Abstract: Nikolai Notovich Unknown life of Jesus Christ. N notovitch - the unknown life of jesus christ Nikolai kotovich the secret life of jesus christ

Are you here: Musculoskeletal

“Why is Issa always sent during his absence from Palestine to Egypt? His younger years, of course, were spent in teaching. Traces of the teaching, of course, affected subsequent sermons. Where do these sermons lead to? What is Egyptian about them? And are traces of Buddhism and India really not visible? It is not clear why the passage of Issa by caravan route to India and to the area now occupied by Tibet is so fiercely denied.

Life of Saint Issa, Best of the Sons of Men

Chapter I

1. The earth trembled and the heavens groaned for the great wickedness committed in the land of Israel.

2. For there they subjected to torment, and then put to death the great righteous Issa, in whom the soul of the universe dwelt,

3. What was embodied in a mere mortal in order to do good to people and eradicate their evil thoughts,

4. Return a person, disgraced by sin, to a life of peace, love and happiness and remind him of the one and indivisible Creator, whose mercy is infinite and knows no limits.

5. Listen to what merchants who traveled to the land of Israel have to say about this.

Chapter II

1. The people of Israel, who lived in fertile lands that yielded two crops a year, and owned large flocks, aroused the wrath of God with their sins,

2. Who inflicted a terrible punishment on him, taking away the land, cattle and all the property; Israel was enslaved by the powerful and wealthy pharaohs who then reigned in Egypt.

3. They treated the Israelites worse than animals, burdening them with hard work and chaining them, covering their bodies with scars and wounds, not giving them food and forbidding them to live under a roof,

4. To keep them in constant fear and deprive them of any semblance of a human being.

5. And in their great distress the people of Israel remembered their heavenly patron and turning to Him, he called for mercy and forgiveness.

6. At that time the illustrious pharaoh reigned in Egypt, famous for his numerous victories, accumulated wealth and extensive palaces, which his slaves erected with their own hands.

7. This pharaoh had two sons, the youngest of them was called Mossa. Israeli scholars taught him various sciences.

8. And Mossa was loved in Egypt for his kindness and compassion, which he showed to all who suffer.

9. Seeing that the Israelites did not want to deny their God, even while experiencing unbearable suffering, in order to worship the human-made gods of the Egyptian people,

10. Mossa believed in their invisible God, who did not allow them to break their weak strength.

11. The leaders of Israel rejoiced at the zeal of Mossa and turned to him, asking him to intercede before Pharaoh, his father, for indulgence towards their fellow believers.

12. And then the prince of Mossa went to his father, begging him to alleviate the lot of these unfortunate ones. But the pharaoh became angry with him, and only increased the severity of the suffering endured by his slaves.

13. And it came to pass that soon after this a great calamity visited Egypt. The plague struck every tenth with death - small and old, weak and strong: and the pharaoh believed that he had angered his gods.

14. But the prince of Mossa told his father that it was the God of his servants who stood up for the unfortunate and punished the Egyptians.

15. Pharaoh ordered his son to take all the slaves of the Jewish tribe, bring them out of the city and found another city at a great distance from the capital, where Mossa would live with them.

16. Mossa announced to the Hebrew slaves that he would give them freedom in the name of their God, the God of Israel, and he left with them from the city and from the land of Egypt.

17. He led them to that land, which they lost for their many sins, gave them laws and urged them to constantly pray to the invisible Creator, whose goodness is limitless.

18. After the death of Prince Mossa, the Israelites strictly observed his laws, and for this God rewarded them for all the calamities they suffered in Egypt.

19. Their kingdom became the most powerful in all the earth, their kings were famous for their riches, and a long peace reigned among the people of Israel.

Chapter III

1. The fame of Israel's wealth spread throughout the land, and the neighboring nations became jealous of him.

2. But the Most High himself led the victorious armies of the Jews, and the pagans did not dare to attack them.

3. Unfortunately, man is not always true to himself, and the Israelites' devotion to their God did not last long.

4. They gradually began to forget all the favors with which He showered them, rarely called on His name and sought help from magicians and sorcerers.

5. Kings and leaders replaced with their laws those that Mossa gave them. The Temple of God and worship services were abandoned. The people indulged in pleasures and lost their original purity.

6. Several centuries had passed since their departure from Egypt, when God decided to punish them again.

7. Foreigners began to raid the land of Israel, devastating the fields, destroying the villages and taking the inhabitants into captivity.

8. And one day the Gentiles came from the country of the Romans, on the other side of the sea. They subjugated the Jews and appointed military leaders who ruled over them at the behest of Caesar.

9. Destroying temples, they forced the inhabitants to no longer worship the invisible God, but to offer sacrifices to pagan deities.

10. From the noble family they made warriors, women were taken away from their husbands, and the common people, turned into slaves, were sent by the thousands across the seas.

11. As for the children, they were put to the sword. And soon only sobs and groans were heard throughout the land of Israel.

12. In this great tribulation, the people remembered their God. They appealed to His mercy, begging to forgive them, and our Father, in His inexhaustible goodness, heard their prayer.

Chapter IV

1. And the time came when the most merciful Judge chose to incarnate in a human being.

2. And the Eternal Spirit, dwelling in the realm of complete rest and supreme bliss, awakened and separated for an indefinite period from the Eternal Existence,

3. In order to put on a human image, indicate the means and ways of connecting with the Divine and achieving eternal bliss,

4. In order to show by His example how one can achieve moral purity, separating the soul from its coarse shell, - to achieve that level of perfection that is necessary for ascent to the everlasting kingdom of heaven, where eternal bliss reigns.

5. Soon a wonderful child was born in the land of Israel, God himself spoke through the mouth of this baby about the poverty of the body and the greatness of the soul.

6. The parents of the newborn were poor people, but they came from a family known for piety, and, having forgotten their ancient greatness on earth, they glorified the name of the Creator and thanked Him for the sorrows sent to them as trials.

7. As a reward for the fact that they did not turn away from the true path, God blessed the firstborn in this family. He appointed him as his chosen one and sent him to help those who fell into sin and for the sake of healing the suffering.

8. The divine child, who was given the name Issa, began from a very young age to speak about the one and indivisible God, calling the souls of the erring to repentance and cleansing from the sins of which they were guilty. 9. People went to listen to him from everywhere and marveled at his speeches coming from the lips of children. All Israelites agreed that the Eternal Spirit dwells in this child.

10. When Issa reached the age of thirteen - and in these years every Israelite must choose his wife -

11. The house of his parents, who lived a modest life, began to be visited by rich and noble people, who wanted to see young Issa as their son-in-law, already famous for edifying sermons in the name of the Almighty.

12 But Issa secretly left his parental home, left Jerusalem and went with the merchants to the Indus,

13. To improve in the Divine Word and study the laws of the great Buddhas.

Chapter V

1. At the age of fourteen, young Issa, blessed by God, crossed over to the other side of the Indus and settled among the Aryans in the land beloved by God.

2. The fame of the miraculous boy spread throughout the northern Indus, and when he crossed the country of five rivers and Rajputana, the worshipers of the god Jaina asked him to settle among them.

3. But he left the deluded worshipers of Jaina and went to the Juggernaut in the lands of Orissa, where the mortal remains of Vyasa-Krishna rest and where the white priests of Brahma gave him a warm welcome.

5. He spent six years in Juggernaut, Rajagriha, Benares and other holy cities. Everyone loved him, since Issa lived peacefully with the Vaishyas and Shudras, to whom he interpreted the sacred scriptures.

6. But the Brahmins and Kshatriyas began to tell him that the great Parabrahman forbade them to approach those whom He had created from His womb and feet;

7. That vaishyas are only allowed to hear the reading of the Vedas, and then only on holidays;

8. That the Shudras are forbidden not only to be present at the reading of the Vedas, but even to look at them, because their duty is to work forever, like slaves, for Brahmins, Kshatriyas and even Vaishyas.

9. "Only death can deliver them from slavery," said Parabrahman. Leave them, come and worship with us the gods, who will be angry with you for disobeying them."

10. But Issa did not listen to their speeches and went to the Shudras, speaking in his sermons against the Brahmins and Kshatriyas.

11. He rebelled against the fact that a person arrogates to himself the right to deprive his neighbor of human dignity; “for,” he said, “God the Father makes no distinction between his children; they are all equally dear to Him.”

12. Issa denied the divine origin of the Vedas and Puranas. “For,” he instructed his followers, “the law has already been given to man to guide him in his affairs;

13. Fear your God, kneel only before Him alone, and only to Him offer the sacrifices that you received from your profits.

14. Issa denied Trimurti and the incarnation of Para-brahman in Vishnu, Shiva and other gods, for he said:

15. “The Eternal Judge, the Eternal Spirit created the one and indivisible soul of the universe, which alone creates, contains and animates everything.

16. He alone ruled and created, He alone existed from time immemorial, and His existence has no end. He has no equal in heaven or on earth.

17. The Great Creator did not share His power with any living being, still less with a soulless thing, as you have been taught; for He alone is omnipotent.

18. He expressed his will, and the world appeared. By divine thought He collected the waters, separating the dry land from them. the globe. He is the beginning of the wonderful existence of man, into whom he breathed a particle of his Being.

