Controversial and explosive; The Christ Conspiracy marshals an enormous amount of startling evidence that the religion of Christianity and Jesus Christ were created by members of various secret societies; mystery schools and religions in order to unify the Roman Empire under one state religion! This powerful book maintains that these groups drew upon a multitude of myths and rituals that already existed long before the Christian era and reworked them into the story the Christian religion presents today-known to most Westerners as the Bible. Author Acharya makes the case that there was no actual person named Jesus; but that several characters were rolled into one mythic being inspired by the deities Mithras; Heracles/Hercules; Dionysus and many others of the Roman Empire. She demonstrates that the story of Jesus; as portrayed in the Gospels; is nearly identical in detail to those of the earlier savior-gods Krishna and Horus; and concludes that Jesus was certainly neither original nor unique; nor was he the divine revelation. Rather; he represents the very ancient body of knowledge derived from celestial observation and natural forces. A book that will initiate heated debate and inner struggle; it is intelligently written and referenced. The only book of its kind; it is destined for controversy.Chapters in The Christ Conspiracy include:The Quest for Jesus ChristThe Holy Forgery MillBiblical SourcesNon-Biblical SourcesFurther Evidence of a FraudPhysical EvidenceThe Myth of Hebrew MonotheismThe CharactersAstrology and the BibleThe Son of God is the Sun of GodThe Disciples are the Signs of the ZodiacThe Gospel StoryOther Elements and Symbols of the Christian MythThe Patriarchs and Saints are the Gods of Other CulturesThe Meaning of RevelationThe Bible; Sex and DrugsEssenes; Zealots and ZadokitesAlexandria: Crucible of ChristianityEnter RomeThe Making of a Myth; etc.This book contains a table of contents; bibliography and index; and includes over 1;100 citations and 30+ illustrations. Primary sources discussed include the Bible; Dead Sea Scrolls; Talmud; Book of Enoch; Gospel of the Hebrews; Gospel of Thomas; Gospel of the Infancy; Epistle of Barnabas and Shepherd of Hermas; as well as Josephus; Pliny; Tacitus; Suetonius; Justin Martyr; Marcion; Irenaeus; Tertullian; Augustine; Eusebius; Porphyry; Celsus; et al.
#835778 in Books Acanthus Press 2015-01-15 2005-04-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.30 x 9.30 x 12.20l; 4.76 #File Name: 0926494341336 pages
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Another treasure by Acanthus!By R. MacI have purchased all the books in the Acanthus architectural series.This volume is another treasure. It is a thrill to be invited inside these many fine houses; particularly; and poignantly; for the houses long gone. For these latter homes; the author offers an invaluable service: resurrection.Other reviewers have noted an issue with the image quality. Well; I agree about the uneven quality; but do not agree that this is an issue. I would rather have grainy images than no images! Such critiques imply that the author did not; you know; work hard enough to find images of perfection. However; this criticism overlooks an annoying thing called reality.For example; with the fabulous Tiffany mansion I have exhaustively researched this long-lost house; only to be saddened by an inescapable conclusion: for so famous a structure there is scant archival information available. There is but a single floor plan (reproduced in the book) and only a handful of interior images - all of poor quality; and originally published in a magazine. The glass plate negatives of these rare images simply do not exist so one has no choice but to reproduce from the poor quality magazine images. However; even these less-than-ideal images reveal the extraordinary nature of the Louis Tiffany apartment under the titanic-sized roof.Luckily; there are many exterior images of the Tiffany mansion. The author has chosen a particularly fine one; and splashed large across two pages. Yummy.The same is true for the even more fabulous (and also long lost) Havemeyer mansion. There are no plans extant (which is why none are in the book) and the interior images of this impossibly luscious; dazzling; and unique interior are reproduced from the ONLY source: another old magazine. The glass negatives? They do not exist.So; should the author have simply ignored these two extraordinary houses (and others) just because pristine images taken directly from glass plate negatives were not on option? Well; I am quite delighted that he did not.In addition; the author has admirably included not only information about the houses but also informs the readers about the original owners (and sometimes subsequent owners).Critically; the author lets the reader know the fate of each house. Extant and cherished? Extant but brutalized? Destroyed? This is an admirable gift to each reader as one is not left with that lingering; painful question: what happened to this fine house? It is amazing how many authors are not as considerate.To me; anybody interested in the architecture of New York City's great houses would; without question; want to own Volume I and this second volume. Both are fine additions to a fine collection by a fine publisher.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. does not measure up to volume oneBy billyBeware of glowing reviews that appear to come indirectly from the publisher. While this book is just as fascinating as the first volume; it fails badly in one area: the photos. Many of them are downright poor and most of the others are barely acceptable. I don't think it is a printing problem; I think the original photos are too poor to reproduce successfully. If you liked the first volume; then buy this one; just be aware that you won't see good; clear photos of the houses. If you don't have either one; get the first one; as it is much better.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Great Houses of NY; V. 2By Lilly FordThis is another beautiful addition to Acanthus spectacular series on fine historical architecture.The book serves as a sequel to Great Houses of New York published in 2005. In this volume the author details 37 historical residential structures scattered across New York.The book contains a comprehensive introduction to put the various buildings into a wider historical and architectural context. The text is accessible to both professionals and casual readers. This is followed by a detailed tour of the houses where each structure's significance and history are briefly explained along with clear and large archival photographs. Each house has a clear detailed floor plan. All the photos are b/w except the last two houses which are presented in glorious contemporary color shots. The book ends with brief biographies of the architects documented in the text.Like all Acanthus publications; the book is very well-made; printed on high quality paper and the photos are really attractive given their age. This is a highly recommended addition to all those interested in fine architecture.
