, Armenia, Syria, etc.); northward to the Black Sea (Cilicia, Cappadocia, Commagene, Phrygia, Asia, Macedonia, Achaia, Apamaea, etc.).
The people of all those lands were represented in the bloodlines of these two descendants of former Kings and Queens. From this one Royal Family, Augustus Caesar and his successors could provide legitimate heirs to all these thrones, trained by him, for him, under his roof, in his philosophy, able to provide the leadership he believed would lead to the Pax Romana and a Golden Age for Rome.
The Kings of Arabia had fought over boundaries for generation after generation, thousands of years. These wars ended under Augustus when each tribe was given their legitimate King and Queen, descended from previous popular Kings and Queens. What the people didn’t know was that each of their Kings was the same King, but identified under different names! These “legitimate heirs to the thrones” were embodied in one royal couple: Alexander IV and Cleopatra IX. Their two sons and grandsons ruled the disparate kingdoms throughout the Roman East and maintained peace throughout the Roman Empire during the first and second centuries – and beyond.
Caesar Augustus sowed the seeds that would lead to the “birth of Christianity” when he saved the lives of Alexander (III) and Aristobulus (IV) in 7 BCE. He sent them to Parthia as “sons of Phraates IV, King of the Parthian Empire.” Josephus tells the story of another “wicked witch,” named Thermusa, this witch starred in the story of the King of the Parthian Empire, Phraates.
Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 2 (excerpted): “Phraates had had legitimate sons of his own; he had also an Italian maid-servant, whose name was Thermusa, who had been sent to him by Julius Caesar, among other presents. He made her his concubine; but being a great admirer of her beauty, and having a son by her, whose name was Phraataces, he made her his legitimate wife, and had a great respect for her. She was able to persuade him to do any thing and was earnest in procuring the government of Parthia for her son; but still she saw that her endeavors would not succeed, unless she could contrive how to remove Phraates's legitimate sons [out of the kingdom;] so she persuaded him to send those his sons as pledges of his fidelity to Rome; and they were sent to Rome accordingly, because it was not easy for him to contradict her commands.”
These “sons,” number unknown, were sent to Rome during the 20’s BCE. They were being educated in the same place, at the same time, as Alexander and Aristobulus, both of whom also carried blood from the Kings and Queens of Parthia. Thermusa and Phraataces killed the King, an act that brought such hatred from the people that they were driven from the country and soon died. Then the people petitioned Rome for another King from the family of Arsaces. Orodes was crowned, but he was cruel and the people killed him. Then they petitioned Rome for “one of the sons” of Phraates, preferably Vonones. But he, too, was rejected: “…for they could not think of obeying the commands of one that had been a slave, (for so they called those that had been hostages,) nor could they bear the ignominy of that name; and this was the more intolerable, because then the Parthians must have such a king set over them, not by right of war, but in time of peace. So they presently invited Artabanus, king of Media, to be their king, he being also of the race of Arsaces. Artabanus complied with the offer that was made him, and came to them with an army. So Vonones met him; and at first the multitude of the Parthians stood on this side, and he put his army in array; but Artabanus was beaten, and fled to the mountains of Media. Yet did he a little after gather a great army together, and fought with Vonones, and beat him; whereupon Vonones fled away on horseback to Seleucia [upon Tigris]. So when Artabanus had slain a great number, he retired to Ctesiphon; he now reigned over the Parthians. But Vonones fled away to Armenia; and as soon as he came thither, he had an inclination to have the government of the country given him, and sent ambassadors to Rome [for that purpose]. But because Tiberius refused it him, and because he wanted courage, and because the Parthian king threatened him, and sent ambassadors to him to denounce war against him if he proceeded, and because he had no way to take to regain any other kingdom, (for the people of authority among the Armenians about Niphates joined themselves to Artabanus,) he delivered up himself to Silanus, the president of Syria, who, out of regard to his education at Rome, kept him in Syria, while Artabanus gave Armenia to Orodes, one of his own sons. (See Magdalene’s Men Chart, Family #2.)
Antiquities 18.2.5: “At this time died Antiochus, the king of Commagene; whereupon the multitude contended with the nobility, and both sent ambassadors to [Rome]; for the men of power were desirous that their form of government might be changed into that of a [Roman] province; as were the multitude desirous to be under kings, as their fathers had been. (See Magdalene’s Men Chart, Family #3.)
It was this confusion in the Parthian Empire that permitted Augustus’ successor, step-son Tiberius (14-37 ACE) to re-introduce the Princes, sons of Alexander III, as Royalty acceptable to the people of Parthia. Artabanus was Alexander IV; Vonones was Tigranes.
At 18.2.5, Josephus introduced the “Royal Family” of Commagene, but he closed Chapter 2 abruptly and opened Chapter 3 with a series of seemingly unrelated stories:
18.3.1: “BUT now Pilate, the procurator of Judea, removed the army from Cesarea to Jerusalem, to take their winter quarters there, in order to abolish the Jewish laws…”
18.3.2: “But Pilate undertook to bring a current of water to Jerusalem, and did it with the sacred money, and derived the origin of the stream from the distance of two hundred furlongs…”
18.3.3: (Slavonic Josephus): “At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon their loyalty to him. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive. Accordingly they believed that he was the Messiah, concerning whom the Prophets have recounted wonders.”
18.3.4: “About the same time also another sad calamity put the Jews into disorder, and certain shameful practices happened about the temple of Isis that was at Rome. I will now first take notice of the wicked attempt about the temple of Isis, and will then give an account of the Jewish affairs. There was at Rome a woman whose name was Paulina; one who, on account of the dignity of her ancestors, and by the regular conduct of a virtuous life, had a great reputation: she was also very rich; and although she was of a beautiful countenance, and in that flower of her age wherein women are the most gay, yet did she lead a life of great modesty. She was married to Saturninus, one that was every way answerable to her in an excellent character. Decius Mundus fell in love with this woman…”
Decius Mundus convinced Paulina that the God, Anubis, wished to spend the night with her. Being very religious, Paulina and Saturinus agreed that she should do so. Decius Mundus slipped in after the room was dark and spent the night in great ecstasy. Three days later he revealed what he had done to Paulina. She told Saturnius, he told Tiberius, and Tiberius destroyed the Temple of Isis. Decius Mundus was unapologetic: “As for the reproaches thou hast laid upon Mundus, I value not the business of names; but I rejoice in the pleasure I reaped by what I did, while I took to myself the name of Anubis." When he had said this, he went his way.