19. He also subjected to man the earth, the waters, the animals, and everything that He created and Himself preserves in an unchanged order, determining for each thing its term.

20. The wrath of the Lord will soon fall upon man, for he has forgotten his Creator, filled His temples with abomination and worships a multitude of creatures whom God has subdued to him.

21. For, honoring stones and metals, people sacrifice human beings, in which a part of the spirit of the Most High dwells.

22. For a man humiliates those who work in the sweat of his brow, fawning over an idler who sits at a sumptuous table.

23. Those who deprive their brothers of divine happiness will be deprived of it themselves. Brahmins and kshatriyas will become sudras, and with the sudras the Eternal will remain forever.

24. For on the day of the last judgment, the Shudras and Vaishyas will be forgiven much for their ignorance; on the contrary, the wrath of God will punish those who have appropriated His rights.”

25. Vaishyas and Shudras were filled with admiration and asked Issa how they should pray so as not to lose eternal bliss.

26. “Do not worship idols, for they will not listen to you. Do not follow the Vedas, for the truth is distorted in them. Never put yourself above others and do not humiliate your neighbor.

27. "Help the poor, support the weak, do no harm to anyone, and do not desire what you do not have, but what you see in others."

Chapter VI

1. The white priests and warriors, having learned what speeches Issa addressed to the Shudras, planned to kill him and sent their servants to hunt down the young prophet.

2. But Issa, warned by the Sudras about the danger, left the suburbs of the Juggernaut at night, reached the mountains and settled in the country of the Gautamids, where the great Buddha Shakyamuni was born, among the people who revered the one and majestic Brahma.

3. Having mastered the Pali language to perfection, the righteous Issa indulged in the study of the sacred writings of the Sutras.

4. After six years, Issa, whom the Buddha chose to spread his holy word, became an excellent interpreter of the scriptures.

5. Then, leaving Nepal and the Himalayan mountains, he descended into the Rajputana valley and headed west, preaching different nations about the highest perfection of man,

6. About the fact that doing good to one's neighbor is a sure means for a speedy merging with the Eternal Spirit: "He who regains his original purity," said Issa, "by dying, will receive remission of his sins and the right to contemplate the greatness of God."

7. Passing through pagan lands, the divine Issa taught that the worship of visible gods is contrary to the law of nature.

8. “For man,” he said, “is not allowed to see the image of God, but he nevertheless created hosts of deities in the likeness of the Eternal.

9. Moreover, it is shameful for a person to put the greatness of divine purity below animals, as well as objects made by human hands from stone or metal.

10. Eternal Legislator - one; there is no other God but Him. He does not share the world with anyone else and does not notify anyone of His intentions.

11. As a father would treat his children, so God Himself will judge people after their death according to the laws of His mercy. He will never humiliate His child, forcing his soul to move, as in purgatory, into the body of an animal.

12. “The law of heaven,” the Creator spoke through the mouth of Issa, “is against bringing human sacrifices to an idol or animals; for I have subjected to man all the animals and all that is on the earth.

13. Everything is given to a man who is directly and closely connected with Me, his Father; therefore, whoever steals My child from Me will be severely judged and punished by the divine law.

14. Man is nothing before the Eternal Judge, just as the beast is nothing before man.

15. Therefore I say to you: “Leave your idols and do not perform the rites that separate you from your Father, connecting you with the priests from whom the heavens have turned away.

16. For they have turned you away from the true God, and their superstition and cruelty lead you to the corruption of the soul and the loss of all morality.

Chapter VII

1. The words of Issa spread among the Gentiles in the countries where he passed, and the inhabitants left their idols.

2. Seeing this, the priests demanded from him, who had glorified the name of the true God, to publicly prove what he reproached them for, and to demonstrate the insignificance of their idols.

3. And Issa answered them: "If your idols and your beasts are mighty and indeed have supernatural power, then let them strike me on the spot."

4. "Then work a miracle," the priests answered, "and may your God destroy our gods, if they are contrary to Him."

5. But Issa said: “The miracles of our God have been performed since the first day of the creation of the universe, they are performed every day and every minute. Whoever does not see them is deprived of one of the most beautiful gifts of life.

6. And the wrath of God will not be directed against soulless pieces of stone, metal or wood, but it will fall on people who, if they thirst for salvation, must destroy all the idols they have created.

7. Like a stone and a grain of sand, insignificant before a man, humbly wait for him to take them and use them with benefit,

8. So also a man should look forward to the great mercy that God will show him at the last judgment.

9. But woe to you, enemies of men, if you [receive] not the mercy you are waiting for, but the wrath of the Godhead; woe to you if you expect miracles to testify to His power.

10. For he will not destroy idols in his wrath, but those who erected them. Their hearts will be devoted to eternal fire, and their torn bodies will satisfy the hunger of wild animals.

11. God will drive out the unclean from His flocks, but He will return to Himself those who have erred, who have not recognized the spiritual principle in themselves.”

12. Seeing the impotence of their priests, the pagans believed the words of Issa even more and, fearing Divine wrath, smashed their idols to smithereens. As for the priests, they fled, fleeing the revenge of the people.

13. And then Issa taught the Gentiles not to try to see with [earthly] eyes the Eternal Spirit, but to strive to feel Him in their hearts and earn His mercy with the purity of their souls.

14. “Not only,” he told them, “do not perform human sacrifices, but do not give to the slaughter a single creature that was given life, for everything that exists was created for the benefit of man.

15. Do not steal from your neighbor, for what you steal he has earned by the sweat of his face.

16. Do not lie, so as not to be deceived yourself. Try to justify yourself before the last judgment, because then it will be too late.

17. Do not indulge in depravity, for this is a violation of the laws of God.

18. You will attain the highest happiness not only by purifying yourselves, but also by instructing others on the path, which will enable them to achieve original perfection.

Chapter VIII

1. Neighboring countries were full of rumors about Issa's sermons, and when he came to Persia, the priests became alarmed and forbade the inhabitants to listen to him.

2. And seeing that all the villages joyfully welcomed him and reverently listened to his speeches, they ordered to seize him and bring him to the high priest, where he underwent the following interrogation:

3. “What new God are you talking about? Don't you know, wretched one, that the holy Zoroaster is the only righteous man who has been rewarded with communion with the Supreme Being,

4. He commanded the angels to write the word of God for the benefit of his people - the laws that were given to Zoroaster in paradise?

5. Who are you to blaspheme our God and sow doubt in the hearts of believers?”

6. And Issa answered him: “I do not proclaim a new God, but our Heavenly Father, who existed from the beginning and will continue when all things cease to exist.

7. I spoke about Him to people who, like innocent children, are not able to comprehend God with the simple power of their mind or penetrate into his divine and spiritual sublimity.

8. But just as a newborn in darkness finds the mother's breast, so your people, deceived by your false doctrine and religious rites, recognized by inspiration their Father in that Father, whose herald I am.

9. The Eternal One proclaimed to your people through my mouth: “Do not worship the sun, for it is only a part of the world created by Me for man.

10. The sun rises to keep you warm while you work and sets to give you rest, as I have ordained.

11. This is to me, and only to me, you owe everything that you own, everything that is around you, above you and below you.

12. “But,” the priests objected, “how can a people live according to the laws of justice if it has no mentors?”

13. To this Issa replied: “As long as people had no priests, natural law governed them, and they kept the purity of their souls.

14. Their souls were in God, and in order to communicate with the Father, there is no need for the mediation of idols or beasts, or fire, as they do here.

15. You state that the sun, the spirit of good and the spirit of evil should be worshipped. Well, I tell you, your teaching is false, the sun does not move by itself, but according to the will of the invisible Creator who gave him life.

16. And who wished that it be a star that will light up the day, warm the labor and sowing of man.

17. The Eternal Spirit is the soul of all living things. You commit a grave sin by dividing Him into a spirit of evil and a spirit of good, for He is exclusively the God of Good,

18. Who, like the father of a family, does only good to His children, forgiving them all their offenses if they repent.

19. And the spirit of evil dwells on earth in the hearts of those people who lead the children of God astray.

20. Therefore I say to you: “Fear the day of judgment, for God will inflict a severe punishment on all who lead His children astray and fill them with superstition and prejudice;

21. On those who blinded the sighted, who transmitted the infection to the healthy and taught to worship that which God subdued to man for his good and help him in his labors.

22. Your teaching, therefore, is the fruit of your delusions; for, desiring to bring the true God closer to you, you have created false gods for yourself.”

23. After listening to him, the Magi decided not to harm him. But at night, when the whole village was asleep, they took him outside the walls and left him on the high road, in the hope that he would soon become the prey of wild animals.

24. But, guarded by the Lord our God, Saint Issa continued on his way unharmed.

Chapter IX

1. Issa, chosen by the Creator to remind humanity, steeped in vice, of the true God, reached the age of twenty-nine years when he returned to the land of Israel.

2. From the time of his departure, the Gentiles inflicted even more terrible suffering on the Israelites, and they were in deep despair.

3. Many of them have already begun to abandon the laws of their God and the laws of Mossa in the hope of appeasing the cruel conquerors.

4. At the sight of such a disaster, Issa urged his fellow citizens not to despair, for the day of atonement for sins was drawing near, and strengthened them in faith in the God of their fathers.

