Jesus has been confused with a Greek philosopher who lived at the same time and was thought to restore life to the dead, according to a new documentary.
Descriptions of Jesus’ life and the miracles he performed in the New Testament may have been mistaken for Preacher Apollonius of Tyan.
There are striking physical similarities between the two and there is more evidence that Apollonius existed.
The Amazon documentary, Bible Conspiracies, suggests that Jesus might actually be Apollonius.
The documentary does not dispute that Jesus existed as a historical figure, however, it claims that the person described in the New Testament as the ‘son of God’ may have been Apollonius.
Apollonius of Tyan was born the 3rd or 4th year BC in Central Anatolia.
Both Jesus and Apollonius were preachers and supposedly performed miracles in the first century AD. They are both depicted as having long beards.
The series explains how Apollonius rose to prominence by performing miracles and amassing followers – in a similar way to Jesus.
‘He became a disciple of Pythagoras renouncing flesh, wine and women. He wore no shoes and let his hair and beard grow long,’ the documentary reveals.
It continues: ‘He soon became a reformer and fixed his abode in the Temple of Aesculapius’.
Apollonius rose to prominence by amassing religious followers as he preached and performed miracles.
‘Eventually Apollonius became a wise sage himself and his own notoriety grew.
‘Aurelian the Roman Emperor vowed to erect temples and statues to his honour. Was there ever anything among men more holy?
‘He reportedly restored life to the dead and spoke of things beyond the human reach. And, unlike Jesus, there is evidence to prove that Apollonius actually existed.’
The explosive claims go against more traditional views of Apollonius that believe him to have been no more than a philosopher.
Reactions to the documentary have not been kind.
‘Does not live up to its name – doesn’t reveal any Bible ‘conspiracies’ only tries to cast doubt on the Bible with no historical evidence or interviews with trustworthy experts, just pure conjecture.
‘Too bad because there is a lot of fascinating things revealed by the Bible. I skimmed ahead and lost interest and felt mislead and couldn’t finish but it all look pretty lame,’ wrote one viewer.
‘The writers of this film not only have NO actual Biblical knowledge, they quote many myths that have been not only been disproved, but are laughed at in theological circles. In this video, there are no experts, no theologians, only many rhetorical lies that are often spewed by evolutionist and atheist,’ said another.
It was a view shared by another viewer: ‘Heavily Biased Opinion Piece…Not an objective analysis at all. A hodge-podge of Truths, Half-Truths, Fallacies and Unfounded Conjecture.
‘Do not waste your time here, there are far better research documentaries on this particular subject out there.’
Dailymail.co.uk
