helen99: A windswept tree against a starlit sky (Default)
helen99 ([personal profile] helen99) wrote2006-09-25 10:19 am
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The Jesus Papers...

I'm reading "The Jesus Papers" by Baigent. Several new twists on the Jesus story and such. Fun to speculate.

The thing that had me chuckling this morning, however, is this:

Execution by crucifixion was reserved for political seditionists, not religious dissidents. Heretics were generally stoned to death. So ok, that's not very funny, but bear with me.

According to reports, Jesus was crucified along with two thieves. However, the older translations do not use a word that means "thieves". The word is "Listai" which means "Terrorist" or "Political Dissident" (Insurgent, if you will).

Baigent goes on to make a case that Jesus, who was of the bloodlines of both David (King) and Aaron (Priest), was thus qualified to become king of Judea, and was being promoted as such by the Zealots. The Zealots were revolutionaries who wanted to install legitimate priests and kings of the Aaron/David bloodlines in positions of power in Jerusalem. They also wished to violently depose the usurpers that were installed by Rome. The Zealots were definitely considered to be Listai. So it is looking more and more like Jesus was an Insurgent, a political dissident, a terrorist, otherwise known as a Listai.

It's only missing one little R, folks. One measly little R, and we have Listari.

That's really the only part that was funny, but I'm still chuckling in light of the fact that one of [livejournal.com profile] rialian's college friends once went temporarily delusional and thought Rialian was Jesus. She was under the influence of 3 weeks of sleep dep, caffiene, and nonstop studying for finals. They tried to hide the car keys, but she had a spare set. They found her some days later in a motel. By that time, she accused another guy of being Inuit Eskimo Satan (which I think is even cooler than accusing someone of being Jesus). She ended up marrying Eskimo Satan, and is much better now.

But seriously, kidding aside, this sounds a bit familiar - the part about the Zealots who were trying to kick Rome out of Jerusalem in order to purify their religious environment, and being considered, well, Listai. Ironically, the same person they were trying to promote as the one who would save them from the usurpers later became the religious weapon of choice that has been used by many of the power elite to subjugate the population.

[identity profile] jarandhel.livejournal.com 2006-09-25 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
It's only missing one little R, folks. One measly little R, and we have Listari.


Oh, it's not missing *anything* as far as I'm concerned... stai is a perfectly acceptable suffix as well, after all. Look at it this way: Lis'tai. ;-)

I am *immensely* amused. (And the rest of this info is very interesting as well.)

[identity profile] fearadyn.livejournal.com 2006-09-25 06:39 pm (UTC)(link)
hehe, what a cool find! As soon as I saw Listai I began to chuckle, and actually this may not be far from the truth, if we go with theorys such as Z. Stichin has come up with.

Very interesting.
ext_15463: (Default)

[identity profile] illuviel.livejournal.com 2006-09-25 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
I got as far as 'Listai' and snickered, as I had an idea it was going in a direction thusward.

Listai thiswise, Listari being one letter away from Istari. Both, triangulated from, make sense at least to non '-ari me.

Selective thinking

[identity profile] iliandriel.livejournal.com 2006-09-25 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Funny how selective thinking works isn't it. I believe he was quite the radical and when you call the pharasees the then ruling juncta of the time white washed sepulchres well that does not always tend to sit well. Can cause some open rebellion among the rich and oh so pious. You know the one's with the holier than thou syndrome.

They were all ready to crucify him but when it came to getting people to do what they wanted it was you will burn in hell if you do this or that. Good way to control the masses, especially, when some are very paranoid of hell. Even today the Bush regime uses that to get elected. Heaven forbid that gays should get married. Silly stuff really. I don't care who marries whom. That's a personal matter. I think that many do use Jesus selectively and bravo to you for bringing it up.

[identity profile] drchuck1968.livejournal.com 2006-09-25 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Just for the record, I never thought Rialian was Jesus. :-)

[identity profile] laurelindel.livejournal.com 2006-09-26 02:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Listai = dissident

it fits

:)