5. “My children, do not despair,” the Heavenly Father spoke through the mouth of Issa, “for I have heard your voice, and your groaning has reached Me.

6. Weep not, my beloved! For your grief touched the heart of your Father, and He forgave you as He forgave your forefathers.

7. Do not leave your families to indulge in revelry, do not lose the nobility of your feelings, do not worship idols that will remain deaf to your voice.

8. Fill My temple with your hope and your patience and do not depart from the faith of the fathers, for I alone guided them and showered them with blessings.

9. You will lift up those who have fallen, you will give food to the hungry and help the sick, so that everyone will be clean and righteous on the day of the final judgment that I have prepared for you.

10. The Israelites flocked to listen to the word of Issa, asking him where they should worship the Heavenly Father, when the enemy razed their temples to the ground and defiled the sacred vessels.

11. Issa answered them that God does not mean temples built by human hands, but considers the human heart to be the true temple of God.

12. “Enter your temple, your heart. Illuminate it with good thoughts, patience and unshakable hope, which you should have in your Father.

13. And your sacred vessels are your hands and eyes. See and do what is pleasing to God, for by doing good to your neighbor, you are performing a ritual that adorns the temple where the One who gave you life lives.

14. For God created you in His own likeness - innocent, pure in soul, with a heart full of goodness, destined not to devise evil, but to become a sanctuary of love and justice.

15. Therefore I say to you, do not defile your hearts, for the Most High dwells there forever.

16. If you want to do things that are marked by love and piety, do them with an open heart and do not allow yourself to be guided in your actions by prudence or the hope of reward.

17. For such deeds will not bring you closer to salvation, but will bring you to such a decline in morals that stealing, lying and killing are considered valor.

Chapter X

1. Saint Issa went from city to city, strengthening the courage of the Israelites, ready to fall under the burden of despair, with the word of God, and thousands of people followed him to listen to his sermons.

2. But the elders of the cities were afraid of him and reported to the chief ruler who lived in Jerusalem that a man named Issa had arrived in the country, that with his speeches he excites the people against the authorities, that the crowd, diligently listening to him, neglects public works and claims that soon get rid of self-proclaimed rulers.

3. Then Pilate, the ruler of Jerusalem, ordered the preacher Issa to be seized, brought to the city and brought to trial. But in order not to arouse the displeasure of the people, Pilate ordered the priests and scribes, the Jewish elders, to judge him in the temple.

4. Meanwhile, Issa, continuing his preaching, came to Jerusalem, and, learning of his arrival, all the inhabitants, who had already heard about him, went out to meet them.

5. They greeted him with reverence and opened the doors of their temple before him, in order to hear from his mouth what he spoke in other cities of Israel.

6. And Issa said to them: “The human race is perishing from a lack of faith, for darkness and a storm have scattered the flocks of men and they have lost their shepherds.

7. But the storm will not last forever and the darkness will not forever hide the light. The sky will one day clear up, heavenly light will spill over the earth, and the herds, now lost, will gather around their shepherd.

8. Do not try to look for straight paths in the darkness so as not to fall into the abyss, but gather the remaining strength, support each other, put your trust in God and wait until the light dawns.

9. He who helps his neighbor strengthens himself; and who protects his family, protects the people and the state.

10. Be sure that the day is near when you will be freed from darkness; gather together in one family, and your enemy, who does not know the mercy of God, will tremble in fear.”

11. The high priests and elders, who listened to him, were filled with admiration from his speeches and asked if it was true that he was trying to stir up the people against the authorities of the country, as they reported to the governor Pilate.

12. “Is it possible to rouse to rebellion people who have gone astray, from whom their gates and their way are hidden by darkness? Issa answered. - I only warned the unfortunate, as well as here, in this temple, so that they would not go further along the dark path, for the abyss opened at their feet.

13. Earthly power is short-lived and subject to many changes. What good is it for a man to revolt against her, seeing that one power always replaces another? And so it will be until the human race ceases.

14. Do you not see that the powerful and the rich are sowing among the children of Israel a spirit of rebellion against the eternal power of heaven?”

15. Then the elders asked: “Who are you and from what country did you come to us? We hadn't heard of you before and didn't even know your name."

16. “I am an Israelite,” answered Issa. “Since the day I was born, I have seen the walls of Jerusalem and heard the groans of my brothers who were turned into slaves, and the cries of my sisters who were led away by the pagans.

17. And my soul was filled with sorrow when I saw that my brethren had forgotten the true God. As a child, I left my father's house and went to live among other peoples.

18. But when I heard that my brothers were experiencing even greater torment, I returned to the country of my fathers in order to remind my brothers of the faith of their ancestors, which teaches us patience on earth for the sake of gaining perfect and supreme happiness in heaven.

19. And the wise elders asked him this question: “They say that you reject the laws of Mossa and teach people to neglect the temple of God?”

20. And Issa answered: “It is impossible to destroy what is given by our Heavenly Father, as well as what has already been destroyed by sinners; I called for the cleansing of the heart from all filthiness, for it is the true temple of God.

21. As for the laws of Mossa, I tried to establish them in the hearts of people. And I tell you that you do not understand their true meaning, for they do not teach revenge, but forgiveness; but their meaning was perverted.

Chapter XI

1. After listening to Issa, the chief priests and the wise elders decided among themselves not to judge him, for he did no harm to anyone. And, appearing before Pilate, whom the pagan king from the country of the Romans had appointed governor in Jerusalem, they said to him thus:

2. “We saw the man whom you accuse of inciting our people to revolt, we listened to his speeches and we know that he is our compatriot.

3. But the city elders sent false reports to you, for this is a righteous man who teaches the people the word of God. After questioning, we released him so that he could go in peace.

4. Then the ruler fell into a rage and sent his servants in disguise to Issa, so that they would follow all his actions and report to the authorities about every word that he addressed to the people.

5. Meanwhile, Saint Issa continued to visit neighboring cities, preaching about the true ways of the Creator, urging the Jews to patience and promising them speedy release.

6. And all this time many people followed him wherever he went, some followed him relentlessly and became his attendants.

7. Issa said: “Do not believe in the miracles performed by the hand of man, for only He who rules over nature can do supernatural things, while man is powerless to restrain the fury of the wind or pour rain.

8. But there is a miracle that is possible for a person to perform. When, filled with sincere faith, he decides to tear out all evil thoughts from his heart, and having achieved his goal, he no longer walks along the paths of lawlessness.

9. All works performed without God are only delusions, temptations and seductions, which only show to what extent the soul of one who practices this craft is full of shamelessness, deceit and vices.

10. Do not believe the soothsayers, God alone knows the future; he who resorts to fortune-tellers defiles the temple of his heart and shows distrust of his Creator.

11. Faith in oracles and their prophecies destroys the innate simplicity of a person and his childlike purity. Hellish forces take possession of him, prompting him to commit all kinds of crimes and worship idols;

12. But the Lord our God, who has no equal to Himself, is one, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. All wisdom and all light belongs to Him.

13. You should turn to Him for consolation in sorrows, for help in labors and for healing in ailments. And whoever turns to Him will not be rejected.

14. The mystery of nature is in the hands of God, for the world before its appearance was in the depths of divine thought and became material and visible by the will of the Most High.

15. When you turn to Him, become children again, for you know neither the past, nor the present, nor the future, and God is the Lord of all times.

Chapter XII

1. “Righteous man,” the spies of the ruler of Jerusalem told him, “tell us, will we do the will of Caesar or wait for a speedy release?”

2. Issa, recognizing in them the people sent to follow him, answered: “I did not tell you that you would be freed from Caesar. It is the soul, mired in delusion, that will receive its liberation.

3. There is no family without a head, there will be no order among the people without Caesar; he must be given full obedience, he alone will answer for his deeds before the highest court.

4. “Does Caesar have a divine right? - the spies also asked. "And is he the best of mortals?"

5. “There is no better among people, but there are always sufferers who must be cared for by those chosen and appointed to fulfill this mission, using the means provided to them by the sacred law of our Heavenly Father.

6. Mercy and justice are the highest qualities of Caesar; his name will be glorified if he keeps them.

7. But who does otherwise, who goes beyond the limits of the power given to him over his subordinates, going so far as to endanger their lives, offend the great Judge and lose dignity in the eyes of people.

8. Meanwhile, one of the spies pushed old woman who came up to the others to hear Issa better, and stood in front of her.

9. And then Issa said: “It is not proper for a son to put his mother aside by taking her place. Whoever does not honor his mother, the most sacred being after God, is not worthy to be called a son.

10. Listen to what I tell you. Honor woman, for she is the mother of the universe, and all the truth of divine creation is contained in her.

11. She is the basis of all goodness and beauty and she is the source of life and death. The whole existence of a man depends on her, for she is his natural and moral support.

12. She gives birth to you in pain. She educates you by the sweat of her brow and worries about you until her death. Bless her and honor her, for she is your only Friend, your only support on earth.

13. Honor her, protect her. By doing so, you will gain her love and her heart and be pleasing to God, and many sins will be forgiven you.

14. Love also your wives and honor them, for tomorrow they will become mothers, and later the progenitors of the race.

15. Subdue a woman. Her love ennobles a man, softens his hardened heart, tames the beast and makes him a lamb.

16. A wife and mother are a priceless treasure given to you by God. They are the best decoration of being, and all who inhabit the world will be born from them.