18.3.5: “There was a man who was a Jew, but had been driven away from his own country by an accusation laid against him for transgressing their laws, and by the fear he was under of punishment for the same; but in all respects a wicked man. He, then living at Rome, professed to instruct men in the wisdom of the laws of Moses. He procured also three other men, entirely of the same character with himself, to be his partners. These men persuaded Fulvia, a woman of great dignity, and one that had embraced the Jewish religion, to send purple and gold to the temple at Jerusalem; and when they had gotten them, they employed them for their own uses, and spent the money themselves, on which account it was that they at first required it of her. Whereupon Tiberius, who had been informed of the thing by Saturninus, the husband of Fulvia, who desired inquiry might be made about it, ordered all the Jews to be banished out of Rome; at which time the consuls listed four thousand men out of them, and sent them to the island Sardinia; but punished a greater number of them, who were unwilling to become soldiers, on account of keeping the laws of their forefathers. Thus were these Jews banished out of the city by the wickedness of four men.” Thus ends Chapter Three.
Verses 1, 2, and 4 were condensed to conserve space and time; verses 3 and 5 are quoted in their entirety. Josephus jumbled these stories together when there is little in them that seems to be related. Most noteworthy, of course, is that the story of the crucifixion of Jesus is told in one short verse, tucked in with these other more lengthy, but far less important, dissertations. With this sudden jump from the Jew-god Jesus to the Pagan god, Anubis, and characters called, Saturnius, Paulina, and Decius Mundus, Josephus signaled, per Philo, that allegory is about to be employed. Philo’s allegorical method demands that we find a parallel story or similar names that will hold a clue to the underlying hidden message. Mythology was a favorite source of names and places, especially Ovid’s collection of poems, Metamorphoses, immensely popular in the first century. Each poem told the story of a mythological god or goddess who changed appearance in order to stay alive.
Saturninus, Paulina, and Decius Mundus:
In Roman mythology, when Jupiter ascended the throne, Saturnius fled to Rome and established the Golden Age, a time of perfect peace and harmony which lasted as long as he reigned. The Feast of Saturnalia was held every year in the winter at the Winter Solstice to honor the Golden Age. During this time no war could be declared, slaves and masters ate at the same table, executions were postponed, and it was a season for giving gifts. This was a joyous time of celebration because it portrayed the idea of equality and recalled a time when all people were on the same level. Christians adopted the feast and renamed it Christmas.
Saturnalia certainly brings to mind the Pax Romana, especially as it was described during Claudius’ reign when the freedmen, Narcissus and Pallas as chief advisors wielded the real power behind Claudius.
Decius Mundus suggests looking at Decius Mus, the name of three famous Romans, father, son, and grandson. All three “sacrificed themselves for their country”:
Decius Mus the father died near Mount Vesuvius (“Jesus” grandson Antonius Agrippa (aka Alexio and Gaius Alexander) died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79);
Decius Mus the son invited death in the battle at Sentinum against the Gauls. (“Jesus’” son, “Decimus Valerius Asiaticus” was a Roman consul, the first Narbonian Gaul to be admitted to the Senate. He married Lollia Saturnia, the sister of Lollia Paulina, Caligula’s third wife).
Decius Mus the grandson invited death in the war with Pyrrhus. (Luke associated “Jesus’” nemesis “Paul” with Plutarch’s, “Pyrrhus the Fool of Hope.” It was Paul’s infiltration of the Nazorean movement (like Pyrrhus in the Trojan Horse) that caused the Roman plan for peace with the Jews to fail.)
Lollia Paulina’s sister, Lollia Saturnina was married to a man named Decimus Valerius Asiaticus, a Roman consul twice, in 35 (during the reign of Caligula) and again in 46 (during the reign of Claudius). He was the first Narbonian Gaul to be admitted to the Roman Senate. He was very close to the Emperor Claudius, and he was one of the instigators of Emperor Caligula’s assassination.
Lucius Volusius Saturninus (38 BC-56) was a renowned Roman statesman. His wife was a Roman woman called Nonnia Polla. His two sons were Lucius Volusius Saturninus, who became pontifex maximus, and Quintus Volusius Saturninus, a consul of 56. L.V. Saturnius I’s paternal cousin was Emperor Caligula's third wife, Lollia Paulina.
The elder Saturninus had a huge but legally made fortune and was in good graces of all of the emperors. He died at the age of 93. To honor him, the Senate ordered a state funeral and the erection of a number of statues of him throughout Rome: a bronze statue in the Forum of augustus;; two marble statues in the temple of the Deified Augustus; one consular statue in the temple of the Deified Iulius, another on the Palatium intra Tripylum, a third in the forecourt of Apollo in sight of the curia; a statue as Augur; an equestrian statue; a statue on a curule chair sitting near the theatrum Pompeianum. Lucius Volusius Saturninus must have been incredibly important to the people of Rome. Ever heard of him? Neither had I.
Caligula’s second wife was Livia Orestilla, or Cornelia Orestilla. Livia’s first husband was Gaius Calpurnius Piso (famous for the Pisonian Conspiracy to overthrow Emperor Nero in 65). Caligula forced Livia to annul her marriage and marry him c. 37 or 38. A few days later he divorced her; two years later he banished her on suspicion of returning to Piso.
These salacious intrigues that tell of Caligula’s unbridled lust for other men’s wives all occurred in the same timeframe as did the brief marriage of Marcus Tiberius Alexander and the beautiful princess Bernice. Lollia Saturnia and Lollia Paulina were Lucius Saturninus’ paternal cousins. It should be noted that Bernice, Drusilla, and Mariamme were King Agrippa I’s daughters. Agrippa’s father was Aristobulus IV, Alexander III’s brother. Agrippa I and Alexander IV were paternal first cousins; Agrippa’s daughters were Alexander IV’s paternal second cousins. These “paternal cousin” relationships are no mere “coincidence.” (See Magdalene’s Men Chart, Family #6.)
