The latest installment of CNN’s FINDING JESUS: FAITH, FACT,
FORGERY series focused on JOHN THE BAPTIST and the testing of his bones kept as
relics all around the world.
CNN decided to dramatize the Gospel stories as they related
to John the Baptist while showing the scientific testing of bone fragments said
to be that of John the Baptist. CNN reasoned that if the bones were that of
John the Baptist (which is impossible to prove) than that is a clue as to the
existence of Jesus?
That does not really make sense since John the Baptist is a
historic figure (there is non-biblical evidence of his existence) while there
is no non-biblical evidence of the existence of Jesus. Gospel stories tie the
two men together but the Gospel stories are just that, stories with no
historical basis.
The historic existence of John the Baptist is documented by
the Jewish/Roman historian JOSEPHUS who mentions him in his history of the Jews
and connects him to Herod Antipas who executed him.
John was one of many so called prophets that preached that the
end of the world is coming and that people needed to repent before that
happened. John offered baptisms in the River Jordan by which people were cleansed
of their sins in preparation for what happens at the end of the world when a
new kingdom of God will emerge.
John was very popular but entered the history books because
of his criticism of Herod Antipas who divorced his wife and married his brother’s
wife which according to John was a sin within Jewish law. His connection with a
historic king earned him a mention in world history.
The Gospel writers incorporated John into their story (not
history) of Jesus knowing full well that John was an actual historic figure.
Many Bible scholars believe that Jesus was actually a follower of John (a disciple
of John) as were others, some who later became disciples of Jesus.
After John was beheaded Jesus stepped into his shoes and
took some of John’s disciples with him while other disciples of John stuck
together and continued to wait for John’s new kingdom of God to arrive; they
eventually died out.
After the death of Jesus, his disciples / apostles also
stayed together for many years waiting for Jesus to return. They also
eventually died out and if it was not for St. Paul and his use of Jesus in his
new religion of Christianity; Jesus would have disappeared from history
together with his apostles.
The relics of John’s bones examined in this CNN program
showed that the bones found in Bulgaria at a church dedicated to John the
Baptist did come from the time of John and from a Middle Eastern man while
those found in other places were from much earlier times.
Relic sales in the Middle Age were a huge source of revenue.
Many bone relics tested were found to be the bones of animals but in those days
people were a lot more gullible than now….not really, we are just as gullible
as many worship relics today as if they were real just remember the Shroud of
Turin, a proven fake, still held to be the holy shroud of Jesus by the Catholic
Church which to this day makes millions from it.
As to CNN’s program I can only say that it is a lure to get
religious viewers to tune in at Easter time to see more dramatic re-enactments they
so love. As far as real science, real proof of the existence of Jesus or the
historical validity of the Gospels…well not so much.
An additional note to insert here is the fact that both John
and Jesus were absolutely wrong as to the end of the world and the coming of a
new kingdom of God no matter how much others try to spin that.
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