Hunting the Nazarene: The Second Resurrection of Christ - Brossura

Koerner, John

9781785353161: Hunting the Nazarene: The Second Resurrection of Christ

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ISBN 10: 1785353160 ISBN 13: 9781785353161

Casa editrice: Chronos Books, 2016

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Are you ready for the Truth? Citing historical evidence, including a secret mathematical code in the Gospel of John, John Koerner makes a compelling case that in the mysterious forty days after Jesus rose from the dead he was hunted down, executed, and resurrected a second time. The product of years of research and analysis, Hunting the Nazarene follows the evidence that the Catholic Church covered up the second resurrection for centuries.

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Informazioni sugli autori

John Koerner is an author of several historical books and a professor of American History. He is also the founder of Paranormal Walks, LLC. Koerner has appeared on "America's Book of Secrets" on the History Channel, and William Shatner's "Weird or What" on the Discovery Channel. He lives in Buffalo, New York.

John Koerner is an author of several historical books and a professor of American History. He is also the founder of Paranormal Walks, LLC. Koerner has appeared on "America's Book of Secrets" on the History Channel, and William Shatner's "Weird or What" on the Discovery Channel. He lives in Buffalo, New York.

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Hunting the Nazarene

The Second Resurrection of Christ

By John Koerner

John Hunt Publishing Ltd.

Introduction: The Missing Chapter, 
Part One: The Second Resurrection of Christ, 
Chapter One: Confronting Pilate, 
Chapter Two: The Missing Pentecost, 
Chapter Three: Rampant Apostasy, 
Part Two: Hunting the Nazarene,

CHAPTER 1

Confronting Pilate

The Importance of Judas

Et crucifixus est pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato et sepultus est.

It is historically irresponsible to regard Judas Iscariot as merely the traitor who handed over the messiah to certain death. Modern day thinking regards him more as a trusted middle man, a confidant whom the Son of Man could rely upon to coordinate the crucifixion as according to what had been prophesied in Holy Scripture. Author William Klassen in his book Judas: Betrayer or Friend of Jesus contends that Judas did not betray Jesus at all. Klassen found that the word "betrayal," found throughout all of the English versions of the Bible, is a misinterpretation of the Greek word "paradidomi," which translates to "handed over." The author argues that Judas was deliberately slandered throughout history to provide an easy scapegoat for humanity's collective guilt about the crucifixion.

When Jesus rose from the dead, it must have been quite devastating to Him to come to terms with the fact that Judas had died with his king. One has to wonder if Jesus foresaw this end for perhaps his closest friend. Christ displayed enormous compassion toward Judas at the Last Supper saying "woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born" (Matthew 26: 24). Notice that Jesus did not say "it would be better if that man had never been born."

Judas had to be born to help Jesus bring His life to an end on His own terms, with the help of His most reliable apostle. It is likely that the other 11 men would refuse to allow Jesus to be captured by the Romans or the Jews. They would be unable to understand how this could be part of God's plan. Judas was the only one Christ could count on to do what had to be done, according to the will of the Master. Judas had been trusted to be the group's treasurer, was most likely the best educated member of the group, and a fierce defender of Jesus.

When Judas killed himself he left an indelible hole in the power structure of the 12 apostles. Did his suicide condemn Judas to hell? Did Jesus bring Judas out of hell when He descended there after His crucifixion? Given the vacillating nature of Peter, Judas was in many ways the de facto leader. Within 24 hours, the two most important members of this group of 13 were dead. The remaining 11 were understandably frightened for their lives, and lacking strong leadership to keep them moving forward to preach Jesus' message.

One factor that may have persuaded Christ to consider submitting Himself to further degradation was the loss of this key figure in the 12 apostles. Perhaps it seemed to Jesus that at least for this group the resurrection was still not enough to convince them of the need to become messengers of Christ. The effect of the loss of Judas was something that Christ increasingly had to deal with in the weeks after his return. Perhaps one reason Jesus had to repeatedly make appearances to His followers was to instill faith in them that was sorely lacking, in part because of the loss of Judas. A second resurrection would be meant for only the apostles to know about, that Jesus could return at any time, accounting for the numerous times the apostles talk about his coming again in the latter half of the New Testament. The first resurrection was not enough to convince the apostles to take up their own cross for Him. He needed to test their faith a second time to prepare them for the difficulties ahead.

A renewed threat

After Jesus rose from the dead and spent 40 days walking the earth, this incredible news began to spread that He had returned among 12 different groups of people. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians almost offhandedly mentions that Jesus "appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once." St. Paul then added, likely so as to prove his knowledge of this, that most of these witnesses "are still living, though some have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:6).

It is counterintuitive to imagine that reports of these dramatic events would not have spread to Pontius Pilate. In fact, Matthew reports that when the Sanhedrin got word of Jesus' resurrection from the guards who witnessed it, they thought immediately that Pilate might find out about this too (Matthew 28:14). And from that point it would have been in Pilate's best interest to investigate the matter, especially given the fact that according to his wife he would be eternally damned for his recent actions. The high priests had even told Pilate that if the resurrection did turn out to be true, or if the apostles made it look like Jesus rose from the dead by stealing His body, "this last impostor would be worse than the first," (Matthew 28: 64) as they put it. It would be devastating for those who executed Jesus if the story came out (real or not) that He had risen from the dead. This would undermine the authority, credibility, and power of the Sanhedrin and Pilate. This in fact was why the Jews asked Pilate for more guards at the tomb. This shows that if necessary they would be ready to kill Him again. They wanted to take no chances. Perhaps that is why Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, was allowed to take the body and place it in his tomb. He could be relied upon to allow the area around the tomb to be placed under what amounted to martial law. There were probably orders to kill anyone who attempted to move the body, or kill Jesus if He came out of that tomb. We can easily conclude based on logic and by their own actions that the Jews and Pilate would not hesitate to execute Christ a second time if they had to. Letting Him live would undermine their authority and credibility.

One also has to suspect that Pilate would consider executing the remaining 11 apostles for crimes against the state, and the Sanhedrin would feel the same way about this, seeking to erase this Man from history by killing His followers too. In fact, it would go against Pilate's behavioral pattern to not target the remaining 11 apostles. This man had a well-earned reputation for maintaining order with an iron fist. In 26 A.D. the Roman Emperor Tiberius appointed Pontius Pilate prefect of the Roman provinces of Judaea, Samaria, and Idumaea. He was given the authority of supreme judge, as well as keeper of law and order which he accomplished through brute force. Ancient Jewish historian Philo noted that if the Roman emperor sent a delegation to investigate Pilate, "they would also expose the rest of his conduct as governor by stating in full the briberies, the insults, the robberies, the outrages and wanton injuries, the executions without trial constantly repeated, the ceaseless and supremely grievous cruelty." For example, Jewish historian Josephus recorded an incident where Pilate placed scores of soldiers hidden within a group of protesting Jews who were then ordered to randomly pummel and kill them to quell unrest. In 36 A.D., three years after the crucifixion of Jesus, Pilate ordered the massacre of a group of Samaritans on Mt. Gerizim. These Jews believed in the ancient sanctity of this mountain and had gathered there to look at vessels which Moses allegedly made for the Tabernacle.

Jesus would have known about this threat. He was a practical and intelligent leader, and was keenly aware that His message would not live on unless these 11 men found a way to spread it freely. Therefore, if Pilate and the Sanhedrin would seemingly want the apostles dead so they could not spread the story of Jesus, thereby showing how wrong the Jews and Romans were to execute Him, this leads us to a logical question to ask. How is it then that in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is able to openly give speeches about Christ in the streets of Jerusalem, and hold what amount to recruitment rallies right under the nose of Pilate and the Sanhedrin without being assassinated immediately? St. Luke reports that at Pentecost after Peter stood up and gave a rousing address to the people of Israel "about 3,000 people were added that day" (Acts 2:41). His lengthy speech chronicled in chapter 2 of the Acts of Apostles must have lasted nearly an hour right under the nose of Roman authorities. Peter continued making his public proclamations in chapter 3, converting another 5,000 until he got arrested by the Jews. Yet when the apostles were taken in front of the Sanhedrin, St. Luke notes that "after threatening them further, they released them, finding no way to punish them ..." (Acts 4:21). Luke also says that after St. Stephen was martyred, many others began to be rounded up and killed all throughout Jerusalem and the countryside, but curiously "except the apostles" (Acts 8:1). How did John live long past the resurrection, even making a visit with Peter to Samaria to bless some new converts there? How in fact did the four gospels even get the chance to see the light of day?

Jesus would have recognized these practical problems facing his newly forming church. I would contend that after several weeks speaking with the apostles, (and probably His mother too), seeing their fear, and recognizing this practical problem, Christ decided to stage a dramatic confrontation with Pilate, the Sanhedrin, or perhaps both of them. This would not be done as an arrogant slap in the face. The purpose of this would be to allow Himself to be captured again to show these key leaders His divine power firsthand so that they would leave his apostles alone, and allow them to preach.

Keep in mind this is exactly what Jesus did with Saul, who was a key threat to the existence of His newly forming church. "Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment" (Acts 8: 3). Jesus decided to demonstrate to Saul a dramatic display of divine power meant to shock and awe this man into a believer. This appearance happened after the Ascension, making it even more supernaturally impressive, given the fact that the flesh and blood of Jesus was no longer on this earth. On his way to Damascus to continue his reign of terror Saul fell to the ground when he saw a light from the sky that flashed all around him, leaving him blind for three days (Acts 9). The voice of Jesus told him to stop the persecutions, which of course he did, and then went on to become one of the most important leaders in Catholic history.