Alexander (III)’s son, Tigranes V, was made King of Armenia in 2 ACE but called back to Rome in 6, coinciding with the births of Jesus and the Nazorean sect. Conceived as a peaceful alternative to an uncompromising Judaism, The Way of the Nazoreans promised the coming of the Jewish Messiah within their lifetimes.
Three decades later, that Messiah arrived. Combining YHVH with Zeus, he was named Yeh-Zeus. Combining Judaism with Greek mythology, Yehzeus was a “dying-and-resurrected Messiah,” created to demonstrate that “The Way of the Nazoreans” was The Way to find and experience Absolute Truth and Eternal Life.
It taught that respecting the Universal Law of equal balanced interchange would bring rewards in the earthly realm of experience and in the invisible realm of Spirit that followed. The superstition that a scapegoat could appease God and circumvent Universal Law was replaced by a science of physics that applied to visible and invisible realms – “as above, so below” in ancient terms; “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” in modern terms.
Jesus said, “As you do unto others shall it be done unto you.” It was a philosophy of personal responsibility to understand that unbending, unyielding Universal Law could be trusted to always return rewards or consequences equal to the action that set The Law in motion.
The participants in the three decades of preparation came from the Royal Hasmonean Family, including the children of Alexander and Glaphyra; Aristobulus and Bernice; Salampsio and Phasael. As “sons of Judas the Galilean” they were named after the “sons of Judas the Maccabean”: Jonathan (Greek Aristobulus), Simon, Judas, James, Joseph, and Matthew.
Alexander (III) was assigned the role of “Judas the Galilean.” Aristobulus IV (Hebrew Jonathan) was assigned the role of the Pharisee “Zadok.” They began teaching the doctrine of The Way, and opposing excessive taxation, in 6 ACE. The Apostles and the initial followers included their sons and daughters, as well as other Nazoreans. Their message of “Peace and Prosperity for all” became popular rather quickly.
When “Jesus” was “about thirty” (6 ACE + 30 = 36 ACE), Alexander and Glaphyra’s eldest son, Alexander (IV), aka, Yeh-Zeus, met his cousin, Aristobulus’ eldest son John the Baptist, at the River Jordan. Yesus was identified as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. His “brothers” included his biological brother, Tigranes (called James the Just), as well as the sons of Aristobulus and Salampsio (his cousins), and other relatives and friends raised in The Way. They were Pythagoreans of ancient Jewish ancestry.
The Passover celebration of 37 ACE was to be the “First Annual Passover-Passion Pageant.” The main characters were familiar with the Osiris and Isis Cult Celebrations held annually in Alexandria, their primary home. And they were aware that Moses attempted to return YHVH’s consort, Asherah, to her rightful place at his right hand when he reported the answer to his question, “What shall we call you?” The answer has been translated as, “I AM THAT I AM.” The Hebrew words were reported as, “ehyeh ASHER ehyeh.” Allegorically, the “new name” to add to YHVH was ASHRH. The goddess, Asherah, had been resurrected – briefly.
This Pageant during Passover was modified to fit a Jewish theme and carried out on the streets of Jerusalem. The “Dying-and-resurrected Messiah” would put an end to animal sacrifice that defiled the Temple, it would put an end to the exorbitant tithes required by the temple priests, and it would end exorbitant Herodian taxation. The Messiah delivered the good news: Life is Eternal and The Way provides security for all members of the community equally.
“The whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.” (Acts 4:32)
The Pageant was performed; the Messiah Jesus was accused, tried and convicted of opposing Roman taxation, and he appeared to die on the cross. On the third day he reappeared, proving that death has no power over those who followed him by living The Way of the Nazoreans.
The “villains,” Judean procurator Pontius Pilate and betrayer Judas, were whisked away to Rome, safe from those who might wish to harm the men responsible for the Messiah’s crucifixion. Some of the participants remained to teach and to continue converting the Jews: James, Simon, John, and some of the others, including women.
Tigranes called “James the brother of Jesus” became the “Nazorean High-Priest,” the person responsible for carrying out the rest of the plan, making certain taxation was ended and the needs of people of the Nazorean communities were met as promised.
James’ brother “Jesus” returned to Alexandria with his wife, “Mary Magdalene.” Known to history as “Alexander the Alabarch” and his “brother Philo,” they began teaching the Alexandrian Jews about the Messiah who appeared in Jerusalem, bringing with him a “New Judaism,” called “The Way.” (See Magdalene’s Men Chart: Family #1)
Philo wrote The Wisdom of Solomon which introduced “Wisdom the Goddess.” James, John, Simon, their wives and children, remained in Jerusalem, traveling around the Judean countryside converting the orthodox Jews. It appeared that everything had gone exactly as planned.
But portions of the popular new doctrine created a schism among the Royal cousins: abolishing slavery, equal treatment of women, and the introduction of the Divine Feminine – the Goddess – were not unanimously approved. The “added incentive” to become a member of the “New Judaism” (the elimination of taxes and tithing) meant less income for the Sadducee and Pharisee priests, and less income for the Herodians.
King Herod and Mariamme’s eldest daughter, Salampsio, married her first cousin, Phasaelus; they had three sons, Antipater, Herod, and Alexander and two daughters. (One of their daughters married King Agrippa, her mother’s brother.)
King Herod and Mariamme’s youngest daughter, Cypros, married her first cousin, another Antipater (Herod’s sister Salome’s son with Costobarus). Josephus wrote: “But the daughter of Antipater by Cypros was Cypros, whom Alexas Selcias, the son of Alexas, married; they had a daughter, Cypros; but Herod and Alexander, who, as we told you, were the brothers of Antipater, died childless.” (Antiquities 18.5.4.)
