Christian Metaphors

If we believe what is written in the Bible, we ought also to believe the sacrifice of the “essential man,” Jesus, was merely the first of three steps by which the Christian concept became the Catholic Church.

Isaiah's prophecy of the Virgin with Child Courtesy: vultus.stblogs.org

(PASO ROBLES, Calif.) - The creation of the Christian Church by the Coterie took planning and ingenuity beyond the range of usual competency that involved not only Jesus, but his disciples, and a cast of characters who played important roles in the success of the scheme.

After the crucifixion of Jesus, the next step was to use his disciples, especially Peter, as interim players in the creation of a viable Church. Peter was the only disciple to say of Jesus - the Son of Man - “you are the Christ,” [Mark: 8; 29] and because of it, his apparent faith became the symbolic rock on which the Coterie founded the Church and assumed Peter’s authority as the Passive Voice of the See of St. Peter, the actual authority of Roman Catholicism; popes are chosen to be Active Voices.

Isaiah’s Prophecy was instrumental in presenting the theme upon which Christianity was to be constructed often using half-truths mixed with wondrous metaphor. The original intent was to elevate Judaism to the level of One God for All Nations, but Jewish Elders objected. Thereafter the Prophecy became a diatribe against Judaism using threats and injecting fear to persuade Jews of the desirability of accepting the Coterie’s Decree of Faith in Jesus Christ or face the awful consequence of being labeled reprobate. But the Prophecy also was a justification of Christian concepts.

Isaiah’s Prophecy is damning, but also is a reservoir of information that, logically, runs counter to what is implied by innuendo, or half truths, that have passed as acceptable mystery and absolute truth down through generations that, with the help of Priests and Evangelists, recipients find both appealing and captivating.

The Virgin birth is a case in point. Anyone who reads the Book of Isaiah knows that from the time of his Prophecy [Isaiah: 32; 10] to the time Jesus arrived on the scene was a period of “little more than a year.” We may assume therefore Jesus was prepared, as children are today, by a devout mother who prepared her child by example, taught him what she wanted him to know, then dedicated Jesus to the cause of Christianity. Since Jesus’ arrival was from the Community-at-large [the body politic] as an adult, the “Immaculate Conception” leading to his issue, makes sense only as a metaphor.

Jesus had not yet committed to the role planned for him, nor was he the Christ - translation to that role would come later - and the Christmas story of the manger, no crib for his bed, is dramatic make-believe with intended emotional overtones. Mathew: 1; 18-25 writes of it many decades after the fact:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. As he considered this, behold an angle of the Lord appeared to him as in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

This confusing passage implies Mary and Joseph were not married, but Mary was "pregnant" [possessed?] with a child of the Holy Spirit. In the very next sentence Matthew speaks of Joseph - the husband - as being a decent fellow who rather than shame Mary would divorce her: "But as he considered this behold an angle of the Lord appeared to him as in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife," [etc.] What are we to believe?

Pregnant has a double meaning, as in a mother of an unborn child; or a person is pregnant with possibility. The most logical interpretation seems to be that Mary had a son who was willing to dedicate his life to the Christian cause. Jesus was about to enter the last and essential phase of his life, and if he was given a new name [a practice common in some cults] "and you shall call him Jesus,” it would not have been unusual, but suggesting the name “Jesus” possesses an inherent magic quality [“for he will save his people from their sins”] would be.

"When Joseph woke from sleep [his perplexity?] he was persuaded to do as the angel of the Lord commanded," and again we are faced with a symbol of angelic proportion. The angel was likely a member of the Coterie whose role was to see the scheme through to its intended conclusion. Add to this the fact that Jesus was to "save his people” from their sins, and the words of the “angel” might be interpreted as follows:

‘Joseph, we know you to be a good person and a devout Jew, so do not hesitate to take Mary as your wife. Although she embraces Christianity, she is no less a Jew. The Spirit that moves her now has been expanded to include not just Jews, but people of All Nations. Her son Jesus is also a strong advocate of Christianity, and will be the herald, messenger and spokesperson for a new philosophy the purpose of which will be to promote the righteousness of Christianity, and reveal the weakness of Judaism.’ Joseph was persuaded of the merits of such an argument, and gave no further resistance to the movement. [A Gospel written sixty years afterward and presented as fact would be considered an unreliable source by any scientific discipline].

During Jesus’ tenure as Christian-advocate, he claimed as his Father the philosophy of the Christian Coterie by which a new World Community would be guided. He took upon himself the titles of "Son," and the "Word," symbols for the youthfulness of the movement and his role within it. He was the "essential man" and the sacrificial lamb; the title of “Christ” came when at Gethsemane, he prayed to an angel [of the Coterie] saying “Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.” [Mark: 32; 34-36] committing himself to his fate. In Bethany, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, “in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table,” a woman anointed Jesus for burying [Mark:14; 3-8] thereby confirming his commitment, and legitimizing his title as the Christ before he was arrested and presented before Pilate who, finding no fault worthy of death, gave Jesus up to be crucified [Mark:15; 1-15]. The links in the chain of events are as intricate as they are interesting.

Jesus was labeled "King of the Jews," but by whom? Perhaps the Coterie, for the Jewish Elders’ wanted to make an example, not a king, of a heretic and apostate from Judaism. The crown of thorns, symbolic of the Jewish wilderness, probably was set upon his head by a member of the Coterie before his crucifixion. His sacrifice symbolized both the end of Judaism's One God for One Nation concept, and the rise of an Immortal God of All Nations [the Church] built on the philosophy of the Christian Coterie. The "King of the Jews" is Dead; Long Live Christianity! The crown of thorns, symbolic of the old ways, is replaced by the Cross, the metaphor for Christian fulfillment.

If we believe what is written in the Bible, we ought also to believe the sacrifice of the “essential man,” Jesus, was merely the first of three steps by which the Christian concept became the Catholic Church.

Kenneth G. Ramey was a 79-year old "writer without a Website" who is generating excellent, provocative articles on the subject of religion and world affairs. We are pleased that Ken's "lone wolf" presence as a writer in the world has been replaced by a spot on our team of writers at Salem-News.com. Raised in Minnesota and California during the dark years of the Great American Depression, Ken is well suited to talk about the powerful forces in the world that give all of us hope and tragedy and everything in between. You can write to Ken at: