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Muslims, when pushing their Dawaganda that is designed to convert Christians, often ask the question what did Jesus really say? This is nothing more than a crude attempt to reinterpret the Biblical Jesus as some sort of Muslim. The reality is that the Bible offers so many differing views, that any Jesus can be constructed. This has been shown in the past, as some see Jesus the pacifist, others see Jesus the Zealot, and still others see Jesus the communist. In response to all the Christians who try and form Jesus the Christian, and all the Muslims who try to build Jesus the servant of Allah, the Freethought Mecca would like to introduce Jesus the Mushrik; Jesus the Buddhist; Jesus the Hindu (or Hinjew); Jesus the Pantheist, et cetera. To make things more controversial, we hired a heinous Yahood named Yahutha Bin Israil al-Hinjew to write the article. Brother Yahutha (shalom be upon him) shows how, with the right interpretation of the four canonical gospels and the gospel of Thomas, one can easily come up with a decidedly unIslamic picture of Jesus. Yahutha shows how easy it is to depict Jesus as being one with the "Divine Godhead" of Eastern Mysticism. Let the games begin. "Father, I pray not only for these, but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me. May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, that they may be one as we are one."(John 17:20-22) Contemporary Christianity, despite an enormous and growing polarity of denominations, remains unified by adherents to the faith who are infatuated and thankful for the manner and meaning of Jesus' death. As for the message Jesus taught when he was alive, the faithful seem less enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The contemporary "Gospel" has dissolved into a fairly simple and direct concession, that being the famous proclamation that "Jesus died for our sins." Eternal life is to be realized after death and is inherited exclusively through faith in the value of this creed, turning Jesus into little more than a necessary sacrifice. Conventional Christian wisdom compartmentalizes Jesus as being nothing more than payment for the debts of mankind, when in fact, he was a deeply Jewish mystic who taught a doctrine of salvation identical to Vedantic mysticism. Eternal life, according to Jesus, could be inherited through the cultivation of wisdom, and not as Christians believe, through faith in the validity of his atonement death. Christians justify their interpretation of Jesus by quoting selected verses (John 3:16) from what is known as The New Testament. Viewed by the faithful as objective history penned by a divine hand, the majority has a limited understanding of the documents that compose their sacred cannon. However, through scrutinizing textual analysis, form criticism, and the study of Judaic history and culture, scholars now describe The New Testament as being a collection of various theological writings, letters, and developing doctrines composed by several communities of early Christians. Although certainly containing elements of historical reporting, The New Testament is also largely a work of theology and poetry, containing creative imagery and symbolic metaphorical writing. In contrast to the beliefs of the laity, scholars insist that the gospels were written 40-70 years after the death of Jesus. This comes in addition to the indeed subjective and political motives of the anonymous authors. "These words were recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ." (John 20:31) Rather than being objective journalists recording events as they witnessed them, the gospel authors could more aptly be characterized as creative editors working with various documents and traditions handed down to them. "Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have reached their fulfillment among us, as these were handed down to us by those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the world, I in turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an account for you, Theophilus, so that your excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you received." (Luke 1:1-4). Anyone familiar with The New Testament knows that the wisdom sayings of Jesus compose a sizable bulk of the text. This has led Biblical scholars to place heavy emphasis on the comparative study of the words attributed to Jesus. When scholars began studying the synoptic gospels in parallel columns, they noticed something quite fascinating, namely that the three narratives shared a large number of "wisdom sayings" identical in content, but occurring in polar contexts in the different gospels. This led several New Testament scholars, beginning with Karl Lachmann in 1835, to postulate the existence of a different genre of gospel, a type that logically must have predated the narrative type found in the current cannon. Speculation began that the shared wisdom sayings of the synoptic gospels were once unified in an exclusive "sayings gospel" similar to the Buddhist Dhammapada. Scholars denoted this conceptual document the "Q" source, after the German word Quelle. "Once upon a time, before there were gospels of the kind familiar to readers of the New Testament, the first followers of Jesus wrote another sort of book. Instead of telling a dramatic story intended to glorify the life of Jesus, their books contained only his teachings. Eventually, when the synoptic New Testament gospels were compiled, the anonymous authors simply arranged short narrative stories around the various sayings, creating fictionalized locations and times for their utterances." [Mack, Lost Gospel "Q" (Vintage Books Press, NY, 1996), p.34] For an illustration of this process, pay attention to the language used by the author of Luke�s Gospel. "Now it happened that he was once in a certain place praying, and when he was finished, one of his disciples said, �Lord, teach us to pray'" (Luke 11:1). Upon reading the first few words of the preceding verse carefully, it becomes apparent that the author�s words are interchangeable with the more recognizable expression, "once upon a time." It is certainly possible that despite having access to the legitimate words of Jesus, the author possessed no information concerning the historical context under which they were uttered. The "Q" source hypothesis helps