What roles Antipater’s childless brothers “Herod and Alexander” might have played is omitted, strange considering their strong Hasmonean bloodlines. If Salome’s son Antipater and Hasmonean Cypros had sons, Josephus failed to name them, but neither did he describe their daughter Cypros as an only child, strange for the same reason. These men were among the most eminent Jews in the Empire!
But Josephus did leave some clues that lead to an answer: Wars 2.17.4: "...sent ambassadors...to Agrippa, among whom the most eminent were Saul and Antipas and Costobarus, who were of the kings kindred." Left unanswered was exactly how Saul, Antipas [Antipater], and Costobarus were related to King Agrippa I.
Josephus did, however, reveal Saul and Costobarus' relationship to one another (Wars 2.20.1): "After this calamity had befallen Cestius, many of the most eminent of the Jews swam away from the city, as from a ship when it was going to sink; Costobarus, therefore, and Saul, who were brethren, together with Philip, the son of Jacimus, who was the commander of king Agrippa's forces, ran away from the city, and went to Cestius."
The confusion caused by these two Antipaters [Antipas] makes it difficult to determine their relationship with Agrippa I. If "the king's kindred" Antipas was Salampsio and Phasaelus’s son (Antipater), then Costobarus and Saulus could be the two brothers Josephus identified as Herod and Alexander. Two or more names was common.
If "the kings' kindred" Antipas was Salome and Costobarus' son (Antipater), then Costobarus and Saulus could have been his sons with wife-cousin, the Hasmonean Cypros, sons Josephus failed to mention or name.
The "wicked witch" Salome holds the key to solving the confusion and omissions. Her determination to eradicate the male Hasmonean line (except for her daughter's sons with Aristobulus) suggests the "king's kindred" Antipas was her son, and Saulus and Costobarus were her grandsons. She would have no interest in preserving or promoting her brother Phasael's sons and grandsons. On the contrary, she would be as intent on destroying them as she had been on destroying her brother Herod's sons and grandsons. Therefore, it seems likely that Antipas was Salome’s son, King Agrippa's uncle; Saulus and Costobarus were Agrippa’s nephews.
“…so [Ananus]assembled the Sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned…” (Antiquities 20.9.1)
“Costobarus also, and Saulus, did themselves get together a multitude of wicked wretches, and this because they were of the royal family; and so they obtained favor among them, because of their kindred to Agrippa; but still they used violence with the people, and were very ready to plunder those that were weaker than themselves. And from that time it principally came to pass that our city was greatly disordered, and that all things grew worse and worse among us.” (Antiquities 20.9.4)
Costobarus and Saulus opposed James and the brothers, throwing their support behind the Temple priests. In the early 50’s, Saul (aka Paul) composed letters, sending them to the Nazorean churches, warning that a false doctrine had been introduced and that Jesus had appeared to him in a vision. Jesus, he said, appointed him as the only authentic Apostle. A few years later he began traveling to the churches in person, claiming authorship of the letters and authority to teach the “true doctrine” on behalf of the Messiah, Jesus.
The “true doctrine,” of course, reinstated tithing to the Temple and Herodian taxes on the Nasoreans; it instructed slaves to obey their masters and women to obey their husbands. It forbade women to teach, it eliminated any mention of a Divine Feminine, and it changed “Jesus” into a “blood sacrifice.” The bloodthirsty god was back!
“Life Everlasting” was available only to those who accepted “Jesus” as the “only begotten son of God” and their “Savior.” Vicarious atonement, not personal responsibility and Everlasting Cycles of Life, became the message and the doctrine.
The people of the churches were confused by the sudden changes. Saul/Paul was more than willing to explain. It was an easy sell to the men, a little slower to take hold among the women and slaves. Both sides dug in their heels, and the rest, as they say, became the “history of Christianity.”
Judas the Galilean’s peaceful Nazorean protestors were infiltrated and eventually replaced by the sicarcii-wielding Zealot rebels and robbers. As years turned to decades, few knew there had ever been a difference between the two. With more time, few knew the Nazoreans were a peaceful “sect” of Judaism. Nazarenes became “people from Nazareth,” and the peaceful protest against excessive taxation was replaced by a violent revolt against everything Roman, including the Nazoreans.
The power of Rome was far superior, and the power of Rome was behind the Nazoreans. But the last thing the Emperor’s advisors wanted to unleash in Judea was Rome’s military might. Their advice to the Emperor was to try every possible solution short of sending in soldiers. Slaughtering the massively outnumbered orthodox Jews and the new “vicarious atonement” sect, called “Christians,” would be a major setback for the Pax Romana.
In the meantime, Alexander and Philo were busy teaching and writing about their philosophy and the allegorical method of interpreting scripture. They expanded the Alexandrian Library and the libraries in Greece, Rome, and Syria. They built new libraries and schools, and they arranged their children’s marriages with an eye toward continuing the purest Hasmonean bloodline in existence.
Augustus Caesar died in 14 ACE, but his policies were continued by his successor, stepson Tiberius, and his widow, Empress Livia. After his mother’s death in 29, Tiberius turned to the man Augustus trusted beyond all other men in the Empire. The handsome, charismatic genius, Alabarch Alexander, High-priest of the Alexandrian Nazoreans, became Emperor Tiberius’ chief advisor. As Tiberius Claudius Balbilus Thrasyllus of Mendes, Alexander served as the Emperor’s Astrologer and Advisor from c. 30 until 37 when Tiberius died. (See Magdalene’s Men Chart, Family #7.)
As the only male survivor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, Caligula, Tiberius’ grand-nephew, became Emperor. In his first year he welcomed Alexander’s continued wise counsel. Tiberius appointee, Naevius Sutorius Macro retained his influential position as Praetorian Prefect. Macro’s wife was Alexander and Cleopatra’s daughter, Ennia. Macro had wisely befriended the young Caligula in the years before Tiberius’ death, building a reputation with him for blind loyalty. According to Suetonius, Macro even ignored Ennia’s affair with Caligula. (No “second source” for this claim exists.)
Macro anticipated a promotion when Caligula became Emperor, and was in fact given the governorship of Egypt early in 38. It was also in 38 that Caligula fell in love with the beautiful new bride of Gaius Piso (Alexander’s younger son, aka “Marcus. Caligula banished Piso/Marcus from Rome and claimed Bernice for himself.