17. Just as the God of Powers once separated light from darkness and land from water, so a woman has a divine gift to separate good intentions from evil intentions in a man.

18. Therefore, I tell you, after God, your best thoughts should be given to women and wives, for a woman is for you a temple in which you will most easily find perfect happiness.

19. Draw moral strength from this temple. Here you will forget your sorrows and failures and regain the lost strength needed to help your neighbor.

20. Do not subject her to humiliation, by doing this you will only humiliate yourself and lose that feeling of love, without which nothing exists here below.

21. Protect your wife so that she can protect you and your whole family. Whatever you do for your wife, your mother, a widow or other grieving woman, you will do for God.”

Chapter XIII

1. Saint Issa instructed the people of Israel in this way for three years - in every city, every village, along the roads and in the fields, and every prediction of his came true.

2. All this time, the disguised servants of Pilate watched him closely and did not hear anything like what was collected in previous years in the reports of the city elders about Issa.

3. But the ruler Pilate, alarmed by the too great fame of Saint Issa, who, according to his enemies, wished to incite the people and declare himself king, ordered one of the spies to falsely accuse him.

4. Then the soldiers were ordered to seize Issa, and they threw him into an underground dungeon, where they tortured him in every possible way, hoping to extract from him a confession that would allow him to be put to death.

5. The saint, thinking only of the supreme blessedness of his brothers, endured all suffering in the name of his Creator.

6. Pilate's servants continued to torture him and brought him to extreme weakness, but God was with him and did not allow him to die.

7. Having learned about the sufferings and torments that their saint endured, the high priests and wise elders came to beg the ruler to release Issa on the occasion of the approaching great feast.

8. But the ruler resolutely refused them this. Then they asked that Issa be allowed to appear before the court of the elders, so that he would be condemned or pardoned before the feast, and Pilate agreed to this.

9. The next day the governor gathered the captains of the army, the chief priests, the scribes, and the lawyers, to judge Issa.

10. They brought the saint out of prison and seated him before the ruler between two robbers who were to be judged at the same time, in order to show the crowd that he would not be condemned alone.

11. And Pilate, turning to Issa, said: “Man! Is it true that you incited the people against the authorities with the intention of becoming the king of Israel yourself?

12. “They do not become king of their own free will,” answered Issa, “and those who tell you lie, who tell you that I raised the people to rebellion. I always spoke only about the King of Heaven and I taught the people to worship Him.

13. For the children of Israel have lost their original purity, and if they do not turn to the true God, they will be sacrificed and their temples will lie in ruins.

14. Earthly power maintains order in the country, and I taught them not to forget about it. I told them: "Live according to your position and your fate, so as not to disturb the public order." And he urged them also to remember that there is confusion in their hearts and minds.

15. For which the Heavenly Father punished them and cast their own kings into insignificance. I told them: "If you become obedient to your fate, as a reward you will inherit the kingdom of heaven."

16. At that time, witnesses were brought, one of whom testified as follows: "You told the people that earthly power is insignificant before the king, who will soon deliver the Israelites from the pagan yoke."

17. “Blessed be,” said Issa, “for speaking the truth. The King of Heaven is greater and more powerful than the earthly law, and His kingdom surpasses all the kingdoms of the earth.

18. And the time is not far off when, having obeyed the divine will, the people of Israel will be cleansed of their sins, for it is said that the forerunner will appear to announce the deliverance of the people, having gathered all together.

19. And the ruler, turning to the judges, said: “Do you hear? Issa, an Israeli, confesses to the crime he is accused of. Judge him according to your laws and sentence him to the most severe punishment.”

20. “We cannot condemn him,” answered the chief priests and elders. “You yourself just heard that he meant the King of Heaven and did not preach to the children of Israel anything that could be declared an insult to the law.”

21. Governor Pilate then sent for a witness who, at his instigation, betrayed Issa. This man came and spoke to Issa thus: “Did you not think yourself to be the king of Israel when you said that He Who rules in heaven sent you to prepare His people?”

22. And Issa, having blessed him, said: “You will be forgiven, for you are not speaking of yourself!” Then he turned to the ruler: “Why humiliate your dignity and teach your henchmen to live in a lie, after all, without this you have the power to condemn the innocent?”

23. At these words, the ruler fell into a terrible rage, ordering Issa to be sentenced to death and to pardon the two robbers.

24. The judges, having consulted among themselves, said to Pilate: “We will not take on our heads a great sin - to condemn the innocent and justify the robbers. It would be against the law.

25. Do whatever you want. Having said this, the chief priests and elders went out and washed their hands in the sacred vessel, saying: "We are innocent of the death of this righteous man."

Chapter XIV

1. By order of the ruler, the soldiers seized Issa and two thieves and took them to the place of execution, where they nailed them to crosses dug into the ground.

2. The whole day the bodies of Issa and the two thieves remained crucified under the guard of the soldiers, presenting a terrible sight; the people stood around, the relatives of the sufferers prayed and wept.

3. By sunset, Issa's suffering was over. He lost consciousness and the soul of the righteous left the body and was accepted by God.

4. Thus ended the earthly existence of the reflection of the Eternal Spirit in the form of a man who saved inveterate sinners and endured many sufferings.

5. Meanwhile, Pilate was afraid of what he had done and gave the body of the saint to his parents, who buried him near the place of execution. Crowds of people came to pray at the tomb of Issa and the air was filled with sobs and groans.

6. Three days later, the ruler, fearing popular indignation, sent his soldiers to carry out the body of Issa and bury it in another place.

7. The next day the crowd found the tomb open and empty. Immediately a rumor spread that the Supreme Judge had sent His angels to carry away the mortal remains of the saint, in whom a particle of the Divine Spirit dwelt on earth.

8. When the rumors reached Pilate, he became angry and forbade, under pain of slavery and death, to pronounce the name of Issa or pray to the Lord for him.

9. But people continued to mourn and loudly glorify their Teacher, so many were taken into slavery, tortured and put to death.

10. And the disciples of Saint Issa left the land of Israel and scattered among other nations, preaching that one should abandon their delusions, think about the salvation of the soul and about the highest bliss that awaits humanity in the immaterial world of light, where in peace and in all His In purity, the Great Creator abides in perfect majesty.

11. The pagans, kings and warriors who listened to the preachers abandoned their absurd beliefs, abandoned their priests and their idols, to glorify the all-wise Creator of the universe, the King of kings, Whose heart is full of infinite mercy.

Published according to the book: N.Notovich. "The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ". - Simferopol: Publisher A.P. Drugov, 2004. - 104 p.

N Notovitch

The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ

To publishers

This translation is not a literal copy of the French edition. The inevitable difficulties associated with publication led to the fact that the first time my book was published in great haste, which caused it considerable damage. I had only five days to draft the preface, introduction, and conclusion, and barely a few hours to correct the galleys.

This was the reason for a certain lack of arguments in support of some of my statements, as well as the appearance of semantic gaps in the narrative and many typos, around which my opponents raised a fuss, who did not notice that with their excessive zeal to chop off the shoulder and point out superficial shortcomings, they only demonstrated their own impotence, attacking the trunk of the tree that I had grown and which withstood the most violent gusts of wind that tried to topple it.

Indeed, they did me a service for which I am sincerely grateful to them, as they contributed to the revision of this topic, which I myself felt was necessary. I am always happy to take advantage of any information and I am not so experienced in Oriental studies as not to be sure of the need for more knowledge.

Thus, English readers will be the first to benefit from the well-founded criticism I have received and the corrections I have made.

So, I offer the English reader a book, cleared of errors and free from any inaccuracies in details, for which I was reproached so bitterly and persistently, as, for example, in the case of the Chinese emperor, whose reign I gave correctly, but made a mistake, ascribing to him belonging to another dynasty.

My aim and sincere wish is that the English public, sharp-witted but wary of any innovation, especially when it comes to religion, would be able to judge my work by its semantic qualities, and not by grammatical or typographical errors. on which my opponents have up to now relied on, seeking to downplay the true value of this document. I hope, however, that after reading the work it will become clear that I wrote it completely sincerely and honestly.

I am fully aware that the skillfully organized criticism has already turned the public against the book in advance. And even generously defended by friends known and unknown, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ has been so viciously attacked by fanatics who seem to imagine that I am eager to start theological strife (at a time when my only goal was to put another brick in the building of modern science) that all this created an atmosphere of mistrust around the first edition of the book in England.

Everything was arranged in such a way that the authenticity of my documents was considered doubtful. But the attacks were directed mainly against the author, questioning his honesty, in the unfounded hope that such insults might shake his composure and cause him to display emotions that would turn everyone against the book itself.

I could scorn insulting accusations: insults are not arguments, even if they are expressed in the deliberately restrained manner so characteristic of Herr Max Müller in his attempt to break me. But I will nevertheless consider those that affect my journey to Tibet, Leh, Ladakh, and the Buddhist monastery at Himis. To begin with, I will briefly list the objections that have been raised regarding the methods of verifying the authenticity of my documents. This is what raised doubts: why did Lama Himisa refuse to answer in the affirmative to the questions put to him about the manuscripts? Because the people of the East are accustomed to consider Europeans robbers who infiltrate their midst to rob in the name of civilization.

