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The Secret Story of Jesus

by
Roland E Bouchard ?
Copyright 2007
This literary work is Dedicated to God Almighty
And His Ever-Living Son, -at Whose Holy Feet
this unworthy Author imbibed the Sweet Elixir of
His Holy Naam or Word, -may I never forget His
Holy Name.
Introduction
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 V


 

 is an alternative account of three obscure but profoundly

influential men: Jesus, -who was otherwise called only ³Barabbas´ instead; Judas the Galilean, ±author of

the insurrection to overthrow the secular Herodian government and Saul of Tarsus, ±aka the eventual

Apostle and Saint Paul who founded Christianity and was the principal creator of the New Testaments.

Nevertheless, let me be quick to add that this literary work is not about ³[Jesus] Christ´ of the Holy

Gospels per se¶.

Even though µc

: V


 

 is not about ³Jesus Christ´, it is bound to

offend µChristians¶, Jews and Muslims nevertheless, -however, this is not my intention« it simply cannot

be avoided. The purpose of this work, iconoclastic as it may be, is multi-faceted. Firstly, so that the above

named characters are presented in such a manner as to explain both the myth concerning ³Christ´ as well

as to pin-point the proper µblame¶ for µhis¶ supposed µcrucifixion¶ (thus, dispersing the false accusations

that have been laid upon the Jews as a whole). Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, that Jesus

Barabbas is presented as His Aramaic appellation implies, that is: Bar = Son + Abba = Father (as in µthe

Father of us all¶ or, µGod¶, if you will). Lastly, this work is intended to provide a glimpse into the very

mystery of mysteries of (the) µGod-man¶ and, His relationship to all people in the world« who lived then

as well as those who lives now.

The background of this unique hypothesis begins in the days of the prophet Samuel« when the

elders of the twelve tribes came to Samuel, as a unified voice, beseeching him to bless (µanoint¶) a king, -

chosen by lot, to rule over them and to judge them« like other nations. Initially, Samuel was aghast at

their audacious design to establish an earthly kingdom, -complete with a mortal king as it head, -thus

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altering their ancient customs as it was since the beginning. To Samuel, this innovation was an effrontery

towards God, therefore Samuel refused to accede to their desires. But the elders pressed Samuel all the

more, until, at last, Samuel agreed to bring the matter to the Lord. Upon the Lord¶s hearing the petition of

the people, the Lord said, ³Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not

rejected you, but have reject me that I not reign over them and judge them. According to all their works,

they have done from the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, they have forsaken me, and they

served strange gods, so do they also unto you. Now therefore hearken to their voice: but yet testify to

them, and foretell them the rights of a king that shall reign over them and judge them.´ Then Samuel told

all the words of the Lord to the people. And he said to them: ³The rights of a king that shall reign over

you will take your sons and put them in his chariots and, he will make them his horsemen and his running

footmen to run before his chariots. He will appoint them to be his tribunes, and centurions, and to make

them plow his fields and reap his corn and to make for him arms and chariots. Your daughters also he will

take to make them his ointment-makers, cooks, bakers and handmaidens. He will take your fields and

your vineyards and your best olive-yards and give them to his servant officials. Moreover, he will take a

tenth of your corn and of the revenues of your vineyards and olive-yards and give to his eunuch servants.

Your herds and flocks he will tithe and you shall become as his slaves. And you shall cry out in that day

from the face of the king whom you have chosen to yourselves and the Lord will not hear you in that day,

because you desired unto yourselves a king to rule over you and judge you.´

And so, all the people were fully informed of all that which shall be required of a king, -they

understood all of the ramifications of their action, -nevertheless they thought it prudent to have such a

king« under the guise of protecting and defending them against their enemies. Moreover, Samuel had

more to say regarding the people at large and their king specifically regarding their obligations towards

their God.