Whether related or merely coincidental, shortly after claiming Bernice and banishing Piso/Marcus (Ennia’s brother), Caligula changed his mind about Macro’s promotion. He ordered Macro and Ennia’s arrest and stripped Macro of his office. Ennia and Macro reportedly committed suicide in 38; however, they escaped to the safety of Mauretania, taking their birth names, Ptolemy (grandson of Antony and Cleopatra), and Julia Ur Annia, princess of the Emesssenes, daughter of “The Great King Sampsiceramus.” (Magdalene’s Men Chart, Family #8.)
Also in 38, Egyptian Prefect Flaccus incited the Alexandrian Greeks to attack the Jews and Nazoreans, probably on orders from Caligula. Philo and Alexander traveled to Rome to petition Caligula to remove Flaccus and permit them to negotiate a deal to end the discord. Caligula was less than receptive, throwing Alexander in prison. Philo was somehow able to escape and returned to Alexandria.
Caligula grew increasingly distrustful, paranoid, and brutal, finally descending into total madness. In the year 40 he demanded that Ptolemy, King of Mauretania, appear before him in Rome. It is almost certain from his actions that he had learned that Ptolemy was the same man who had been called, Macro, Alexander’s son-in-law and Marcus’ brother-in-law. Whether he lured Ptolemy to Rome with a promise to release Alexander, or a threat to kill him, may never be known.
What is known is that Ptolemy traveled to Rome from his palace in Cyrene toward the end of 40. Caligula ordered the Praetorian Guard to arrest and murder him; history reports Ptolemy was assassinated. Mauretania became a Roman province.)
On January 24, 41, the mentally-deranged Caligula was assassinated and the Praetorian Guard appointed his uncle Claudius Roman Emperor. Alabarch Alexander became Claudius’ closest and most trusted advisor. Philo and the boys joined him in Rome. From 41 until Claudius’ death in 54, the Royal Family members were portrayed as “freedmen” in the service of the Emperor. Alexander was called Narcissus, minister of finance, and Cleopatra was called Pallas, Claudius’ personal secretary. (Magdalene’s Men Chart, Family #9.)
From 41 until 49 Marcus Tiberius was known as Marcus Mettius Epaphroditus. From 52 until 58 he was known as Marcus Antonius Felix, governor of Judea. Other aliases included: Gaius Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Elder); Gaius Calpernius Piso; Decimus Valerius Asiaticus; Marcus Antonius Primus; Meliboeus, and perhaps others yet to be identified.
Marcus’ older brother, Julius Tiberius Alexander, was Procurator of Judea from 46 to 48 under Claudius. Josephus reported that Julius “crucified the sons of Judas the Galilean,” Simon and James. But examples of accusations of brutality against this Royal Family can be shown to be interpolations. This is likely another example of tampering designed to misdirect from their true identities. Between 40 and 45, Julius was known as Julius Archelaus, son of the Temple Treasurer. In 49 and 50 he was Demetrius, Alabarch of Alexandria. Both married Herodian, Mariamme. Back in Rome in 49, Julius Tiberius was known as the freedman, Julius Claudius Epaphroditus, one the future Emperor Nero’s personal assistants, also accused of assisting in Nero’s suicide in 65.
In 54, Narcissus ran afoul of Claudius’ fourth wife, Agrippina, Nero’s mother. Some historians suggest she wanted to remove him as an obstacle to Claudius’ assassination. Agrippina sent Narcissus away to Campania where he was informed of Claudius’ death. A few weeks later Agrippina ordered Narcissus' execution and recalled him to Rome. Narcissus returned and burned Claudius’ letters; they almost certainly contained the true identities of his powerful “Freedmen.” Once again, however, Alexander’s reported death in 54 signaled another change in identity.
Julius remained Nero’s trusted advisor and Pallas remained in charge of the treasury - for a time. But in 55, Nero, unwilling to deal with any of his mother’s allies, dismissed Pallas. He accused Pallas of conspiring to overthrow him and place Faustus Sulla, the husband of Claudius' daughter Claudia Antonia, on the throne. Seneca defended Pallas at trial, winning an acquittal. In 63 Nero ordered Pallas killed. However, Pallas managed to survive, probably joining sons Julius and Marcus (aka Decimus Valerius Asiaticus and Quintus Volusius Saturninus) in Gaul.
During Nero’s reign, Alexander’s elder son Julius spent part of his time in Alexandria (Prefect of Egypt 56 to 59 as Tiberius Claudius Balbillus), and part of his time in Rome as Epaphroditus. From 61 to 63, (as Quintus Saturnius) he was a censor in Gaul. From 66 to 69, as Julius Tiberius Alexander, he was Prefect of Egypt.
In the meantime, Tigranes (as James the Just) continued his service as Nazorean High-priest in Jerusalem and Judea. But in 62, Saul and his brother Costobarus incited a mob to stone him to death. With his murder, a great civil war broke out between James’ Nazoreans and Saul’s “Christians.” For the next five years, Alexander and Cleopatra attempted to convince Saul to stop his persecution of those who rejected his claim of superiority. He refused, and hundreds if not thousands of Nazoreans were imprisoned and killed.
In 67, Saulus/Paul, was captured by General Vespasian and taken to Rome for some serious “re-education.” Paul was a highly intelligent and well-educated Hasmonean. In spite of his hand in James’ murder, Alexander refused to permit his execution and General Vespasian respected his wishes.
Paul agreed to become a “mediator” between the Romans and his “Zealot Christians.” But the uprising had reached a fever pitch and could not be tamped back. Three years after he defected, Rome moved to put down the remaining anti-Roman, anti-Nazorean rebels terrorizing the residents of Jerusalem. In 70, Vespasian sent his son Titus, Julius Tiberius Alexander (aka Antiochus Epiphanes of Commangene), and Paul, aka, Josephus to end the revolt.
Thousands had died because of a family squabble over whether or not taxes and tithes should be levied, slaves should be liberated, women given equal status with men, and the Divine Feminine placed at the “right hand” of her God. Greed, then as now, had no reason but personal gain, and greed has never shown mercy.
