Jesus Papers Baigent

Are the Jesus Papers, by Michael Baigent, heresy, pure fiction, or thought provoking research?

It is simply yet another “tabloid” book that parades itself with publisher’s hype like “the author’s discoveries” and “years of research.” How many books (and movies) have pushed the concept of “the truths that have been kept secret for centuries are finally exposed!” and are forgotten a year or two later. (And even The Da Vinci Code bombed in the theaters because it represented nothing new and was based on a story perpetrated by a guy who went to prison for fraud over phony “historic papers”.) About 35+ years ago it was “The Passover Plot”.

But such books do make money for a while — just as silly tabloids at the grocery store make major money even though no rational person assigns any credibility to them.

Of course, if this book represented any sort of breakthrough research, Baigent would have been a major topic at last November’s Society of Biblical Literature’s annual conference. Surprise: it wasn’t. (Nary a mention.)

Most such books are simply a recycling of old ideas and often an over-emphasis on a particular extra-Biblical text or simply some legend taken seriously and serving as a foundation of an entire “what if” scenario. And most involve some sort of CONSPIRACY by the Vatican et al — because people LOVE conspiracies (whether the conspiracy of enforced silence is about Area 51, 9/11, or miracle cures suppressed because drug companies make more money if people are sick.)

Such books are usually thought provoking ONLY for those with limited knowledge of the subject involved. Biblical scholars find them occasionally humorous — but more often just plain boring. Occasionally I’ve listened to a paper at a scholarly conference that looks at the TRENDS in “tabloid Bible scholarship” and NUMEROLOGY in the format of “The Bible Code” are probably the most predictable in that the “discovery” of allegedly hidden codes makes a big splash about every twenty years — although as computers got smaller and cheaper with the PC revolution, the publishing cycle on Bible numerology may be more frequent.

Real scholarship and Bible knowledge require serious work and aren’t always so entertaining. “Dog bites man” is not newsworthy but “Man bites dog” captures attention. Regard “tabloid Bible research” likewise.

Racing Toward Armageddon by Michael Baigent

The Jesus Papers $10.00 What if everything you think you know about Jesus is wrong? In the sequel to ‘The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail’ Michael Baigent reveals the truth and tackles controversial questions, such as whether or not Christ survived the crucifixion. Twenty years ago Michael Baigent and his colleagues stunned the world with a controversial theory that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene married and founded a hol…

The Jesus Papers: Exposing the Greatest Cover-Up in History (Plus) $6.28 What if everything we have been told about the origins of Christianity is a lie? What if a small group had always known the truth and had kept it hidden . . . until now? What if there is evidence that Jesus Christ survived the crucifixion? In Holy Blood, Holy Grail Michael Baigent and his co-authors Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh stunned the world with a controversial theory that Jesus C…

The Jesus Papers Intl: Exposing the Greatest Cover-up in History $80.00 …