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 Anointing Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin, to be their first king of the Jews, Samuel said: ³Now

you have your king the Lord has given you. If you love the Lord and worship Him, if you are obedient to

Him and do not rebel against the Lord¶s command, if both you and the king who shall rule over you and

judge you follow the Lord your God -well and good. But, if you do not obey the Lord and if you rebel

against His command, the Lord will deal severely with you and your king, and will destroy both you and

your nation.´ And the prophet Samuel then blessed (anointed) Saul as their king to rule and judge over the

Lord¶s people.

And so it was and has been since that day that a nation was born. It may very well have been the

beginning of all human kind¶s woes, not exclusively to the Jews.

Much of the biblical text concerning king Saul¶s reign appears obtuse and confusing,

nevertheless, for our purposes, a number of µfacts¶ are clear. In summary: µthe Lord was displeased with

Saul (for having disobeyed the Lord¶s command) and thus rejected him as king of His people¶; µhe was

replaced by the anointment of David (of the tribe of Judah)¶; µSaul was sent to battle the Philistines and,

there fell upon his own sword, -ostensibly to avoid being captured¶.

What is not written in the Old Testaments or µdocumented¶ elsewhere is that this abominable,

cowardly and sinful act of committing suicide brought everlasting dishonor and shame to his immediate

family, heirs and tribe as a whole.

The Lord was well pleased with king David¶s successful establishment and maintenance of a

theocratic form of governance¶, -so much so, that the Lord promised David, -as spoken by the prophet

Nathan, saying: ³If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to the Lord with their whole

heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.´

Now, king David was succeeded by his son, Solomon, -who was also µanointed¶.

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 ×ing Solomon was succeeded by his son, Rehoboam, -however, ten tribes revolted away from

Rehoboam (as well as Solomon¶s and David¶s µtheocracy¶) and established a parallel secular government,

-with Jeroboam as its king, instead. Rehoboam and his µkingdom¶ were marginalized in place. This

schism among the Jews continued down through the centuries«well into the days when Augustus Caesar

appointed, installed and supported the secular government of Herod the Great (an Ideumean and convert

µJew¶).

Shortly after Herod died, Judas the Galilean, -a descendant of David, claimed to be the chosen

µanointed one¶ (messiah) and, rose up an insurrection against the sons of Herod. He was killed in battle,

but that did not deter other claimants to aspire to the ancient µtheocratic throne of David¶. Another

descendant of David rose up, and then another -each claiming to be the promised µmessiah¶, -all were

killed in battle or were captured and summarily crucified. The bloody insurrection of the zealous

µmessianists¶ and their followers continued until the wealthy and educated Jews scattered themselves

abroad, the temple at Jerusalem was razed to the ground and the nation of Israel was utterly destroyed,

-save only the material remains of the western (µwailing¶) wall of their temple and their on-going private

lamentations.

Now, at that time, during the height of the insurrection, Saul of Tarsus of the tribe of Benjamin,

knew exceedingly well all that which preceded him, -being the namesake of the first king of the Jews (not

to mention his family¶s enduring dishonor and shame since his own infancy). As a man, he was a bitter,

disillusioned and a failed Pharisaic student of the famed rabbi Gamaliel. However, he was especially fit

and useful as a hired temple-thug ±seeking and persecuting the descendants of David and all those of the

messianists party with extraordinary zeal wherever he found them.

It was also at the time that ³Jesus Barabbas´ appeared (written in the original Greek Gospel

according or attributed to Matthew (27:17), -but that His name, µJesus¶, was removed or omitted from the

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Latin translation of the same text (around 390 c. e.) and most of the subsequent translations thereafter«

leaving µus¶ latter-day peoples with only µBarabbas¶ instead. It should be noted that µBarabbas¶ is not a

proper name or a surname per se¶ (any more so than is ³Christ´), -it is what He was called. Barabbas is,

rather, an Aramaic appellation, the meaning of which is: Bar = Son + Abba = Father (as in µthe Father of

us all¶ or, µGod¶, if you will).

