The Passover Plot

By majestic on April 24, 2011 in News 30

Several years ago disinformation published a new edition of the late Hugh Schonfield’s classic and controversial alternative history of Jesus of Nazareth, The Passover Plot.

There is probably no other figure in modern Jewish historical research who is more controversial or famous than Dr. Schonfield, who once said: “The scholars deplore that I have spilled the beans to the public. Several of them have said to me, ‘You ought to have kept this just among ourselves, you know.’”

What he did to “spill the beans” was present historical evidence suggesting that Jesus was a mortal man, a young genius who believed himself to be the Messiah and deliberately and brilliantly planned his entire ministry according to the Old Testament prophecies—even to the extent of plotting his own arrest, crucifixion and resurrection.

The book has sold millions of copies in the decades since its original publication in 1965 and is still a popular read for those interested in the real story of Jesus’s life. Far less well known, however, is the 1976 film starring Donald Pleasance (Escape From NY, Halloween) based on the book. MGM has been sitting on the rights, unwilling to make the film available to the public but also unwilling to license it to anyone else (like us!). Maybe they’ll change their minds one day. In the meantime director Michael Campus has posted a trailer on his YouTube channel. Happy Easter/Passover!

Alternative History, Jesus, Passover, Religion, Video

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Hadrian999

the future responses should be good for a laugh
Hadrian999

the future responses should be good for a laugh
http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

Its like the original heist movie
http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

Its like the original heist movie
Tchoutoye

“The scholars deplore that I have spilled the beans to the public. Several of them have said to me, ‘You ought to have kept this just among ourselves, you know.’”

A very clever marketing trick that shows how Schonfield seeks both acceptance from scholars while playing on the public’s distrust of them. The quote implies that:
1) the work is scholarly
2) the theory is widely accepted among scholars
3) there is a conspiracy to hide the theory from the public

None of these three are actually true.
Tchoutoye

“The scholars deplore that I have spilled the beans to the public. Several of them have said to me, ‘You ought to have kept this just among ourselves, you know.’”

A very clever marketing trick that shows how Schonfield seeks both acceptance from scholars while playing on the public’s distrust of them. The quote implies that:
1) the work is scholarly
2) the theory is widely accepted among scholars
3) there is a conspiracy to hide the theory from the public

None of these three are actually true.
- Rheokhu
  
  Schonfield’s work deserves recognition as a 20th century classic of disinformation. It serves to draw the reader’s attention away from the fact that the Gospel story of Jesus, from virgin birth and flight to Egypt all the way to the crucifiction and resurrection on the third day, owes more to the Gentile sun gods of the Mediterranean than it does to Old Testament prophecy.
  
  Why does YHWH need to stage a reenactment of Mithra, Apollo, or Dionysus? Why does God need a starship, indeed?
Anonymous

Schonfield’s work deserves recognition as a 20th century classic of disinformation. It serves to draw the reader’s attention away from the fact that the Gospel story of Jesus, from virgin birth and flight to Egypt all the way to the crucifiction and resurrection on the third day, owes more to the Gentile sun gods of the Mediterranean than it does to Old Testament prophecy.

Why does YHWH need to stage a reenactment of Mithra, Apollo, or Dionysus? Why does God need a starship, indeed?
Indigo7x7

For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.
God bless you<3
Indigo7x7

For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.
God bless you<3
Abr4ham

Interesting thought. I think the 70 week prophecy puts this theory to rest though. Genius or not, I don’t think a mortal man could time his own birth down to the year to fulfill this prophecy.
Abr4ham

Interesting thought. I think the 70 week prophecy puts this theory to rest though. Genius or not, I don’t think a mortal man could time his own birth down to the year to fulfill this prophecy.
- Abr4ham
  
  I don’t think any of the existing organized religions are based on scripture alone. From my own research, I have come to believe that the seventh day adventists have the most Biblical interpretation of prophecy.
  
  See:
  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8951279787757815324#
  
  But I do agree that most denominations, both Protestant and Catholic, have little defense against accusations of influence from more ancient religions. Worshiping on Sunday instead of the Sabbath and celebrating Christmas and Easter to name a few examples.
  - ArgosyJones
    
    Which ancient religion practiced a sunday worship and day of rest?
- Synapse
  
  Well first of all, despite the fact that the 70 week prophecy is utter crap (like most so called prophecies), it has been shown that even according to prophecy itself it wouldn’t point to Jesus (it actually better fits the high priest Alexander Yannai nearly a hundred years earlier) without mistranslation and misinterpretation.
  
  A lot of Christianity is about bending prophecies that have nothing to do with Jesus to be about Jesus. If it doesn’t fit, re-read it and reinterpret it until it does. Then, even if someone does point out their version is complete nonsense, keep pushing it because a lie told often enough is believed as if it were true.
Abr4ham

I don’t think any of the existing organized religions are based on scripture alone. From my own research, I have come to believe that the seventh day adventists have the most Biblical interpretation of prophecy.

See:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8951279787757815324#

But I do agree that most denominations, both Protestant and Catholic, have little defense against accusations of influence from more ancient religions. Worshiping on Sunday instead of the Sabbath and celebrating Christmas and Easter to name a few examples.
Mash Er47

I actually have no problem with this idea. It doesn’t necessarily negate the existence of a righteous teacher ….a mystic and a healer even. If you match history and art to the era in question, it is fairly plain to see. There is no point, however, in trying to be precise about the dates. Christianity is a conglomerate of several cultural/political myths and our record of history has been altered by those who sought to subdue this uprising. The Bible itself. If you can’t see past this …..it’s just another fairy tale.
Mash Er47

I actually have no problem with this idea. It doesn’t necessarily negate the existence of a righteous teacher ….a mystic and a healer even. If you match history and art to the era in question, it is fairly plain to see. There is no point, however, in trying to be precise about the dates. Christianity is a conglomerate of several cultural/political myths and our record of history has been altered by those who sought to subdue this uprising. The Bible itself. If you can’t see past this …..it’s just another fairy tale.
- Mash Er47
  
  Gotta add, however, that this sort of theatre is exactly what certain people are attempting to perpetrate right now, through the pulpit, from behind the veil of ‘monotheistic’ fraternal organisation, in order to pull one over on Christians once again and keep them siding with Zionist Israeli terrorists.
Mash Er47

Gotta add, however, that this sort of theatre is exactly what certain people are attempting to perpetrate right now, through the pulpit, from behind the veil of ‘monotheistic’ fraternal organisation, in order to pull one over on Christians once again and keep them siding with Zionist Israeli terrorists.
ArgosyJones

Which ancient religion practiced a sunday worship and day of rest?
quartz99

Heh. None of this overcomes the fact that there’s actually no contemporaneous evidence that such a person actually existed. There’s no better or worse evidence of a power-hungry exploiter of faith than of an accidental leader, because all of the “evidence” and stories come from much later. I call advertising ploy.
Anonymous

Heh. None of this overcomes the fact that there’s actually no contemporaneous evidence that such a person actually existed. There’s no better or worse evidence of a power-hungry exploiter of faith than of an accidental leader, because all of the “evidence” and stories come from much later. I call advertising ploy.
Synapse

Well first of all, despite the fact that the 70 week prophecy is utter crap (like most so called prophecies), it has been shown that even according to prophecy itself it wouldn’t point to Jesus (it actually better fits the high priest Alexander Yannai nearly a hundred years earlier) without mistranslation and misinterpretation.

A lot of Christianity is about bending prophecies that have nothing to do with Jesus to be about Jesus. If it doesn’t fit, re-read it and reinterpret it until it does. Then, even if someone does point out their version is complete nonsense, keep pushing it because a lie told often enough is believed as if it were true.
Synapse

Well first of all, despite the fact that the 70 week prophecy is utter crap (like most so called prophecies), it has been shown that even according to prophecy itself it wouldn’t point to Jesus (it actually better fits the high priest Alexander Yannai nearly a hundred years earlier) without mistranslation and misinterpretation.

A lot of Christianity is about bending prophecies that have nothing to do with Jesus to be about Jesus. If it doesn’t fit, re-read it and reinterpret it until it does. Then, even if someone does point out their version is complete nonsense, keep pushing it because a lie told often enough is believed as if it were true.
Elmyr23

its funny because religion was government back then.
Elmyr23

its funny because religion was government back then.
Danshaw1967

Life is but a vapour. Before you know it, it will be your time to die, or mine. The older you get, the quicker it flies. In the end, the final brutal realization will hit that you denied Christ simply because you loved not only your sins, but wanted to have no master over you. But then, it will be too late.
Danshaw1967

Life is but a vapour. Before you know it, it will be your time to die, or mine. The older you get, the quicker it flies. In the end, the final brutal realization will hit that you denied Christ simply because you loved not only your sins, but wanted to have no master over you. But then, it will be too late.
MFS

In my reading of Schonfield’s book, the fact that a lot of Christianity is in fact of pagan and not Old Testament origin was a central thesis of his. Most notably so the transformation of Jesus into a god, and then the invention of the “Holy and Undivided Trinity” to reconcile the divinity of Jesus with the uncompromising monotheism of the First Commandment. For a few hours in March 2011, this lead to Schonfield being described as a “fanatic anti-Gentile” in the Wikipedia article about the “Passover Plot”.

A far cry from “serving to draw the reader’s attention away from the fact that the Gospel story … owes more to Gentile sun gods … than … to the Old Testament …” !