Author Introduction

I won’t be the first person to recognize that Christianity owes much of its structure and myth to legends, stretching centuries before the prophet Jesus Christ arrived on the Earth. Charles-François Dupuis scandalized his name in the late 18th century by claiming that Christ was a myth, an amalgam of various ancient myths, even going so far to claim that Jesus didn’t exist. The Fall of Man was logically explained as the movement of constellations, the equinox waxing and waning. There is certainly much to back up such a thought, for it is possible to map out Christ’s story with up to thirty different religious myths from Mithras to Horus to name the more well known. All involve birth on the 25^th December from a virgin, the three kings, twelve disciples, crucifixion, burial for three days and resurrection thereafter.

Of course, can we in any sanity dispute Jesus Christ’s existence, for isn’t it written so in the bible? How can so many people have got it so wrong? When I grew up, I assumed that the gospels were written by persons accompanying Jesus. I assumed them to be reporters that hung upon his every word, going home that evening to write it all down. It came therefore as a shock to find out that the first bible was not written in Aramatheic, but rather in Koptic. Would an illiterate fisherman of the Galilean Sea be learned enough to write down his teachings. It’s unlikely and given that our first bible was compiled nearly three hundred years after Jesus’s death, one can only assume that accuracy was not a primary concern. The truth is that Christianity evolved through Roman politics and  owed much influence to Pagan culture. It is always possible that Jesus did not exist.

Then again does it matter if Jesus existed or not. Maybe he was a clever man, the politician of his time. I personally don't believe it matters. The message was what counted and this was Matthew's view in the book. 'Love thy neighbour!' and 'the Meek shall inherit' these were new messages that contradicted the old faiths where power was everything. When Matthew encounters Lukas we see this conflict in ideology and it is fogiving that prevails, albeit in poverty. 

Matthew explores this possibility that his faith is a fake, an idea introduced in a time of vulnerability by his friend Lukas who lived the SS philosophy. Himmler was a committed Pagan and scorned Christianity. Though his views were not shared by all, he was allowed to promote this belief within the SS organization and convert young men such as Lukas. Having lost all including his lover Judith, Matthew played with his faith and even exposes his grandson Jeremy to a distorted belief. At the same time Matthew is committed to his church, even in the knowledge of its Pagan influence. He clings to the message rather than the icon. Judge for yourself how you would react!