The Golden Age of Rome reached its peak during Emperor Claudius’ reign (41-54). Although criticized for delegating unprecedented authority to his freedmen, it seems that Claudius chose them well. What they accomplished, credited to the Emperor, of course, deserves a brief listing:
(Excerpted from: http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=22675)
“Despite his physical disabilities, Tiberius Claudius Nero [Emperor Claudius] contributed much to the greatness of the Roman Empire.
“After the assassination of Caligula, the Praetorian Guards, interested in keeping their job as the Emperor's bodyguard, declared Claudius Emperor and forced the Senate to comply.
The soldiers, freedman and foreigners were his main supporters, and some, perhaps, saw the potential that he might be known as one of the greats.
“Claudius' reign saw a major expansion of the Roman Empire. In 43AD, he conquered Britain. He discouraged those would worship him as a god, but declared his grandmother (Augustus's Wife, Livia) a goddess. He also captured Camulodunum, started a colony of veterans, and built client-kingdoms to safeguard the small-populated land.
“Claudius annexed Mauretania in North Africa and established two provinces. He absorbed Lycia in Asia Minor and Thrace in Eastern Europe. He made Judea a Roman province, conquered Iturea, and allowed the province of Syria to control it, thus avoiding major wars with the Germans. He accepted the collapse of the pro-Roman government in Armenia rather than go to war with Parthia.
“He expanded the boundaries of the Empire to their greatest extent in history. But he also made conspicuous improvements to benefit the people. Claudius' most significant contribution to the Roman world was his enlightened judicial and civic reforms and his policy of colonization in Britain, Germany and Gaul.
“Claudius improved the judicial system, increased his control over finances and province administration, and gave jurisdiction of fiscal matters to the governors under him in the senatorial provinces. He created justice for the slaves and granted freedom to any slave who had been abandoned by his or her master, and he applied his knowledge of Etruscan law to promote his belief in the civil rights of the Gauls.
“Claudius also improved the senatorial authority. He showed respect for the senate and aspired to increase its reputation. He encouraged senators to debate and to vote seriously, and he added to the senate new patrician families and Gauls in order to recruit the best political talent.
“Claudius also made improvements to public works, including extensive road building in Italy and the provinces, the completion of two aqueducts, the construction of a new harbor and lighthouse at Ostia, the excavation of a 3 mile tunnel to drain the flood water from the Fucine Lake and reclaimed agricultural land, and he helped his people when they were in great need, supplying grain to those in drought.
“Claudius: prohibited the worship of himself in temples in the provinces; increased financial control over imperial procurators in senatorial provinces, and introduced a number of minor laws such as, disclaiming of sick slaves by masters.
“Claudius' proved to be patriotic toward his empire and looked after his people, especially when they were in great need. He was never forgotten because he brought Rome to its highest peak.
“Many of Claudius’ contributions still survive today, including the waterways and minor laws. His achievements will always be remembered as he was truly an emperor who had many great struggles to get to the highest position and was truly loved by his people.”
The most powerful freedman, Claudius’ most trusted advisor and, therefore, the most powerful man in the Empire, was Pallas, Claudius’ personal secretary. A generation later, Pliny the Younger wrote a letter to his friend, Montanus, in which he complains about the unreasonable honors the Roman Senate bestowed upon Pallas. In that lengthy “complaint,” Pliny tells a great deal about the freedman, Pallas:
Gaius Plinius to his friend Montanus : Greetings
As you know from my last letter, I recently saw the monument of Pallas with this inscription: The senate decreed the praetorian ornaments and 15,000,000 HS for this man on account of his extraordinary loyalty and pietas towards his patrons. He was content with the honor.
I then decided that it might be worth the effort to look up the actual decree of the senate. I found it so effusive and verbose that the arrogant inscription seemed moderate and humble by comparison. If all the Africani, Achaici, Numantini, and I will not speak only of the ancient, but even more recent characters such as the Marri, Sullae, and Pompeys - (I will not go on any longer) - should they put themselves all together they would still fall short of the praise of Pallas.
Should I think that the people who voted on this were witty or wretched? I would say witty, if wit was appropriate for the senate; I would say wretched, but I have no idea how wretched one would have to be that he could be compelled to say this sort of thing. Maybe it was ambition and a desire to get ahead. But who could be so insane that he would want to get ahead through his own and the state's disgrace in a state in which the reward for the highest office is to be the first person in the senate to be able to praise Pallas?
I pass over the fact that praetorian ornaments were offered to the slave Pallas (since they were offered by slaves); I pass over the fact that they voted that he should not just be encouraged, but actually compelled to wear a golden ring, for it would lower the dignity of the senate if an ex-praetor wore the iron ring of a slave.
These trivialities may be ignored; what must stand on record is that the senate, on behalf of Pallas - (the senate house has not subsequently been purified) - that the senate gave thanks to Caesar on behalf of Pallas because he spoke about him with the highest honor and gave the senate the chance to testify to their appreciation of him.
What could be more pleasant for the senate than that it should seem to be sufficiently grateful to Pallas? It was added, "That Pallas, to whom all say that they are obliged with the best of their ability, has received the most justly deserved reward for his singular faith and industry." You would think that he had extended the borders of the empire, or that he had brought the armies of the state home again!
And there follows that, "Since there will be no more gratifying occasion for the Roman senate and people to display their generosity that if it should be able to add to the resources of the most abstemious and faithful manager of the Emperor’s wealth.” This then was the prayer of the senate; this was the particular joy of the people; this was the most pleasant material for demonstrating liberality: that the fortune of Pallas should be increased by wasting public money.
What next? The senate wished that he be given 15,000,000 HS from the treasury, and since his soul was so far removed for all desires of this sort, the senate should ask all the more fervently that the Father of the state should compel him to accede to the wishes of the senate!
The only thing that was missing was for Pallas to be approached on public authority, for Pallas to be begged to accede to the wishes of the senate, that Caesar himself, the patron of that arrogant abstinence, should make the request in person that he should not spurn 15,000,000 HS!