Standing on the stage of ecclesiastical history¶s most dramatic and celebrated hour, like a potted

plant of poison ivy, Jesus Barabbas appears to have said nothing whatsoever to anybody, nobody said

anything to Him, -nevertheless, although otherwise portrayed as ³a notorious robber, murderer and

insurrectionist´ (without evidence, much less proof), the Jewish multitude clamored for His release. His

µrelease¶, ostensibly due to Pontius Pilate¶s incongruent grace, -invoked a never before or since µcustom¶

of releasing one prisoner to honor the upcoming Passover, -this was accomplished at the same time that

the multitude of Jews demanded the crucifixion of ³Jesus Christ´.

However, despite His ³notoriety´, no secular historian has ever mentioned Him. So much for His

³notoriety´, -this is especially peculiar as it relates to Flavius Josephus (or not), -who otherwise wrote at

great length and in minute detail of much lesser µnotable¶ men and events of µthose days¶.

Where did He come from? Where did He go after He was supposedly µchosen¶ by the Jews to be

released from prison, -while at the same time demanding the crucifixion of ³Jesus Christ´? Why was He

µchosen¶ in particular and, why the apparent sudden µturn of events¶ as it relates to ³Jesus Christ´ -of

whom, only days earlier, thousands of Jews praised µhis¶ expectant arrival?

Does one believe what one sees with one¶s own eyes or what others tell you what to see (and

µbelieve¶)? Have particular manuscripts been written, banned and burned as being heretical -while others

have been written and edited (many times) to fill the void of history and, -therefore, we µknow¶ only what

we are permitted to see and that there is no alternative view of what truly happened« in µthose days¶?

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 Some Jews (obviously not all) had a legitimate reason or motive for making such a decision as

they did regarding the choice between having [Jesus] Barabbas released (to fulfill µa custom¶, -never

before or since exercised) and, having ³Jesus Christ´ crucified (because the chief priests were µenvious¶,

-utilizing the supposedly false Roman criminal charge of µblasphemy¶) to µtheir¶ argument. The Gospels¶,

however, cunningly mislead our attention away from [Jesus] Barabbas -while ‘
offering µa reason¶ or

motive for the µJews¶ choosing Him (to be released -except that it was a µcustom¶ to release on prisoner),

-whereas, the Gospels   offer µthe reason¶ and motive for the µJews¶ demanding the crucifixion of

³Jesus Christ´ i.e., because of the envy of the chief priests.

µBlasphemy¶ is essentially a religious term, -not a matter of Roman law and, µenvy¶ was ‘
µthe

reason¶ for the µJews¶ choice to demand that ³Jesus Christ´ be crucified.

Jesus Barabbas and ³Jesus Christ´ are inexorably and forever intertwined in the cunningly,

cleverly and fraudulently µdocumented¶ µHoly Gospels¶. Later-day µChristians¶ are wont to point-out the

secularly historical µdocuments¶, -particularly those of the turn of the first century Flavius Josephus as

well as supporting µdocuments¶ of the second century Tacitus and, to a lesser degree, Suetonius. Indeed,

Josephus was the first non-ecclesiastical historian to cite ³Jesus Christ´ (he does not mention Jesus

Barabbas). His passage concerning ³Jesus Christ´ was utilized during the Council of Nicaea (325 c. e.) as

µevidence¶ of the historicity of ³Jesus Christ´ -one can only wonder why it took nearly two centuries to

provide this µhistorical evidence¶ or µdocumentation¶« but I digress. I wonder why Josephus failed to

mention, even in passing, Jesus Barabbas.

Purely for edification¶s sake, let us look at the noted reference concerning Josephus¶ ³Jesus

Christ´: (that, ironically, immediately follows his blatantly false: ³«thus the end was put to this

sedition´, - ³Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he

was a doer of wonderful works -a teacher of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over

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to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the

suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the

first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had

foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so

named from him, are not extinct at this day.´

If the above verbatim quote weren¶t foolish enough, it is immediately followed by the blatantly

false assertion: ³« thus the end was put to this sedition´.