A similar display of divine power in front of the Sanhedrin and Pilate could have this same effect. If Jesus saw that Saul was a threat, and we can logically conclude that Pilate and the Sanhedrin were at least an equal if not greater threat, it therefore makes absolutely no sense from a logical standpoint that He would do nothing to address this issue because He took direct action when it came to Saul. A second resurrection witnessed by these men could have a similar effect. It would serve two practical purposes for Christ that the first one seemingly was not intended for. The first crucifixion and resurrection was for all of mankind to save the world from our sins. Despite this, the apostles were still fearful of their lives and lacked leadership without Jesus and Judas. Additionally, there was the threat of assassination from the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. This would end any hope that the church could continue. Perhaps it is no coincidence then that despite the fact that Pilate lived until 39 A.D. and stayed in power several years after Jesus' crucifixion, there is not one word about him in the Acts of the Apostles. There is no recorded attempt by Pilate in that pivotal book to stamp out the early church, despite the fact that it would be in his interest to do so. Pilate would want to maintain order, and erase the memory of this messiah that he had mistakenly put to death, and yet there is no recorded evidence of him doing anything of the kind.

We should also examine the role that Pilate's wife, Claudia played in this. In Matthew 27:19, Pilate's wife warns her husband through a messenger not to execute the innocent man who stood before him. She knew through a dream that Jesus was being wrongly accused. At that moment Jesus would have recognized in Claudia a potential friend. If Jesus was going to make the decision to rise from the dead a second time in a grand display of divine power in front of Pilate, he would have known that Claudia would be a key ally to keep Pilate from persecuting His church. In fact, it is likely that Claudia later became a Christian and perhaps was the Claudia that Paul of all people mentions in his second letter to Timothy. In fact, she was later canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church. Claudia was the granddaughter of Emperor Augustus. Such a powerful supporter would be very appealing to Jesus, not to mention the fact that Christ wanted women to play a key role in the early church as evidenced by His special relationship with Mary Magdalene. Jesus would have known, that like with Saul, a firsthand display of divine power in front of Claudia and Pilate would be enough to convince the Romans to stay away, and put in the minds of the apostles that He could return at any time to help them through this difficult time. Jesus would deliberately let it be known that He was captured a second time to test the faith of His apostles and ensure that they would not be assassinated. It is likely that He would turn to a specific person to do this: John.

The role of the beloved disciple

As we are going to see later, a second resurrection of Christ would fit perfectly between chapter 20 and chapter 21 of the Gospel of John. I believe John put all the clues there for us to figure this out centuries later. One possibility is that a second resurrection was not meant for the public to know about so John either deliberately left this out of his gospel, or it was removed by the Catholic Church. It would be too difficult to convince non believers of a second resurrection, let alone a first one. It was probably a dramatic specific event in front of the Sanhedrin or the Romans for the reasons stated above. Christ likely discussed this with His mother and John who were living together, that something dramatic needed to be done to keep the apostles safe and test their faith to keep them strong. John would be trusted to hand over Christ to the Romans at a specific time and place. Jesus would count on John's young age as a deterrent that would keep the Romans from killing him. One possible scenario is that this second display of divine power would be done directly in front of John who had already seen his savior die once, so he knew what to expect. He also knew what would be expected of him. He would witness this, but never record it in his gospel. Perhaps Jesus even told him to keep this a secret.

The other possibility is that Jesus had John turn him over to the authorities a second time and then, not witness Jesus' second death, and then report this back to the apostles as another test of their faith. Christ may not have told John of His true intentions, only to have faith. The beloved disciple would then report this horrible news to Peter that Jesus had been captured again. Such an event however is the only logical narrative bridge we can make between chapter 20 and chapter 21 of his gospel. Something unspoken and unwritten goes horribly wrong between those two chapters, something of such magnitude that it splintered the entire power structure in the high command of the apostle leadership corp. The only logical conclusion we can make then is that the apostles must have assumed their leader had been captured and killed again, reported to them by John somewhere between the days that expire between chapter 20 and chapter 21 of the Gospel of John. When Jesus submitted Himself to this second round of suffering, He likely planned to die and come back to life within sight of Pontius Pilate and the Jews, and then make a final reappearance to His friends. It is time to understand what truly happened in those mysterious forty days after Jesus came out of that tomb. His work was only just beginning. A new set of challenges lay ahead. Convincing the apostles to carry on His work, and making sure they did not get assassinated, were two immediate concerns that had to be addressed before the Ascension. Offering Himself up for more suffering could solve both of these problems.

CHAPTER 2

The Missing Pentecost

Jesus commissions the apostles

Et resurrexit tertia die

There is absolutely no reason why the Acts of the Apostles should not begin after chapter 20 of the Gospel of John. As we will demonstrate in this section, everything that was needed to begin teaching the good news is in place when the door is closed on chapter 20. Jesus has dramatically returned from the dead, repeatedly visited His disciples, and has even convinced the most skeptical of all His followers, doubting Thomas. The corps group is energized, rejuvenated, and hopeful again. It is time to take it to the streets, and bring in the thousands of followers that Pentecost, the birthday of the church, converted on that miraculous day.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Hunting the Nazarene by John Koerner. Copyright � 2015 John Koerner. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
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