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Does Borg's version of Jesus' life reflect the influence of the Urantia Revelation?
In considering whether Borg was influenced by The Urantia Book in preparing his "Jesus. A New Vision" there is at least one piece of knowledge that is common to both works and which also appears to be unique to both--the actual year in which Jesus was crucified. This is given as taking place during Passover of the year A.D. 30.
Accepting the well known "Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible" as our authority we find there is general agreement that Jesus was born prior to B.C. 4, the date for the death of Herod the Great. But for the date of Jesus' crucifixion, we find only chaos.
"Expert" views for the length of Jesus' public ministry are given as for a single year only to the Bishop Irenaeus' view that it ranged from between ten to twenty years. Yet another "expert" view pins the crucifixion down to A.D. 29 while yet another argues for A.D. 35.
The date A.D. 30 first appears in Borg's book on page 172 and for a second time on his page 184--and appears to be the only actual date provided in the whole of the text of his book. So was it a fortuitous guess or did it owe its origin to The Urantia Book, first published in 1955?
The fact that that there is little, perhaps nothing, in Borg's writing that clashes with what we find in the text of The Urantia Book, plus the uniqueness of dating for Jesus' crucifixion, is certainly indicative that either Borg or one or more of in excess of one hundred authors that Borg references may have had a very considerable knowledge of the content of the Urantia Book. And the fact that most of the references are to Bible scholars could mean that the content of The Urantia Book is making at least a secretive impact.
Why was Jesus crucified?
Why was Jesus crucified? On p. 6 herein the "dominant consciousness" of the day gets the blame. So what was the "dominant consciousness?"
Borg described it as "holiness," which, to the ruling group in Jesus' day, meant rigid adherence to their interpretation of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and the 613 rules derived therefrom. Provided one was born a member of the group calling themselves "God's chosen people," and providing one lived by these Torah rules, "holiness" then meant to live according to the demands of Yahweh. And not to do so was to become an outcast, one rejected by Yahweh.
However if we read The Urantia Book's account of the last week of Jesus' life, it is quite easy to miss the grounds for Borg's claim that Jesus was crucified simply because he was at loggerheads with the "dominant consciousness" of the day.
Go back just a little earlier in time and the seriousness of the differences between the "practicing" Jews and Jesus becomes evident.
From The Urantia Book:
"Jesus was at Ragaba, where there lived a wealthy Pharisee named Nathaniel; and since quite a number of his fellow Pharisees were following Jesus and the twelve around the country, he made a breakfast on this Sabbath morning for all of them, about twenty in number, and invited Jesus as the guest of honor.
By the time Jesus arrived at this breakfast, most of the Pharisees, with two or three lawyers, were already there and seated at the table. The Master immediately took his seat at the left of Nathaniel without going to the water basins to wash his hands. Many of the Pharisees, especially those favorable to Jesus' teachings, knew that he washed his hands only for purposes of cleanliness, that he abhorred these purely ceremonial performances; so they were not surprised at his coming directly to the table without having twice washed his hands. But Nathaniel was shocked by this failure of the Master to comply with the strict requirements of Pharisaic practice. Neither did Jesus wash his hands, as did the Pharisees, after each course of food nor at the end of the meal.
After considerable whispering between Nathaniel and an unfriendly Pharisee on his right and after much lifting of eyebrows and sneering curling of lips by those who sat opposite the Master, Jesus finally said: "I had thought that you invited me to this house to break bread with you and perchance to inquire of me concerning the proclamation of the new gospel of the kingdom of God; but I perceive that you have brought me here to witness an exhibition of ceremonial devotion to your own self-righteousness. That service you have now done me; what next will you honor me with as your guest on this occasion?"
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