Pallas did reject it! The only thing he could have done that was more arrogant than to accept so much money from the public treasury was to reject it. The senate took this with further praises, though this time couched with a complaint, in these words, "When the best Emperor and Father of the State was asked by Pallas that the part of the decree of the senate that pertained to giving him 15,000,000 HS from the public treasury be rescinded, the senate states that it bestowed this amount freely and with good reason amongst the other honors that it voted because of Pallas' faith and diligence; and since it felt that it was not right to oppose the will of the emperor in any manner, he ought to obey him in this manner as well.
Can you imagine Pallas, vetoing, as it were, a decree of the senate, moderating his own honors, refusing 15,000,000 HS as too much, and taking praetorian insignia as being of less importance! Imagine the emperor obedient to the prayers, or rather, the orders, of his freedman before the senate (for the freedman ordered his patron that he should make this request in the senate)!
Imagine the senate going so far as to asset that it offered this sum, amongst other honors, freely and deservedly to Pallas, and that it would persevere if it did not have to bow to the will of the Emperor, whom it was not right to oppose in any way. So, in order that Pallas not take 15,000,000 HS out of the public treasury, it took his modesty, and the obedience of the senate, which would not have happened in this case, if it had not been thought right to disobey on any point!
You think that this is all? Hold on and hear some more. "Since it will be a good thing that the generous promptness of the Emperor to praise and reward deserving people be known everywhere, and especially in those places where those who are entrusted with the management of affairs might be incited to imitation, and where outstanding loyalty and innocence, as exemplified by Pallas should be able to encourage zeal for honest emulation, that those things that the emperor had said before a full meeting of the senate on January 23, and the decrees of the senate that had been passed in subsequent meeting, should be inscribed on bronze and that the bronze tablet should be erected next to the armored statue of the Divine Julius.”
It was not enough for the senate house to be witness to these disgraceful events, but a very public place was chosen in which these events would be published so that they could be read by contemporaries and members of future generations! It was decreed that all the honors of this dutiful slave should be inscribed on bronze, along with those that he had refused, and those that he took up insofar as those voting them had the power to do it. The praetorian ornaments of Pallas were cut and inscribed on a public monument for all time just like ancient treaties, just as if they were sacred laws.
So far did the Emperor, so far did the senate, so far did the—I don't know what to call it—of Pallas go that they wished to display the insolence of Pallas, the subservience of Caesar and the humiliation of the senate for all to see! Nor were they ashamed to find a reason for their wretched conduct, a wonderful and beautiful reason, that others would be encouraged by the example of Pallas with enthusiasm for rewards and emulation!
Honors, even those that Pallas did not refuse, were to be cheap. Nevertheless, people of good family could be found who competed for and desired those very honors that they saw given to freedmen and promised to slaves.
How glad I am that I did not live in those days, I would be ashamed if I had. I don't doubt that you feel the same way since I know what a lively and freeborn mind you have; it has been easier for me, even though I have allowed my indignation in places to go beyond the accepted limits of a letter, you will know that I have grieved less rather than too much. Farewell” http://www.umich.edu/~classics/programs/class/cc/372/sibyl/db/Plin-Ep-viii06.html
Second in command was Narcissus, minister of finance. Third was Calistos, in charge of petitions. Philo would advise, “Look at the names!” Did Ovid write of Pallas? Narcissus? Calistos? Indeed!
"Pallas" was the name of a mythological goddess, the subject of one of Ovid's poems in Metamorphoses. The goddess Pallas spoke these words (The Story of Coronis and Birth of Aesculapius.):
"Was once a maid (by Heaven the story's true); A blooming maid, and a king's daughter too."
Pallas was “once a maid…a blooming maid…a king’s daughter.”
But, according to historians, Pallas was a man!
From The Gospel of Thomas:
“Prologue: “These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. (1): And he said, ‘Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.’ (2): Jesus said, ‘Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will rule over all.”
The Gospel of Thomas concludes with:
“114: Simon Peter said to them, ‘Make Mary leave us, for females don’t deserve life.’ Jesus said, ‘Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’” (“The Complete Gospels,” edited by Robert J. Miller, a publication of the Jesus Seminar.)
A footnote for 114 reads, in part: “There may…be a practical side to the saying, as women philosophers often disguised themselves as men.”
“Mary Magdalene’s” grandmother Cleopatra’s full name was, Cleopatra Thea Philo Pater. “Mary Magdalene” was “a maid” and the “daughter of a King” (Libya), AND if named after her grandmother, which most historians believe she was, she was also a Philo.
But how could a woman possibly pass as a man? She might be able to dress and look the part, but as soon as she spoke, her voice would give her away. The historian Tacitus provided an answer to that question when he described the intrigue after Claudius died and Nero became Emperor. Pallas was accused of treason, but found innocent of the charges thanks to his lawyer, Seneca:
“…the proved innocence of Pallas did not please men so much as his arrogance offended them. When his freedmen, his alleged accomplices, were called, he replied that at home he signified his wishes only by a nod or a gesture, or, if further explanation was required, he used writing, so as not to degrade his voice in such company.” Tacitus Annals, Book 13 http://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.9.xiii.html
Of course “his voice” was “her voice,” and her disguise as a man surely would have been exposed had she spoken around anyone other than those who knew who and what she was. And so, her voice was never heard. Such arrogance!
The “living spirit” (the legacy) of “Mary Magdalene” survives, but Jesus guided her to “make her male.” Therefore, her many accomplishments are associated with men’s names:
As Philo (Love) she left the rules for allegory that lead to their true story! As Pallas, she became the most powerful man in the Roman Empire of the first century. Can anything be more exciting than that?
Narcissus was also the subject of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The closing words of the poem, Narcissus:
“When, looking for his corpse, they only found
A rising stalk, with yellow blossoms crowned.”
The body of the god Narcissus, like the body of god-Jesus, was not in the tomb. “Jesus” and his wife had far too much to do for the people of the Roman Empire than to remain in Jerusalem any longer than was absolutely necessary. Their most important work was accomplished after their performances in the First Annual Passover Passion Pageant. But their fame remains attached to the roles they played during those few days in Jerusalem.
