Masks of Christ: Behind the Lies and Cover-Ups about the Life of Jesus

by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince

Book Overview

From the gnostic gospels to the Nativity, religious mythology immortalized Jesus -- his personality, his actions, his words -- but what if they didn't tell the truth? Although an entire religion is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416531661
• ISBN13: 9781416531661
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Christ Unmasked

I have not finished reading the "Masks of Christ" but so far I've found that not only does it support many of my observations in my forthcoming book, "Papered Over", but it has opened new avenues to pursue in my next book. It is interesting and well-written Jared Collard

a different look at biblical "reality"

Picknett and Prince once again ask the right questions, offer their usual well thought out hypothesis, and ask us to rethink what we have taken in from various sources throughout our lives. What i find amazing is that works like this are called rank speculation, yet i have over the course of my life, found that most of what we believe to be history is little more than speculation from established sources. Read, think, enjoy, question what you believe, and why you believe it.

All in all

This book is a great detailed overview of the complexities, opinions and analyses existing behind Jesus's person and the context he has been place into by scholars, lay persons and Christians. Exhausting and well-written.

Behind the Mask

The Masks of Christ is an excellent look into the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the strange goings on which surround the historical Jesus. If you're looking for a in depth look at the genuine history behind Jesus Christ and some challenging, yet objective, questions which ponder the deeper meanings of the life and teachings of this man, then this is an excellent place to start. The authors, Picknett and Prince, do an excellent job of citing the interesting and provocative moments in Jesus' life. Some of their questions are challenging ones, as they ponder the intentions behind Jesus' political and spiritual actions, enigmatic teachings, and if what is contained in the scriptures is the whole truth? With the findings in Kibbutz Tzuba caves near Ein Kerem, linked to John the Baptist, the authors offer some surprising evidence which points to the fact that the movement the Baptist was, perhaps, a part of a much larger denomination of the Jewish faith. If true, the implications could have profound consequences on the historical interpretation of the Bible and of Jesus' mission on earth. Delving deep into the evidence the authors search for clues which bring to light the mysterious aspects of Jesus Christ's teachings and discuss other possible interpretations including: 1) Jesus was a pupil of John the Baptist and weren't related. 2) Many of the scriptures have been changed to make Jesus into the Christ when in actuality there is evidence which supports reason to believe that John the Baptist was considered the true Messiah. 3) Jesus may have practiced a pagan form of Greek magus mysticism. 4) The Eucharist may be a secret teaching of Christ. 5) Jesus may have been linked to the rarely mentioned second Jewish Temple in Egypt. 5) Jesus may have purposely usurped John's movement and used his newfound position of power, as the new Messiah, to better enact his radical political and religious revisions. 6) If these theories and many more like them prove to be true, Christians may be following the wrong version of Christianity. After bring up some surprising evidence the authors leave each chapter with an open ended question which lets the reader decide for themselves whether or not the evidence supports their theories, or whether there are more masks/variations/interpretations which still need to be considered? The Masks of Christ is the most fun I've had reading about the historical man who would be God for millions of believers. But there may be more to Jesus Christ than meets the eye, and this book peels back the layers of masks in search of some hidden truths. Whether or not the authors succeed is up to you. Recommended for anyone who wants to know the historical Jesus of Nazareth, is interested in looking at things from a different angle, and has an open mind.

Jesus unmasked

There is not very much we know about the authors except that they are writers and researchers into the paranormal. They had written on similar topics ("The Turin Shroud" and "Sion"). The matters covered in "The Masks of Christ" are not original and the points had been made by biblical and religious scholars as well as other writers of the paranormal. However, this book was very well organized and written in a lucid and concise style and so it will be very useful for readers who are interested in knowing aspects of the Bible that the Church will never admit, let alone teach. The two most important points made concern the birth of Jesus and his resurrection. These are the two of the most important aspects of the Christian faith. Pinknett and Prince examined the synoptic gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and the Gospel of John and set out very clearly how the "inerrant word of God" contradicted itself in these crucial matters. Mathew's version says Jesus was born in the time of Herod the Great. Undisputed historical records showed that Herod the Great died in 4 BCE (or BC as the Christians say). However, Luke's gospel,which also had a similarly elaborate story of Jesus' birth, set it in the time of the Roman census in the time of Quirinius, the Roman governor of Syria. That census did not take place until 10 years after the death of Herod the Great. Not only were the plot in the stories differ (one said Jesus' parent fled to Egypt immediately after the birth of Jesus because Herod wanted to kill all male infants under the age of 2; the other said that There was great rejoicing when Jesus was born and there was no fleeing to Egypt), the date of birth took place 10 years apart. Matthew and Luke elaborated in detail the tracing of Jesus' lineage to King David (so as to prove the Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah will come from David)but the two lineages are entirely different. Even if one can accept the apologist argument that the describe lineages are "roughly" the same (the authors here showed why that argument is wrong)and are not unaccepteable just because a few names have been left out, many important questions would still have to be answered. Can the Bible still be regarded as containing the "inerrant word of God"? By what criteria does one verify stories and interpretations of such stories? The authors also set out in detail, all the different accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection as well as the ascension to heaven of Jesus. While Christian will deny any contradictions in the gospel versions, one should read this (or any other critical account) with an open mind and decide for himself whether there were contradictions or not. In one version, after having risen from the tomb, Jesus met his disciples in a mountain in Galilee; another version says he met them in a house in Jerusalem. Read this book with a Bible handy and you will see much of what the authors wrote is correct. Those are the parts that are obvious - and there are m