Jesus an Archangel in "Pseudepigraphical" Gospel:

by hamsterbait 3 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  hamsterbait

  I was reading my book of "Lost Scriptures" by Bart Ehrman last night.

  I found the scriptures that said Christ was created an Archangel. Unfortunately, the book has no index (even tho published by oxford University Press) when I came to post today I cannot find the page, and dont have time right now to search.

  I thought I would throw this out and see what emerges...

  HOWEVER - I am in NO doubt that Freddie Franz read these books and culled some of his ideas from them - including the idea that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. After all the so called "reasoning from the scriptures" does not prove this does it?

  HB
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  Leolaia

  The statement is from Epiphanius re the views of the Ebionites, that they "say that he [Christ] was not born of God but created like one of the archangels" (notice, plural archangels). The Ebionites of the third and fourth centuries AD had adoptionist and/or angel christologies. This statement afaik is not attributed to a Jewish-Christian gospel per se but precedes Epiphanius' citation of the gospel "according to the Hebrews" on the matter of sacrifice (so it could be based on material from the gospel, but equally could represent the views of the Ebionites as expressed elsewhere). Cyril of Jerusalem gives a lengthy paraphrase of the gospel "according to the Hebrews" and there archangel Michael is identified with the virgin Mary. Meanwhile Origen quotes the gospel "according to the Hebrews" which identifies Jesus' mother (literal or spiritual) with the Holy Spirit. It is unfortunate that the Jewish-Christian gospels per se are not extant other than these paraphrases and fragments.
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  possible-san

  hamsterbait.

  Probably, the part which you found may be this.

  The Gospel of the Ebionites, Chapter(Fragment?) 7

  They do not allege that he was born from God the Father, but that he was created as one of the archangels, yet was made greater than they, since he rules over the angels and all things made by the Almighty.
  And, as found in their Gospel, they say that when he came he taught, "I have come to destroy the sacrifices.
  And if you do not stop making sacrifice, God's wrath will not stop afflicting you." (Epiphanius, Panarion, 30, 16, 4–5)

  (Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make it into the New Testament, by Bart D. Ehrman. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS. p.14)

  Well, I have the PDF of that book (Lost Scriptures).
  That is searchable PDF. (The word "archangels" is hit 16 times in that book.)

  If you want that PDF, please send PM to me.
  I'll show you that link.

  possible
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  Larsinger58

  Seems like Ebionites shares the same interpretation as the WTS that Jesus was one of the "other" angels.

  As far as there being more than one archangel, the witnesses, seeing only one archangel mentioned by name, that is Michael, presume there is only one archangel. That theory remains, but it doesn't contradict that there could be a level of angels called "archangels" either.

  But in that regard, Jesus, that is Michael the archangel is also one of the covering cherubs depicted over the Ark of the Covenant. The two covering cherubs have a special pace in connection with Holy Mount Zion out of which Satan was cast. Thus Satan must be the other "covering cherub." This begs that if there was a special degree of angels who are "archangels" or chief angels, then certainly Satan would be one of them as well.

  On the temple curtains these two specific angels are alternatively represented by a cherub with the face of a man and a palm tree. The palm tree represents the feminine partner here and thus Satan. This is the basis for understanding Christ's marriage to the church who replace Satan on Mount Zion. That is, that Christ or Michael the AA was considered married to the other covering cherub and thus to Satan.

  In paganism, Satan represents herself as the "Queen of Heaven" and other forms of the Mother Goddess, but also as a palm tree in many cases, the most obvious being as Artemis of Epheus where she is a transmogrification of a date palm with her multiple breasts like date clusters.

  See her multiple breasts like dates based on her image in paganism as well as the Bible as the "palm tree":

  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Artemis_Ephesus_Musei_Capitolini_MC1182.jpg

  This is why Satan and her seed (rebel angels) at Genesis 3:15 is referred to as the "woman and her seed" who opposes Christ/Michael and his seed. This "enmity" between the two comes to a climax in Revelation where you see Michael and his angels (his seed) battling with Satan, the dragon and his/her seed (rebel angels).

  Of course, this conflict underscores another Biblical theme, which is that because of Satan, Christ has to die for a short while but Satan ends up dead throughout eternity.

  Christ might not be the only "archangel" in reality, but he still is an "alpha and omega" being uniquely created by the Father. He is called the only-begotten son because he is the only angel directly created by Jehovah. All other angels and things were created "through", "by" and "for" Christ/Michael. Thus technically, all the angels are really "grandsons" to the Father and Jesus Christ is himself a father. Thus technically Jehovah has only one son, Jesus Christ. All the other "sons" are grandsons, or in the case of Satan, a granddaughter.

  Satan was the most beautiful angel in all of heaven, truly the Queen of the Heavens. Whom else would Christ marry? Of course, she turned out to be a lying, muderous biache, so she gets replaced by the very lamb-like new wife of Christ, the church (i.e. the "144,000"--actually only 1/10th of the total number of 1,440,000. See Isa 6:13).

  LS58