I completely and utterly reject the claim that Josephus actually wrote the above µgood news¶

nonsense, -it simply belies the facts of who and what Josephus actually accomplished in his lifetime and

what he actually wrote otherwise. He was a Jewish General who fought against the fanatical µmessianists¶

or µzealots¶ who demanded a theocratic form of government. The µhistorical reference¶ regarding ³Jesus

Christ´ is obviously fraudulent, inserted into the contents of Josephus¶ µhistory¶, by a latter-day

µChristian¶, for the sole purpose of establishing µcredence¶ by historical documentation. Likewise, the

same is true regarding Tacitus and Suetonius. In short and to the point, there is no creditable µhistorical

documentation¶, µevidence¶, much less µproof¶ concerning the mortal or corporal ³Jesus Christ´, -save

only the µHoly Gospels¶.

There is no µwritten proof¶, no µsmoking gun¶, so to speak, of particulars as they may relate to

either Jesus Barabbas and Jesus Christ and the events of µthose days¶ that both men supposedly

participating in. (µHistory¶, is indeed, written by the victors.)

It also µappears¶ that there is no evidence regarding young Saul of personally ever having known

³Jesus Christ´. ³Jesus Christ´ is µknown¶ and written about i.e. µdocumented¶ only as an epiphany« an

apparition or vision, of the µrisen Christ¶. (Saul never referred to ³Jesus Christ´ corporally). Nevertheless,

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I can only suspect that he really  know, and ‘ very well of µthe descendant(s) of David and Jewish

messiah¶, -his life-long nemesis and constant reminder of his present-day failed life and hopeless future

passing in front of him dictates as much. (If I were Saul of Tarsus, given his ancestry and background, I

would have known the supposed ³Jesus Christ´, -wouldn¶t you?)

All of Jewry expected µhim¶, awaited µhim¶, -some with joy in the hearts, -others with dread«

except Saul, -who is seemingly oblivious, -yet ³persecutes µChristians¶ (at a time when there were no

µChristians¶. Human nature and µfamily education¶ and the µtriumphant entrance into Jerusalem only one

week earlier¶ dictates that Saul¶s hatred, resentment, jealousy and envy towards µthe descendant(s) of

David and Jewish messiah¶ was surely known to him.

The actual reality of µthose days¶ is simply this, that, ‘ Jew ever knew, or saw, or even heard of

³Jesus Christ´, -Jesus [Barabbas] was well known to many« including to Pontius Pilate (who knew

exactly what Aramaic appellation µBarabbas¶ meant).

³Christ´ is an anglicized Greek literary term (×ristos), -first written After Saul of Tarsus, -aka

µPaul¶s¶ epiphany of the crucified but risen µdescendant of David and Jewish messiah¶ and converted into

a Greek philosophical notion around no earlier than 40-45 c. e.

Emanuel ×ant once observed, ³«it is not the falsehoods that matter, but the intention behind

it«´

Why, or rather whose µintention¶ was it to the render the Holy Gospels historically inaccurate, its

chronology contradictory, its text confusing, incongruous«?

Although the deafening silence of and by the µChurch¶ during these past two millennia requires

clarification of these issues, alas, I have determined that it will never come, -it cannot come. The modern-

day µChurch¶, having whole-heartedly accepted and vigorously maintains the previous claims of the

viii.
former µChurch¶ and, that she is the sole authority and arbiter of interpreting The Holy Gospels and New

Testaments as being µthe inspired Holy Word of God¶, -not to mention the veneration of Saul of Tarsus

into sainthood, this makes any current correction or clarification impossible.

But, even though is not enough for me to be prompted to pen this literary work, such as it is« for

it was not until I, under the guidance of my mentor, delved into the mystery of such a One as the Lord,

that I have come to my own µepiphany¶ concerning µthose days¶ as well as those things that are relevant

today.

What good might there be to merely declare ³Jesus Christ´ (³if´, in the words of Josephus, ³it be

lawful to call him a man´) as merely a myth and point to another man i.e. ³Jesus Barabbas´ in speculation

instead?