The fact that I succeeded and these stories were communicated to me is due to my use of Eastern diplomacy, which I learned during my travels. I knew how to approach the question that interests me from afar, while now everyone is striving to go ahead.

The lama said to himself: “If people ask about these manuscripts, it is only to steal them,” and he naturally kept silent and refused to explain. This suspicion is easy to understand if we trace the deeds of those Europeans who, in dealing with the Eastern peoples, only oppressed and openly plundered them with the help of civilization.

A certain lady wrote to Europe that “no one has ever seen me there [in Tibet]” and no one has ever heard my name. Then a bunch of temple guards said that I had never set foot in Tibet - in other words, that I was a fraud.

The Moravian missionary, the worthy Mr. Shaw, repeated this little joke, which I must call childish; and then the seekers of Truth added his testimony to the rest and renewed the offensive accusations. It is also true that shortly after this, Mr. Shaw officially took them off.

It took me a lot of trouble to defend myself on this charge, but I must not allow lies to go unpunished and take advantage of positions. If the said lady and her friends never met me, then I can call to witness Lieutenant Younghus Band, whom I met at Matayan on October 28, 1887, and who was the first to cross China, and also ascended the Muztag Pass at an altitude of 21,500 feet ( English), and many others.

I still have a photograph of the handsome governor of Ladakh, Surajbal, with a caption made by him himself, which I am publishing in this book.

During my illness in Ladakh, I was even visited by a European doctor in the English government service, Dr. Karl Marx, whose letter of November 4, 1887, you have already seen. Why not write directly to him to see if I was really in Tibet or not, if someone is so eager to prove otherwise? True, it will take some time to send a letter and receive a response from Tibet, however, letters are sent there and answers come from there.

It has also been stated that the original "Unknown Life of Jesus Christ" never existed in the monastery of Himis and that it is all just a product of my imagination. That, indeed, is an honor which I do not deserve, since my imagination is not so rich.

Even if I were capable of inventing a fairy tale of this magnitude, I should simply be guided by common sense to magnify the price of this discovery by attributing my find to some mysterious or supernatural intervention, and I should avoid specifying the exact place, time and circumstances of this discoveries. In any case, I would hardly have reduced my role in this matter to a mere reproduction of an old manuscript.

I was also considered the subject of ridicule by cunning lamas, as happened with Villefort and Jacolliot, they said that, not being thoroughly protected from certain Indian deceivers who profit from the gullibility of Europeans, I took at face value - almost a gold bar - which was a clever forgery.

It was Herr Max Müller who especially insisted on this accusation. So, since Max Muller is famous in the scientific world, I feel obliged - to myself and to the public - to pay more attention to the refutation of his arguments than all my other critics.

Müller's main argument seems to be the assertion that the story of the "Unknown Life of Jesus Christ" as presented by me in this book was not found in any of the Tanjur and Kanjur catalogues.

Let me note here that if it were there, then my discovery would not be either surprising or valuable, since these catalogs were available for research by European scientists a long time ago, and the first orientalist, if desired, could easily do the same like me - to go to Tibet, stock up on a guidebook and extract from the parchment scrolls the fragments indicated in the catalogs.

According to Max Müller's own statement, the catalogs list approximately two thousand volumes. Truly these are very incomplete catalogs, the monastery of Lassa alone holds more than a hundred thousand volumes of manuscripts, and I sincerely sympathize with my opponent if he thinks that these crumbs will provide him with the key to the whole long period of the existence of Eastern science.

It is indeed true that the parables, the translation of which is presented in this book, cannot be found in any catalog, whether Tanjur or Kanjur. They had no title and were scattered in more than one book, hence they cannot be found in the catalogs of Chinese and Tibetan works. They exist as reminders of the wonderful events that took place in the first century of the Christian era, which are succinctly recorded with more or less accuracy by lamaist scribes, as far as they remember.

Nikolai Notovich - The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ

The original work of Nikolai Notovich, including "The Life of Saint Issa"

Translator's Notes

Having translated the description of the journey to Tibet by Nikolai Notovich, the book "The Life of St. them.

I accept Nikolai Notovitch's claims that the "records" of St. Issus were discovered by him in the monastery of Himis, but I refrain from expressing any judgment about the authenticity or reliability of the documents now presented to the English reader.

I venture, however, to add to the brief remarks made by Mr. Notovitch on the remarkable resemblance between the Catholic and Tibetan religions.

From the "General Biographer"*, published in Paris in 1914, I learned that Hippolyte Desideri, a Jesuit priest, visited Tibet in 1715 and Las-su (Lhasa) in 1716 and that he translated into Latin "Kangiar", or "Sahorin" is a work that, according to his biographer, had the same meaning for the Tibetans as the Holy Scripture for Christians. The biographer claims that Desideri paid special attention to the study of the coincidences that, in his opinion, exist in the Christian and Tibetan religions.

*Explanations not included in this edition. - Approx. English ed.

The first traveler to Tibet known to us was Father Odoric from Pordenon, who presumably reached Lassa in 1328. Three centuries later, the Jesuit Antonio Andrada followed him, and in 1661, the fathers Gruber and d "Orville. *

The first Englishman to visit Tibet was George Bogle, who in 1774 arrived on an embassy mission from Warren Hastings to the lama of the city of Shigatse. Mr. Bogle remained for some time in Tibet, but did not publish any records of his journey.

However, from Mr. Stewart's letter to Sir John Pringle, 1" concerning this embassy, it becomes clear that Mr. Bogle was struck by the coincidences found by Desideri, as will be seen from the following lines of Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 20, 1810, which, I did not, I believe, appear in any of the later encyclopedias:

"There is an old idea that the religion of Tibet is a perverted Christianity, and even Father Desideri, a Jesuit who visited the country at the beginning of our (eighteenth) century, believes that he is able to correlate their sacraments and rites with ours, and with truly mystical insight insists on the fact that they (Tibetans) are definitely well aware of the Trinity... The truth is that the religion of Tibet, wherever it comes from, is very pure and simple, its sources convey a very lofty concept of the Deity, without any mundane system morality, but in development it is significantly changed and distorted by the laity.

Du Hald translated the letters of Hippolyte Desideri from Italian into French*, and in one of them, sent from Lassa on April 10, 1716, the priest writes:

“As for their religion, they call God “Konchok” and seem to have an idea of the Trinity, since sometimes they call Him “Konchokchik”, or the One God, and sometimes “Konchoksum”, or the Triune God. They have a rosary, with which they say: "Om, Ha, Hum. " As they say, Om means the mind, or hand, that is, power; Ha is the word; and Hum is the heart, or love; and these three words denote God ".

The Jesuit Gruber and Horace de la Penna, head of the Capuchin mission, noted the similarities between their own religion* and that of Tibet. Their conclusions were based on: (1) the clothes of the lamas, which did not differ from the clothes of the apostles in ancient images; (2) their subordination, which has some similarities with the church hierarchy; (3) similarities between certain Tibetan ceremonies and Roman rituals; (4) their concept of incarnation; and (5) their moral principles.

Gerbillon mentions some of their ceremonies, for example: (1) the use of holy water; (2) prayers, prayers for the dead, and adds: "Their robes are the same in which the apostles were depicted, they wear mitres like bishops; and even their Great Lama is almost the same for them as the Pope is for the Romans."

Gruber goes even further: he claims that although no European or Christian has ever been to Tibet*, nevertheless, the Tibetan religion coincides with the Roman one in all essential respects. So, there they take communion with bread and wine, take unction, bless married couples, pray over the sick, participate in processions, praise the relics of idols (he should have said "saints"), have men's and nunneries, sing choral prayers, like the Roman monks, observe sacrificial fasts throughout the year, impose very severe penances - among which there is scourging - consecrate bishops and send out missionaries who live in extreme poverty and wander barefoot through the deserts as far as China. "I saw it with my own eyes," adds Gruber.

And even such an amazing combination of coincidences is not all. Brother Horace de la Penna, who, however, should not be too trusted, says:

"Basically, the religion of Tibet is a counterpart of the Roman religion. They believe in one God and the Trinity, in heaven, hell and purgatory; they perform litanies, distribute alms, pray, bury the dead; they have a number of monasteries full of novices and monks, * who in addition to the three vows - poverty, obedience and love of neighbor - they take several others.They have confessors, who are elected by the heads of religious communities, and who receive permission from the Lama or the bishop, without which they cannot listen to confession or impose penances.They use the holy water, crosses and rosary."

Mr. Hook, who traveled to Tibet in 1844-46, writes of the similarity between Lamaist worship and Catholic worship:

"A cross, a miter, a dalmatic, a mantle that the High Lamas wear on trips, services with two choirs, singing of psalms, exorcism, censers hanging on five chains, blessings, rosaries, celibacy of the clergy, spiritual retreat, worship of saints, fasting, processions, litanies, holy water - all this is the same in our and Buddhist religions.