significantly to explain the specific style of the gospels, namely that they are all overtly obvious "travel narratives." The authors went out of their way to keep Jesus on the move, and they must have constructed such contrived documents for a specific purpose. "The travel narrative was the simplest way for ancient storytellers to turn a series of anecdotes into a compound tale: change in location was accompanied by encounters with different persons, and this elementary connection provided a minimal continuity." [Crosson, The Historical Jesus, (Harper Collins Press, San Francisco, 1994), p.45] In short, the wisdom saying and teachings of Jesus came first, only to be expounded upon several years later with dramatic accounts of his life and interpretations of his death. "The sayings gospel genre," although at one time only a hypothesis, was confirmed as an unquestionable reality in 1945 through an astonishing archeological discovery by an Arab peasant. "While digging for soft soil fertilizer in Nag Hammadi, a small corner of Upper Egypt, Muhhamed Al-Samman discovered thirteen papyrus books that eventually came to be known as The Gnostic Gospels." [Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, (Vintage Books Press, NY, 1998) p.4] Though the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John were eventually canonized, this doesn�t make them the most legitimate of a large body of literary documents circulating at the time. The Orthodox Church leaders simply felt the four documents best complimented their aspirations. Of the thirteen non-canonical gospels discovered, scholars were most intrigued by The Gospel of Thomas, for not only was it a tangible example of the previously hypothesized "sayings gospel genre," but it shared material in common with the "Q" source. Growing contingencies of scholars argue that the material shared by the "Q" source and The Thomas Gospel are the oldest and most historically accurate sayings of Jesus. In addition, this early layer of material has the same mystical theme as the wisdom traditions stemming from The Gospel of John, namely that salvation lies in recognizing the divinity that dwells within. It should be noted that the people who compiled the "Q" source and the Thomas Gospel could certainly not be called "Christians," at least in the contemporary sense of the word. For example, these sources include no references to Jesus as "Christ" never mention a single word pertaining to an atonement death, and are silent on the matter of the resurrection. [Price, Deconstructing Jesus, (Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1998), p.21] In these sources, salvation through faith seems to take a back seat to salvation through mystical insight. When extrapolating a sketch of Jesus based on this early material, we begin to see him as a deeply Jewish mystic. Specifically, he seems similar to a Vedantic sage teaching salvation through recognition that the individual Atman (the nature and essence of the Self) is one with Brahman (the nature and essence of The Godhead). Jewish mysticism goes back to the years before the birth of Jesus, reaching its pinnacle in the corpus of literature that came to be known as the Kabbalah. Much like Jesus, the traditional Jewish mystics did not envision God as an isolated monarch who lived beyond the mortal reach of human beings. In fact, they believed that the "body of God" was composed of every element of existence, and salvation occurs by recognizing that "we are one" with God. For a specific example, let us look at the words found in The Book of Zohar, one of the more popular strands of the Kabbalah. "The essence of divinity is found in every single thing, for nothing but it exists. Nothing is devoid of divinity, for everything is within it, and it is within everything." [Kaballah, (Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1997), p.45]. Let us quickly compare this insight with the sentiments expressed in the Vedantic Chandogya Upanishad. "Brahman (the Godhead) and Atman (the Self) is both above and below. They are north and south, east and west. They are the all, the whole of the universe." [Upanishads, (Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1997), p.45]. Vedantic mysticism is widely known for its insistence on cultivating our relational knowledge, seeking to understand our intrinsic nature, and recognizing our interconnected roots with the "Godhead," the force behind and within all of existence. Vedantic traditions, which stem from the large umbrella known as Hinduism, are non-dual in theory, meaning that they view reality as one infinite and interconnected divine web. Salvation, according to Vedantic mysticism, is to realize that your true Self (Soul) is one with the whole of reality (ie- the whole of divinity or the "Godhead". Alan Watts, an expert on eastern religion as well as an Episcopal priest, pleaded the case that "had Jesus grown up in India, he would have been congratulated rather than crucified upon realizing that he was one with God." [Watts, Behold the Spirit, (Oxford Press, London, 1959) p.45] In the Gospel according to John, we find a story in which a crowd of Jewish "fundamentalists" is getting prepared to stone Jesus in response to his heretical claim to be "of the same nature as God." In his defense, Jesus utilizes a mystical interpretation of a verse from the Hebrew Bible, specifically Psalm 82. "Is it not written in your own law, �I say you are all Gods?'" It seems as though Jesus is pleading the case to his peers that his mystical interpretation of Judaism is not in fact radically heretical. He proudly points to the mature conception of divinity found embedded in the Hebrew bible, much in the same fashion as the Kabbalists previously discussed. Incidentally, Jesus' preference for the truth expressed in this particular saying can also be found in the previously mentioned Gospel of Thomas! "If those who lead you say to you, �see, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds will precede you. If they say to you, �see, it is in the sea' then the fish will precede you. Rather, I say you are all Gods, and the kingdom is found within you.?