THE CENTURION
I Thought I Killed Jesus
Introduction
Legends and Tradition
The history of the formation of the Bible is a fascinating study. Where many people believe the “hand of God” wrote the entire Bible, others see the crafty hand of man. Where some see the Scripture as the story of the glory of God, others see it as the story of a gory God as told by the ego. Narrowing our sight and looking only at the formation of the New Testament, some see only the finished product, whereas others see a very fluid and complicated human process.
Two thousand years ago only legends and stories existed about the man Jesus before and after the crucifixion. According to some scholars these legends and stories were formed in what is called the oral tradition. In other words, there were no written records; there were no news reporters and biographers following Jesus around, recording all his words on paper, telling eye-witness accounts of the events surrounding his activity.
It is important to realize that the four Gospels were not written close to the time of the actual events. Many years intervened between the life and death of Jesus and the actual writing of these books.
Only a few of the legends and stories surrounding the figure of Jesus were eventually collected and put into a written form. Among all the available writings only a very small amount were eventually selected and preserved in one form or another in the books we now call the Four Gospels. This process of selection is a fascinating study, for we find that this selection process involved many years of intense arguments, counter-arguments and bitter jousting for supremacy. The process does not present a rosy picture of peaceful negotiations.
Therefore, it would be foolhardy to assume only the best and most reliable legends made it into the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We know for a fact that in the fourth century A.D. Roman Christianity burned thousands of books considered heresy. Decisions in Rome established what is and what was to be called the official records of Jesus; this is called The Canon. Everything else outside the official record was judged heresy. Whatever the officials of Rome found that was not canon was quickly confiscated and burned.
This very brief overview of the history of the formation of the New Testament begs the question as to what the rejected books contained; what were the stories the destroyed books told about Jesus? What perspective did Rome try to erase from human memory?
Two thousand years ago only legends and stories existed about the man Jesus before and after the crucifixion. According to some scholars these legends and stories were formed in what is called the oral tradition. In other words, there were no written records; there were no news reporters and biographers following Jesus around, recording all his words on paper, telling eye-witness accounts of the events surrounding his activity.
It is important to realize that the four Gospels were not written close to the time of the actual events. Many years intervened between the life and death of Jesus and the actual writing of these books.
Only a few of the legends and stories surrounding the figure of Jesus were eventually collected and put into a written form. Among all the available writings only a very small amount were eventually selected and preserved in one form or another in the books we now call the Four Gospels. This process of selection is a fascinating study, for we find that this selection process involved many years of intense arguments, counter-arguments and bitter jousting for supremacy. The process does not present a rosy picture of peaceful negotiations.
Therefore, it would be foolhardy to assume only the best and most reliable legends made it into the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We know for a fact that in the fourth century A.D. Roman Christianity burned thousands of books considered heresy. Decisions in Rome established what is and what was to be called the official records of Jesus; this is called The Canon. Everything else outside the official record was judged heresy. Whatever the officials of Rome found that was not canon was quickly confiscated and burned.
This very brief overview of the history of the formation of the New Testament begs the question as to what the rejected books contained; what were the stories the destroyed books told about Jesus? What perspective did Rome try to erase from human memory?
An Historical Novel
The short story titled The Centurion is a tale about a soldier in the Roman army. His story is told to illustrate the point that truth lives despite murder and death. Truth did not die. Truth cannot be erased from our memory by burning books or killing people.
On a negative note, The Centurion is not a story to be read or believed by everyone. Some people who read it may find the contents to be quite heretical, for it expresses a completely different picture of what happened during and after the crucifixion of Jesus.
On the other hand, I am confident that many other people will read it and discover a sense of liberation emerging within them as they read the centurion’s story. This will happen if the reader is asking that only the truth be told. The story will reach deep inside—where the confirmation of truth resides. Truth is. All we need do is remove the obstacles within us which prevent truth from coming to us.
The story of the centurion is offered as a contribution to removing a veil from our heart in order that light may shine.
Blessings!
Joseph
April 11, 2006
________________________________________
Revised July 6, 2012 - For this website.
Copyright by Joseph Babinsky - All rights reserved.
On a negative note, The Centurion is not a story to be read or believed by everyone. Some people who read it may find the contents to be quite heretical, for it expresses a completely different picture of what happened during and after the crucifixion of Jesus.
On the other hand, I am confident that many other people will read it and discover a sense of liberation emerging within them as they read the centurion’s story. This will happen if the reader is asking that only the truth be told. The story will reach deep inside—where the confirmation of truth resides. Truth is. All we need do is remove the obstacles within us which prevent truth from coming to us.
The story of the centurion is offered as a contribution to removing a veil from our heart in order that light may shine.
Blessings!
Joseph
April 11, 2006
________________________________________
Revised July 6, 2012 - For this website.
Copyright by Joseph Babinsky - All rights reserved.