The Way of the Nazoreans was written out of the literal history of Christianity. In the fourth century, the Orthodox Church set out to destroy any text or other evidence that could tell this story. The Library at Alexandria, and the other libraries and academies built or expanded by this Royal Family, were all destroyed.
This story of the Temple of Apollo in Apamaea is excerpted and condensed from Wikipedia. It reveals a most ironic bit of history:
“Gaius Julius Alexander Agrippa was a prince of Persian, Greek, Jewish, Nabataean and Edomite origin who lived between the 1st century and 2nd century. He was the son of prince Julius Tigranes. Through his father and paternal grandfather, Alexander was the great- grandson of Cappadocian Princess Glaphyra and Prince Alexander of Judea.
Julius Agrippa was a citizen in Apamea in Western Syria. In 115, Apamea suffered a serious earthquake. Agrippa at his own expense made various generous public benefactions to his community. He frequently at his own expense undertook embassies to the Roman Emperor and the Roman Senate.
Agrippa financed the construction for an extension for the city’s aqueduct.
In 116/117, Agrippa brought sufficient land to finance the construction for the Baths, an Adjacent Large Hall and the Stoa. The Large Hall and Stoa had lavish decorations. The Large Hall was used for concerts or competitions in music or oratory.
The Baths in Apamea was a magnificent complex. Agrippa commissioned a number of bronze statues to be created of Theseus and the Minotaur, the Ancient Greek God Apollo with the satyr Marsyas. These statues were placed in the baths.
At the Capitoline Hill in Rome is a bonze inscription dedicated to Agrippa. Surviving inscriptions and decrees reveal that he had a generous spirit and showed great concern for public safety and order in Apamea. His choice of Apollo and Marsyas at the baths reveals his gentle, witty commentary on the ambitions of the performers who competed for prizes in the Large Hall.”
Warwich Hall (Rome in the East) described the size and magnificence of this Temple honoring Apollos and Marsyas:
“Reconstruction in the centre around the Agora was completed in the middle of the second century. Inscriptions record the local families who endowed this new work. By the end of the second century the ‘baroque’ nymphaeum, the magnificent new theatre – the largest in the East and one of the largest ever built in the Roman world – and the rebuilt Temple of Zeus Belos were completed. This was a famous oracle that later figured highly in the growth of the Neoplatonic school of Apamaea under Iamblichus. Virtually no trace of it survives now, having been completely destroyed by Bishop Marcelllus at the end of the fourth century.”
Wikipedia also tells about “Bishop Marcellus”:
“Bishop Marcellus: Born in Cyprus; died in Syria, 389. In 380, Emperors Theodosius the Great and Gratian decree that all should profess the faith of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria. Enforcement of the decree was stepped up in 388 when Theodosius sent soldiers into Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor to destroy pagan temples. Of course, this angered the pagans.
“Soldiers are not necessarily demolition experts. When they arrived in Apamaea, Syria, they had a particularly difficult time pulling down the large and well-built temple of Zeus. Bishop Marcellus, who had been elected to the see because he was a conscientious civil magistrate, told the soldiers that he would be responsible for its destruction and the next day found a volunteer willing to do it for double his normal wages. Marcellus agreed and the temple was destroyed by undermining the supporting columns and then burning it.
“Marcellus proceeded to have other temples in the area destroyed in the same way until they came to one at Aulona, that was stoutly defended by those who worshipped in it. The party was attacked and Marcellus, who suffered from gout and therefore could not run, was killed by being thrown into the flames. After his death his sons wanted to seek revenge but were restrained by the provincial council which said that they should rejoice that God had accounted their father worthy to die for the faith (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Walsh).”
The magnificent contribution to the beautification and education of this Syrian town, bequeathed by the great-grandson of “Jesus” and “Mary Magdalene” and dedicated in their honor, was destroyed. Pliny the Elder, Jesus and Mary Magdalene’s younger son, left an intriguing message:
"Apamea…previously called Celaenae…Apamea is situated at the foot of Mount Signia, with the rivers Marsyas, Obrima and Orba, tributaries of the Maeandrus, flowing round it; the Marsyas here merges from underground, and buries itself again a little later. Aulocrene (the Flute-Spring) is the place where Marsyas had a contest in flute-playing with Apollo: it is the name given to a gorge 10 miles from Apamea, on the way to Phrygia." Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5. 106 (trans. Rackham) (Roman encyclopedia C1st A.D.)
Josephas was given an important assignment. He was forced to write a History of the Jews that told the story, allegorically, that you just read. In the fourth century, Jerome attempted to distort it beyond recognition. For sixteen hundred years, his efforts were hugely successful.
***
When we first set out on this road in 2001, we had no idea we would find ourselves defending the Roman Caesars or the Hasmoneans who helped create the dying-and-resurrected Messiah named YH-Zeus. We did not set out to explain the Passover Passion Pageant played out for the Jews of Judea. We set out to answer one question: “What are these Sacred Numbers from the Schools of Pythagoras and Plato doing in the opening chapters of Luke’s gospel?” Following that trail using Philo’s rules for allegory led to the revelations we just shared. There are dozens more examples and equally exciting revelations!
John Atwill has made important inroads on behalf of Judaism’s rejection of Christianity. But we believe our contribution is an equally important breakthrough. We hope to serve, not just the Jew, but also the non-Jew, whether orthodox Christian, alternative Christian, agnostic, or atheist. Most of all, we hope to serve the legacy of Jesus and Mary Magdalene by resurrecting the Schools of Pythagoras and Plato they supported with their time and resources. In the process, the Goddess will also be resurrected.
We applaud and support Dr. Atwill’s work, and we share his frustration that the Scholars seem unable to free themselves from the chains of orthodox scholarship. This is not to say that orthodox scholarship is not critical to the search for the true history of Christianity. But when the road goes into a tunnel, hidden by thorns and thickets, it’s time to look for the signs and signals laid out for us by the Master of Allegory. Find Philo, trust her, and she will lead you to Jesus!
Pax Amo Lux!
Gott
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