"Further, can we say that all these analogues are of Christian origin? We believe that yes. We actually did not find any solid evidence of such borrowing in the traditions or in the monuments of this country, nevertheless, it is quite reasonable to put forward assumptions that are closest to plausibility" .*

/ Saint Bartholomew. It is believed that this apostle went all the way to India, preaching the gospel, since Eusebius mentions that a famous philosopher and Christian named Pantaen found here - among those who still kept the proclamation of Christ - the Gospel of Matthew, transcribed, according to tradition, by St. Bartholomew one of the twelve apostles. There is a mention of the Gospel of St. Bartholomew in the preface to Origen's "Notshek" ("Instructions"), but it was considered to be a fake manuscript, and it was attributed by Bishop Gelasius to the apocryphal books /.

From a fragment of the seventh volume of Pinkerton's Travels entitled "Description of Tibet" it is clear that "some missionaries believe that the ancient lamaist books contain traces of the Christian religion, which they think was preached here in apostolic times."

Be that as it may, but without going into disputes about the coincidence of rites, ceremonies and rituals, which could turn out to be originally pagan or Roman, for Mr. Notovich, convincing confirmation of the reliability of his discovery could be the fact that the two churches probably had one common source , and that if in the time of the apostles - as the missionaries inform us - the Gospel was preached in Tibet, then, quite naturally, the associates of Christ, who probably knew from him how and where the amazing unknown part of his life passed, should have visited and actually visited the places the first searches and labors of his Teacher. The restrictions imposed on the translator's notes do not allow me to enter into this discussion, and I leave it to others to speculate on this.

I translated the "Life of Saint Issa" word for word, but I translated Mr. Notovitch's own narration more freely.

^ Violet Crispe

To publishers

Lord

Thus, English readers will be the first to benefit from the well-founded criticism I have received and the corrections I have made.

My aim and sincere wish is that the English public, sharp-minded but wary of any innovation, especially when it comes to religion, could judge my work by its semantic qualities, and not by grammatical or typographical errors. on which my opponents have up to now relied on, seeking to downplay the true value of this document. I hope, however, that after reading the work it will become clear that I wrote it completely sincerely and honestly.

I am fully aware that the skillfully organized criticism has already turned the public against the book in advance. And even generously defended by friends known and unknown, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ has been so viciously attacked by fanatics who seem to imagine that I am eager to start theological strife (while my only goal was to put another brick in the building of modern science) that all this created an atmosphere of mistrust around the first edition of the book in England.

This is what raised doubts: why did Lama Himisa refuse to answer in the affirmative to the questions put to him about the manuscripts? Because the people of the East are accustomed to consider Europeans robbers who infiltrate their midst to rob in the name of civilization.

The Lama said to himself: "If one asks about these manuscripts, it is only to steal them," and he naturally remained silent and refused to explain. This suspicion is easy to understand if we trace the deeds of those Europeans who, in dealing with the Eastern peoples, only oppressed and openly plundered them with the help of civilization.

A certain lady wrote to Europe that "no one has ever seen me there [in Tibet]" and no one has ever heard my name. Then a bunch of temple guards said that I had never set foot in Tibet - in other words, that I was a fraud.

I still have a photograph of the handsome governor of Ladakh, Surajbal, with a caption made by him himself, which I am publishing in this book.

It has also been stated that the original "Unknown Life of Jesus Christ" never existed in the monastery of Himis and it is all just a product of my imagination. That, indeed, is an honor which I do not deserve, since my imagination is not so rich.

It was Herr Max Müller who especially insisted on this accusation. So, since Max Müller is famous in the scientific world, I feel obliged - to myself and to the public - to pay more attention to refuting his arguments than all my other critics.

Müller's main argument seems to be the assertion that the story of the "Unknown Life of Jesus Christ" as presented by me in this book was not found in any of the "Tanjur" and "Kanjur" catalogues.

According to Max Müller's own statement, the catalogs list approximately two thousand volumes. These are indeed very incomplete catalogues, the monastery of Lassa alone holds more than a hundred thousand volumes of manuscripts, and I sincerely sympathize with my opponent if he thinks that these crumbs will provide him with the key to the whole long period of the existence of Eastern science.

It is indeed true that the parables, the translation of which is presented in this book, cannot be found in any catalog, whether it be "Tanjur" or "Kanjur". They had no title and were scattered in more than one book, hence they cannot be found in the catalogs of Chinese and Tibetan works. They exist as reminders of the wonderful events that took place in the first century of the Christian era, which are succinctly recorded with more or less accuracy by lamaist scribes - insofar as they remember.

If I had the patience to put these parables together, give them a semantic sequence and exclude from them what was introduced by my translation, would this fruit of persistent labors raise questions? .

And do not the traditions inform us that the Iliad, in the form in which it has been known to us for 2,500 years, was compiled in the same way by the order of Peisistratus from scattered songs about the Trojan War and sacredly preserved in the memory of the Greek tradition?

Müller further reproached me for not mentioning the name of the cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, who had honored me with unusual confidence in the "Unknown Life of Jesus Christ," and whose candid statements might have served to confirm my discovery. But I appeal to the obligatory law of decency, and everyone must admit that it would be unworthy to reveal the name of this cardinal in connection with the circumstances I have mentioned.

However, in addition to what has already been said in the introduction regarding the fact that for the Roman Catholic Church "The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ" is not an innovation, I can add the following: in the Vatican Library there are sixty-three complete or incomplete manuscripts in various oriental languages \u200b\u200bon this topic, which were brought to Rome by missionaries from India, China, Egypt and Arabia.

This question forces me to clarify once and for all the essence of my intentions in connection with the transmission to the Western public of a document of such significance, which, I admit, everyone is free to criticize.

In the French magazine La Pax, I clearly stated that I professed Russian Orthodox faith and I continue to say so. Damage to authority could not be done if there were no contradictions in doctrine and inconsistencies in facts. But the doctrine contained in these Tibetan parables is the same as in the Gospels, and the facts differ only in appearance.

Indeed, it should be noted that the first person who wrote these parables in Pali scrupulously transmitted the stories of local merchants (not Jews, as Mr. Muller believed) on their return from Palestine, where they went on their trading business and where they happened to be witnesses of the drama on Golgotha.

And there was nothing surprising in the fact that these witnesses observed what was happening from a point of view that was different from the point of view of the Romans, who, in the end, had to fully accept the creed of their victim. For them [merchants], naturally, it was preferable to accept the version prevailing among the Jewish people.

What should be clarified is how impartial the witnesses were, and how honestly and competently the scribes reflected the essence of their stories. But this is already a problem of exegesis* and it is not up to me to solve it.

I would rather limit myself to such a simpler question, and I would like to advise my opponents to do the same: did these fragments exist in the monastery of Himis, and did I correctly reflect their essence? This is the only basis on which I recognize anyone's moral right to bring me to trial.

I offered to return to Tibet with a group of well-known Orientalists in order to verify the authenticity of these writings on the spot. Nobody responded to this offer. Most contented themselves with further attacks on me, and those who tried to find these fragments chose the wrong way to search.

I learned, however, that the American expedition was in the process of being formed, and not wanting any involvement on my part, they were going to undertake this journey in order to carry out serious research on their own. I am not afraid of these researches: on the contrary, I welcome them with all my heart. They will show that I, being far from thinking about innovations, only gave a tangible form to the traditions that have existed in the Christian world at all times.

New Testament completely silent about the period of the life of the Savior from thirteen to thirty years. What happened to him during this time? What did he do? Show me a passage that even loosely states that he has never been to Tibet or India, and I will lay down my arms. But even the most stubborn fanatic would find it very difficult to show me such lines.

Moreover, would it be strange if the founder of Christianity was inspired by the doctrines of Brahmanism or Buddhism in order to transform them, cleanse them of everything superficial and convey them to the minds of the West? Moses did just that, and not otherwise. When he wrote the Book of Genesis and proclaimed the law of justice, he referred to books and laws written before him. He never once admitted to it. All this is the basics of exegesis.

Is there any doubt that all religions, even the most barbaric and absurd, have preserved fragments of truth and have the opportunity to accept one day a universal Truth - showing the fact that their roots come from a common source and that after dividing into many branches they will be collected together under a single beginning? Far from rejecting these glimpses of truth without verification, Christianity hastens to accept them, giving them a true meaning and applying them to the mystical needs of the peoples.

Were it not so, would St. John the Evangelist make such an effort to take Plato's "Logos" and turn it into that "Imperishable Incarnate Word", whose incomparable greatness eclipsed the highest concepts of the Greek philosopher?

Were it not so, the fathers of the Greek and Latin churches, Saint John Chrysostomos and Saint Augustine (to mention only the most famous of them), would have become so difficult to extract from the hodgepodge and dust of mythology those wise interpretations and moral precepts that they adopted, resurrecting the legends - if I may be allowed this neologism - restoring the myths to their true innermost meaning?

I leave the task of extracting the truths of Brahmanism and Buddhism woven into the parables of Shakyamuni and the Vedas to the experts.

I return to my book. I maintain that if she succeeds in establishing irrefutably an agreement between the teachings of the Gospels and the sacred scriptures of India and Tibet, she will render an outstanding service to all mankind.

Is this phenomenon new in the Christian world - a book that aims to complete the New Testament and shed light on hitherto obscure moments? The works known as the Apocrypha were so numerous in the sixteenth century that the Catholic church council at Trent was forced to limit their vast number in order to avoid controversy damaging the public interest, and to reduce the Book of Revelation to the minimum accessible to average minds.