(Gospel of Thomas) When we turn to the Q source, specifically Luke�s Gospel, we find Jesus similarly pronouncing, �Look, the kingdom of God is within you.' ( Luke 17:21) Jesus knew that he was one with God, and early sources indicate that he did not claim to have exclusive ownership of this type of relational condition. "Jesus said, I am not your master. You have drunk from the same bubbling spring that I have drunk from." ( Gospel of Thomas) Much like a reader of the Upanishads or Baghavad Gita will uncover, eternal life (salvation) can be inherited upon the realization that Atman (the essence and nature of the Soul) is one with Brahman (the very essence and nature of the Godhead). This type of mystical salvation is conveniently described with lucidity by Jesus while praying to his Father in the Gospel of John. "Eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God" (John 17:3). Anyone expecting Jesus to describe eternal life as being contingent on faith in his necessary atonement death is sure to be surprised. We must here note that in Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, the expression "to know" does not simply mean "to be aware of," but rather, "to know" in this instance refers to a relationship of complete intimacy, similar to two lovers whose flesh becomes one. Compare this insight to the seemingly identical notion expressed eloquently in both the Maitri and Changogya Upanishads. "To know Brahman ( the Godhead) who dwells within Atman ( the Self) is to never perish? "There is a bridge between time and eternity, one that breeds eternal life; and the bridge is Atman who is one in Brahman." (Upanishads, Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1997, p.67) Indeed, not only is eternal life a present reality, but in fact, it has always been and will always be, for the true identity of the individual is bound up in the intrinsic nature of the whole of reality, the whole of God who is in all things. "The truly wise mourn not for the living nor the dead. There was never a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor any king of the world. Nor is there any future in which we will cease to be." [Baghavad Gita, (Vintage Books Press 1997), p.89] "In all truth I tell you, before Abraham ever was, I am." (John 9:58) Turning to the pages of the Gospel of Thomas, we get a clear understanding of the claim put forth in the opening statement. "Jesus said, whoever understands the interpretation of these sayings will never experience death.?(Gospel of Thomas) As we have already established, The Gospel of Thomas is composed exclusively of wisdom sayings, with the vast majority being mystical in nature and identical to Vedantic insight. Jesus states that those who understand the meaning behind his mystical sayings will never experience death, or in other words, will inherit eternal life (salvation). In contemporary Christianity, salvation through faith is given the most emphasis when discussing the inheritance of eternal life (salvation). However, in sharp contrast, here in The Gospel of Thomas we find Jesus stating that eternal life (salvation) is based more on metaphysical understanding and the cultivation of mystical wisdom than sheer faith! This is a Jesus who could easily have stated, "he who possesses understanding possesses everlasting life." [Upanishad,(Vintage Books Press, NY, 1997), p.56] Earlier in the Gospel of John, prior to the story previously discussed, Jesus announces that "eternal life," far from being the future expectation that contemporary Christians understand it to be, is rather a present reality to be experienced. This seems to indicate that eternal life is contingent on our present mindset, not faith in the future resurrection of the body to come. "In truth I tell you, everyone who believes has eternal life" (John 6:47). Notice, Jesus does not state that those who believe will one day have eternal life. Rather, with fervent reassurance, he announces that those who believe, those who know the living God, already have eternal life. Similarly, "when the mind and heart are united with Brahman, eternal life is present." (Baghavad Gita, Vinatge Books Press, NY, 1998, p.67) This is fascinating to note, for the overwhelming majority of contemporary Christians envision eternal life (salvation) as an anticipatory rather than a present phenomenon. Jewish theologian Martin Buber believed that the notion of active and present salvation expressed by Jesus is identical to those of Vedantic ideas of identification and absorption. He wrote extensively on the need for the individual to cultivate an I-Thou relationship with the divine, for through that process, we could see what he deemed the "death of death" "John�s Gospel is one of pure relation. Here is a truer verse ( I and the father are one) than the familiar Indian mystical verse : �I am Thou and Thou art I' The Father and the Son, like in being ?may we even say God and man, like in being- are the indistinguishable real pair, the two bearers of the primal relation." [Buber, I and Thou,(Oxford Press, NY, 1970) pp.85] Once this relationship is established, your everyday self is displaced through the inheritance of your true divine Self . "I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me." (Galations 2:20) Perhaps the most commonly repeated advice of Jesus is �to love your neighbor as yourself. Similarly, within the Q source, Jesus states, "anyone who welcomes you welcomes me" (Matthew 11:40) "Jesus urges us to love our neighbors as ourselves for the same reason a Hindu mystic does so, namely that they both understand that at the core of reality, our neighbor is our own self" [Daily, Mysticism, (Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1987), p.67]. "When one sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, he understand the nature of reality, and loses all fear." [Upanishad, (Vintage Books Press, NY, 1997), p.145]. "The yogi sees me in all things, and all things within me. He never loses sight of me, nor I of him. For he is established in union with me, and worships me devoutly in all beings." (Baghavad Gita, Vintage Books Press, NY, 1997, p.78) Looking at the thoughts of Jesus next to those of the provocative Vedantic sages, we see the lucid connections between the two traditions, and in fact, they become nearly indistinguishable. An analysis of this type seems to confirm the hypothesis put forward by numerous scholars, that being the blunt notion that Christianity is not Jesus' religion, but rather a religion about him.  
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