That Jesus Barabbas surely lived and walked among humankind (not only among the Jews

exclusively)« such a One surely lived among humankind before. He has always lived and continues to

walk among humankind, -housed in one body and then another. The unrealized history of man indicates

that µHe¶, under whatever name given to µHim¶ by His material or physical parents, does so even today.

Either He did exist or He didn¶t« either He does exist or He doesn¶t. It matters not one jot that

He did exist if He doesn¶t exist today. Who would seek medical care from Hippocrates for medical

attention today? Who would question Moses in a legal matter? Who would receive wisdom from

Solomon? It is no less absurd to assume deliverance from ignorance and find salvation and grace from the

pages of a book about a past Master or Lord or Guru or Saint of the Highest Order, -call Him whatever

you will).

µTruth is above all, -but true living is higher still.¶ Like a lighted candle He comes in the

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fulfillment of the Law« that all might see. By His grace, He lights other candles, from out of those One

is chosen to carry on in His stead. The Light in another body shines the same as before. It is in life that

we may experience pleasure and pain; it is in love that we may know right and wrong, it is in light (our

daily life) that we may find and experience Him.

ix.
Chapter I

The deep indigo canopy high above, adorned by sparkling far-flung stars beckoning, paled into a

crimson gash on the side of heaven as the coming dawn drew neigh. Nestled among tall pines of

Lugdunum at the confluence of spring¶s swiftly running Rhone and Saone rivers, Roland, rousted from a

dream by the rapping upon his stout oaken door. Aroused also, startled crows clamored nosily from their

slumber as well, -each barking at each other of their displeasure. The casual observer might imagine

nothing note worthy had happened during the darken hours just moments before. Not so mused Roland,

pondering his dream, as he marshaled his senses and staggered toward the ruckus, eyes half closed, -soon

to realize that the hand of fate was indeed busily at work.

³Orders, sir´, announced the indistinguishable messenger in the pale morning light, ³your

presence is required at the office of Pontius Pilate at first opportunity´.

Roland acknowledged receipt of the message with a grunt and brushed pass the man, bounding to

answer nature¶s own pressing message.

Crossing an earnest and highly motivated brown cock on route to his own calling and, strutting up

to the summit of a large rock, Roland heard the fowl bellow out a trumpet-like announcement behind him

as he entered the open-ended latrine, relieving his bladder of its steamy yellow contents through the brisk

morning air.

Not satisfied with the results so far, the cock bellowed a second time. Still no satisfactory results

came.

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 Stretching his skinny neck to its limit, he crowed all the louder a third time« and as if on cue,

slowly, the great golden orb began to make its majestic presence felt over the land, -shining upon the just

and unjust alike in equal measure, -much to the approval and satisfaction of the feathery usher. The cock

hopped down from his rough perch, pecked at the dewy ground here and there and strutted proudly

around the yard, -looking, no doubt, for other duties to perform.

Roland smiled and couldn¶t help but wonder« -did that cock really think that because of his

crowing, Sol came?

Returning to his quarters for his toiletries in preparation for the days events, -the cackling crows,

as if in union, dived into the crisp morning air and flew out of sight. Roland began wondering what Pilate

might want of him.

Things worthy of note did happened during the night, at least for this Roman soldier, -it was after

all, noon elsewhere« in a land far away, not only in his dreams but also in his destiny.

Roland, a native of Gaul by design and planning by his parents, a Roman military officer by

profession, -a dreamer by temperament and fate, he did as he wont, -much to the chagrin of his father, a

wealthy Greek shipping owner named Markos and to the dismay of his adoring Jewish mother named

Aliya. By design and planning, I mean to say that it was planned that he be born in Lugdunum, -away

from Judea and the home of his mother¶s birth and upbringing. Lugdunum, Rome¶s second capitol of

sorts, served as a favorite summer vacationing city among the elite« outside the prying eyes and ears of

Rome itself, a place where the wealthy and aspiring wealthy came to conduct business at one¶s leisure,

comfort, and perhaps more importantly, in secret. The move to Lugdunum, prompted initially by his

mother -out of fear of things yet to come in her Jewish homeland She was not a particularly µgifted¶

woman, but she could see the handwriting on the wall, so to speak. The events surrounding Judas the