Didn't the church council in Nisin - having agreed this with the emperor Constantine - many manuscripts forbidden to believers - those manuscripts that were venerated with almost the same reverence as the four canonical Gospels evoked? The Nisinsky Church Council, together with the Council of Trent, also reduced the number of transcendental truths to a minimum.

Is it not known from chronicles that Stilicho, the commander-in-chief of [Roman emperor] Honorius, ordered the public burning of the Books of the Sibyls in 401? Is it possible to doubt that they were full of moral, historical and prophetic truths of the highest order? Then it would be possible to question the whole of Roman history, most important points which were determined by the decisions of the Books of the Sibyls.

In the times of which we speak, there were all prerequisites for strengthening or supporting a weakly united or already tottering religion, and the spiritual and secular authorities believed that nothing could be better than to organize a vigilant supervision and the strictest censorship of eternal truths.

But enlightened minds so little desired the mass destruction of all documents that did not meet official criteria that they themselves saved a certain number of works from oblivion. During the last three centuries those editions of the Bible which included as an appendix the Shepherd of St. Hermas, the Epistles of St. Clement, St. Barnabas, the Prayer of Manasseh, and the two additional Books of Maccabees are undoubtedly rare.

The four Gospels laid the foundation for Christian doctrine. But there were twelve apostles, St. Bartholomew, St. Thomas, St. Matthias declared that they preached the good news to the peoples of India, Tibet and China.

Didn't these friends of Jesus, intimate witnesses of his sermons and his martyrdom, write anything? Or have they left to others the exclusive duty of writing down on papyrus the lofty teachings of the Lord? But these others wrote in Greek, and beyond the Euphrates no one spoke or understood Greek. How could they preach in Greek to people who only understood Pali, Sanskrit, or the numerous dialects of China and Hindustan?

It is known that St. Thomas was known as the most educated among the rest of the disciples, who mostly came from the common people. Even without marble or copper, would not St. Thomas strive to write on incorruptible tablets what he saw and the lessons that the crucified Lord taught him?

The parables transmitted to me by the Buddhist lama at the monastery of Himis, which I have arranged in order to give them a semantic sequence and organize them according to the rules of literary composition, could actually be told by St. Thomas, could be historical sketches made by his own hand or under his direction. .

And may not this resurrection of books buried under the dust of earthly epochs become the starting point for a new science, which is destined to bring unforeseen and unimaginable results in abundance?

These are the questions my book raises. Criticism would gain the respect it deserves if it were to consider them in all seriousness. The topic is well worth the effort spent on its study. It contains all the questions that concern mankind. I am convinced that research will not be fruitless. I struck the first blow with the hoe and discovered the hidden treasure, but I have every reason to believe that the mine is inexhaustible.

Now there is no longer what it was in those past centuries, when a certain class alone was the custodian of all Truths and gave the masses their share of the indivisible property, to each according to his needs. Today the world is hungry for knowledge, and everyone has the right to turn the page in the book of science and find out the truth about the God-Man who belongs to us all.

I believe in the authenticity of the Buddhist narrative because I see nothing historically or theologically that contradicts it or makes it unfounded. Let it be studied and discussed. Let me even prove that I'm wrong. But that is no excuse for insulting me. Insults confirm only one thing - the failure of their authors.

I gave life to the words of the prophet Daniel that the time will come when "many will read it [the book], and knowledge will increase." * / Dan. 12:4./

I studied, found, learned, discovered. I pass on my knowledge and my discovery to those readers who, like myself, are eager to learn and learn.

I pass them on, with your help, to the English readers with the utmost confidence, and rely in advance on their judgment in full confidence that it will be just.

Yours sincerely,

^ N. Notovich

Foreword

After the end of the Turkish war (1877-78) I made a number of trips to the East. After first visiting less remarkable places in the Balkan Peninsula, I set out on my journey through the Caucasus to Central Asia and Persia, and finally, in 1887, I went to India, an amazing country that had attracted my attention since childhood.

The purpose of my journey was to get acquainted with the peoples of India, to study their manners and customs, and at the same time to explore the noble and mysterious archeology and the majestically grandiose nature of this wonderful country.

Wandering without any definite plan from one place to another, I reached mountainous Afghanistan, from where I returned to India along the picturesque roads of Bodan and Gernai. Then I climbed up the Indus again to Rawalpindi, traveled through the Punjab, the country of the five great rivers, visited the Golden Temple of Amritsara, the tomb of the Punjab king Ranjit Singh near Lahore, and directed my steps towards Kashmir, the "valley of eternal happiness."

From there I went on further wanderings, and my curiosity led me until I reached Ladakh, whence I intended to return to Russia via Karakoram and Chinese Turkestan.

One day while visiting a Buddhist monastery, I learned from the lama abbot that the archives of Lassa contain very ancient records concerning the life of Jesus Christ and the peoples of the West, and that some large monasteries have copies and translations of these writings.

As it then seemed very unlikely that I would ever visit that country again, I decided to postpone my return to Europe and coute que coute the large monasteries mentioned, or by going to Laos.The journey to Laos is by no means so dangerous and difficult as we are inclined to believe, it brought only those difficulties with which I was well acquainted and which could not deter me from this undertaking.

During my stay in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, I visited the large monastery of Himis, located on the outskirts of the city, in the library of which, as the lama superior told me, some copies of the manuscripts I was looking for were kept. In order not to arouse the suspicions of the authorities about the purpose of my visit to the monastery and to avoid all sorts of obstacles to my further travel in Tibet - after all, I am Russian - I announced my intention to return to India and immediately left the capital of Ladakh.

An unfortunate fall from a horse, as a result of which I broke my leg, gave me a completely unexpected reason to return to the monastery, where I was given first aid. I took advantage of my short stay in the company of the lamas to obtain the consent of their head to show me manuscripts relating to the life of Jesus Christ. Thus, with the help of my interpreter, who translated from Tibetan, I was able to scrupulously write down in a notebook what the lama was reading to me.

Not for a moment doubting the authenticity of these chronicles, written with great care by the Brahmin, and mostly Buddhist historians of Nepal and India, I decided to publish their translation upon my return to Europe. With this intent, I approached several eminent theologians, asking them to check my notes and give their opinion on them.

His Holiness the Monk Platon, the famous Metropolitan of Kyiv, expressed the opinion that this discovery was of great importance. However, he dissuaded me from publishing the memoirs on the grounds that their publication might have detrimental consequences for me. To explain more fully how this can happen, the venerable prelate refused. Since our conversation took place in Russia, where censorship would certainly veto such work, I decided to wait.

A year later, when I was in Rome, I showed my notes to a cardinal who is ai tieih * / On excellent terms, fr. - Approx. ed. / with His Holiness the Pope. He answered me verbatim as follows: "What good will this publication bring? No one will give it of great importance, and you will get yourself a crowd of enemies. However, you are still very young! If you are interested in money, I can ask you for compensation for your recordings, which will compensate for the costs incurred and the time lost. "Naturally, I refused.

In Paris, I spoke about my plans with Cardinal Rotelli, whom I had previously met in Constantinople. He also opposed the publication of my work, under the ostensible pretext that it would be premature. "The Church," he added, "is already suffering greatly from the new wave of atheistic ideas. You will only provide fresh food for slanderers who defame church doctrine. I tell you this, defending the interests of all Christian denominations."

Then I went to Monsieur Jules Simon. He found my post interesting and recommended that I seek advice from Mr. Renan on the best way to publish the entries.

The next day I was sitting in the study of the great philosopher. Our conversation ended like this: Mr. Renan suggested that I entrust him with the notes under discussion so that he would make a report on them at the Academy.

It can be imagined that this offer was very tempting and flattering to my atoiprorre*

* Self-esteem, French. Note. ed.

However, citing the need for re-verification, I withdrew my work. I foresaw that if I agreed, I would gain only the fame of the discoverer of the chronicles, while the illustrious author of "Vie de Jesus" * / "Life of Jesus", French / will take all the credit for himself, commenting on the chronicles and presenting them to the general public. Therefore, believing that I myself was quite ready to publish a translation of the chronicle and provide it with my own comments, I declined the kind offer thus made to me. However, in order not to in any way offend the sensibility of the great master, whom I deeply respected, I intended to wait for his death, the sad approach of which, as I foresaw - judging by his weakened state - was not long in coming.

When what I foresaw happened, I hastened to put things in order in the notes that I now publish, reserving the right to confirm the authenticity of these chronicles and developing in my comments arguments that should convince us of the sincerity and conscientiousness of the Buddhist compilers.

In conclusion, I suggest that before starting to criticize my report, any scientific society could, in a relatively short time, equip a scientific expedition, which has the goal of examining these manuscripts on the spot and establishing their historical value.

R.5. During my travels I took a considerable number of very curious photographs, but when I checked the negatives upon my arrival in Bombay, I found that they were all blown out. I owe this failure to the negligence of my black servant, Philip, who was entrusted with a box of photographic plates. During the journey, considering it heavy, he carefully pulled out the contents, thus illuminating the plates and nullifying my work.

Therefore, I owe the illustration of my book to the exceptionally generous help of my friend Monsieur d'Overnier, who, having made a trip to the Himalayas, graciously offered me the selection of his photographs.

Travel to Tibet

During my sojourn in India, I often had the chance to converse with Buddhists, and what they told me about Tibet piqued my curiosity to such an extent that I decided to make a trip to this comparatively unknown country. To this end, I chose the route through Kashmir, a place that I had long intended to visit.

We know little about the life of Jesus Christ, the God-man, in whom divine and human nature are united. Christian books talk a lot about him as the Messiah, Savior, Redeemer and Son of God. But the information about Jesus as the Son of Man is fragmentary.

Statue of Issa in India

The Bible (Gospel of Luke, 2.41-51) describes how, as a twelve-year-old youth, Jesus, along with his parents, came to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, where his parents then lost him in the crowd, but three days later they found him in full health, calmly talking in the temple with the priests . The next time the age of Jesus - about thirty years - is mentioned only when describing his Baptism in the Jordan River (Gospel of Luke, 3.23). It remains unclear why almost 18 years have fallen out of the biblical chronology of the life of Christ.

Unknown gospel

As you know, in addition to the four canonical gospels, there are many others. historical documents(Apocrypha), which were not recognized by the official Church and therefore were not included in the Holy Scriptures. So, maybe they contain the key to where and how Jesus Christ spent almost 18 years of his life?
Our compatriot, journalist Nikolai Notovich, traveled in 1887 in India. He wrote a book about this journey, which he published in 1894 in Paris. The book was called The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ, the Best of the Sons of Men. In Russia, she saw the light in 1910.
The book contains the text of a hitherto unknown gospel about the life of Jesus (Issa in Tibetan) in India, originally written in the Pali language.
In addition to Notovitch's controversial book, mention of the Indian period of Jesus' life can also be found in the apocryphal Gospel of Philip, found in 1945 in Egypt. Does this mean that the Christian Church has an insignificant number of documents that mention the sojourn of Jesus in India? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

A reasonable question arises: is it possible to believe the Gospel published by Notovitch, which miraculously appeared thousands of years after the events described in it and which no one had heard of before? Let us dwell on the discovery of Nikolai Notovich in more detail.

What do we know about Issa?

During his trip to India in 1887, N. Notovich learned about the existence of an ancient Indian manuscript, the so-called "Tibetan Gospel", which was kept in the capital of Tibet, Lhasa.
The document told about the life of the Great Lama Issa (the Tibetan name of Jesus). Continuing his journey, Notovitch discovered in the monastery of the city of Himis a translation of this ancient manuscript into Tibetan. The abbot of the monastery read it aloud to Notovich, and he managed to write down the text for the translator, and then subjected it to literary processing. The result is a 14-part book that describes the life of Jesus in India.
According to the manuscript, at the age of 13, Jesus left his home in Nazareth and went with a merchant caravan to India, where he studied the ancient Vedas, astrology, magic, and also taught the local population to heal the sick. Then he continued his missionary work in Nepal and Persia, urging the inhabitants of these countries to abandon the worship of ancient deities, stating: “There is only one God, and this is our Heavenly Father,” and then returned to Palestine.

Nicholas Roerich: Issa and a giant's head.

Was there a manuscript?

Notovitch's book divided the scientific community into supporters of the theory of Jesus' presence in India and its opponents.
For example, the outstanding orientalist Max Muller rightly pointed out the absence of a mention of the manuscript in the collection of sacred Buddhist texts "Ganjur" and commentaries to it.
The Indian professor J. Archibald Douglas undertook a journey in the footsteps of Notovitch, visited a monastery in Himis, but did not find either a manuscript or even traces of the presence of the journalist himself.
However, N.K. Roerich in his book "The Heart of Asia" cites legends about Issa, which he heard during his travels in India and Tibet. He also found out that such Asian peoples as Kalmyks, Olets and Torguts also know about Issa from the Tibetan Gospel, the same source, a copy of which Notovich found.

Issa

The Indian scholar Swami Abhedananda, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, the well-known religious leader of India, said that he personally saw the manuscript translated by Notovitch in the Himis monastery, and was convinced of the correctness of its presentation by a Russian journalist. He also confirmed that the original manuscript of which it is a translation is located in a monastery on Mount Masbur near Lhasa.
In 1939, the American pianist Elizabeth Caspari, who was fond of Buddhism, visited the monastery in Himis, after which she also published her confirmation of the authenticity of the document found by Notovitch.

Riddles of Indian Christology

In 1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect arose in India. Its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, in particular, believed that Christ did not die on the cross, but plunged into deep meditation, misleading his executioners, who believed in his death. After that, he revived and went to Kashmir, where he preached under the name of Issa (in Islam - Isa). Hindus perceived him as the incarnation of the Buddha. He stayed in India until his death at the age of 120, and then was buried in Srinagar under the name Ruhulla (translated from Arabic - "Spirit of God").
It is noteworthy that in the city of Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, there is indeed a tomb called Roza Bol (“Tomb of the Prophet”), and Nazrati Yuz Asaf is buried in it (doesn’t it look like “Nazarene Jesus”?). For a long time, this tomb, oriented from east to west, according to Jewish tradition, has been under the patronage of the local Jewish community.

The Indian professor Fida Hassanain, in his book The Fifth Gospel, went even further, stating that Jesus was in India twice: the first time in his youth, the second time after the crucifixion and miraculous salvation. He mentions a tomb in Srinagar and also gives a detailed list of Silk Road cities where Jesus stopped on his way to Kashmir.

One of the most interesting publications on this subject is Andreas Faber-Kaiser's book "Jesus Died in Kashmir", where the author cites linguistic parallels between the Indian and biblical names of cities and peoples. In his book, he also gives a prediction from the ancient Purana (Indian sacred book) about the appearance in India of Isha putra (son of God), who at the age of 13 will come to India to learn wisdom under the guidance of sage rishis and siddha yogis, as well as visit the holy places of Hinduism and Buddhism.

So where is the truth?

So, what do we have in the "dry residue"? First, that the biblical canonical texts are silent about both Jesus' youthful journey to India and his flight from Palestine after his miraculous escape.
Further, the information in the apocryphal Christian sources is very scarce, they can be counted on the fingers. However, there are facts with which, as you know, you can not argue. References to the stay of Jesus in India are found in ancient Buddhist and Islamic canonical texts, as well as in the sacred books of the Persians and Jews.
As you know, St. Thomas managed to get to India along the roads beaten by numerous trade caravans. It's undeniable historical fact(he is buried in Madras, and the Cathedral of St. Thomas was erected over his grave). Consequently, any resident of Palestine could independently make such a journey at that time.
The descendants of the ancient Jews who settled there after the collapse of the Assyrian Empire still live in Asia, and the roots of ancient Hebrew have been preserved in the names of these tribes and their settlements. It is also interesting that the word for "messiah" (anointed) in Hebrew, Sanskrit and Arabic has the same root.

Nicholas Roerich wrote that on Tibetan icons and ritual objects there is often an image of a fish (a Christian symbol), and the circle in Buddhism is a sacred symbol, just like in Christianity. N. Notovich stated that he was able to find out about 63 documents brought to the Vatican by Christian missionaries from China, Egypt, Arabia and India, in which Jesus is mentioned. But in the Vatican he was made clear that the Church was not interested in making these documents public. It is unlikely that the general public will ever be able to see these "good news".

Sergey SUKHANOV
"Secrets of the XX century" № 9 2010

Statue of Issa in India

Unknown gospel

As you know, besides the four canonical Gospels, there are many other historical documents (apocrypha) that were not recognized by the official Church and therefore were not included in the Holy Scriptures. So, maybe they contain the key to where and how Jesus Christ spent almost 18 years of his life?
Our compatriot, journalist Nikolai Notovich, traveled in 1887 in India. He wrote a book about this journey, which he published in 1894 in Paris. The book was called The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ, the Best of the Sons of Men. In Russia, she saw the light in 1910.
The book contains the text of a hitherto unknown gospel about the life of Jesus (Issa in Tibetan) in India, originally written in the Pali language.
In addition to Notovitch's controversial book, mention of the Indian period of Jesus' life can also be found in the apocryphal Gospel of Philip, found in 1945 in Egypt. Does this mean that the Christian Church has an insignificant number of documents that mention the sojourn of Jesus in India? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

What do we know about Issa?

Nicholas Roerich: Issa and a giant's head.

Issa

Riddles of Indian Christology

So, what do we have in the "dry residue"? First, that the biblical canonical texts are silent about both Jesus' youthful journey to India and his flight from Palestine after his miraculous escape.
Further, the information in the apocryphal Christian sources is very scarce, they can be counted on the fingers. However, there are facts with which, as you know, you can not argue. References to the stay of Jesus in India are found in ancient Buddhist and Islamic canonical texts, as well as in the sacred books of the Persians and Jews.
As you know, St. Thomas managed to get to India along the roads beaten by numerous trade caravans. This is an indisputable historical fact (he is buried in Madras, and the Cathedral of St. Thomas was erected over his grave). Consequently, any resident of Palestine could independently make such a journey at that time.
The descendants of the ancient Jews who settled there after the collapse of the Assyrian Empire still live in Asia, and the roots of ancient Hebrew have been preserved in the names of these tribes and their settlements. It is also interesting that the word for "messiah" (anointed) in Hebrew, Sanskrit and Arabic has the same root.

Sergey SUKHANOV
"Secrets of the XX century" № 9 2010

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