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Galilean¶s entry into Jerusalem riding on an ass, caused renewed hope for the fanatical and lunatic

religious zealots -who had been marginalized since the days of Rehoboam centuries earlier. Markos, a

practical man, saw a golden opportunity to use his off-spring to further his shipping interests, -it was a

µplan¶ made in heaven. Markos was merely disappointed at Roland¶s desire to enter into military service, -

his mother was exceedingly horrified at the idea. For Roland, neither the love of money nor political gain

and influence were suitable aims or goals in the pursuit of his desire to fulfill of his yet defined goal.

Educated in the Torah, because of his mother¶s insistence, he came to be µmoved¶ by such µteachings¶ -

but not entirely. He knew not what or where or how certain matters remained a mystery and only that that

he suffered a yearning to know µthe whole truth¶ for himself. Military life suited his immediate, clear and

simple purpose and, perhaps more importantly, afforded him the cover and opportunity for his ultimate

goal, undefined as it was. All he had to do was kill the enemies of Rome and stay alive, -the rest would

come of its own accord and life¶s own good time.

Washed and shaven, Roland headed to his appointment.

* * *

The palatial office of Pontius Pilate was clean and orderly, finely woven silk drapes from Cathy,

graced large windows that would rival those at Rome. Already seated, Pilate rose when Roland entered

the room.

³Roland, my good man.´, µGlad to see you, how are you and your family´?

³They are good, your Excellency, -Markos sends his regards and Aliya is in good spirits.

3.
 Pilate came around from his desk and placed his arm around Roland.

³You must be wondering why I sent for you´, Pilate opened« looking deeply into Roland¶s dark

eyes set in a ruggedly carved that were surrounded by thick black brows and handsomely carved rugged

face.

Roland said nothing, even though he did wonder. He was very good at extracting information, -

without effort on his part, he simply waited for more, -always allowing the speaker the last word.

Pilate cleared his throat nervously, but maintained his embrace.³You are perfectly suited for an

assignment I have in mind.´ Pilate offered, breaking the awkward silence. Pilate raced through a dozen

ways of formulating his next remarks«

³I have been offered the governorship« of Judea´, preceded Pilate.

³I have requested of Augustus that I might assemble a cadre of trustful and capable advisers prior to my

decision. You are well suited to be a member of my staff, I am asking you to join me in my new

assignment at Judea. I need knowledgeable people who know the people of Judea that I can trust. As I

said, you are perfectly suited for this assignment, you may even name your own terms´.

Upon hearing of this unexpected opportunity to live in Judea, Roland experienced a sudden

epiphany« a vision of a bearded man dressed in a white robe bounded by a blue sash,

smiling« a suspicion of revelations to come« the very answer to the question as to who held the truth he

sought« and the means to that knowledge.

Mused Roland, contemplating the ethereal stains of celestial harmonies heard in awe and wonder

only hours before, -whence it came or went, but never why or even who or what was responsible for its

4.
melodious enchantment that seemed like an invitation to higher regions, unseen by the naked eye, but

somehow out of reach. This almost nightly phenomena gave the young officer a sense of calm urgency to

love¶s calling, -for surely love was at the core of this unasked-for heavenly gift of µdivine intervention¶ or

experience into his otherwise mundane life, -save the excitement of an occasional battle. Did not this

warrior secretly yearn for answers not gained by the might of sword, or speech or quill, -as surely beckons

all souls sooner or later. Lost in thought, he was brought back to his present circumstances«

³Are you alright Roland, I seem to have lost for a minute´, quipped Pilate.

³I¶m fine and, yes I am honored to serve you in your new position. Judea is a welcomed change

and challenge´, returned Roland.

³Good. It is settled then, -but please know that Judea may not be as it was during your playful

childhood days, -much turmoil has ensued since Judas the Galilean has called for an insurrection to

overthrow the Herodian regime.

* * *
?