Apollonius and Jesus
Debate Resolved by Restoration
April 12, 2000
by Lynn Ridenhour
Stephen, it just dawned on me-we agree on certain matters.
For example, I believe there was a historical figure named Apollonius of
Tyana who was contemporary with Jesus Christ. He was known as the great
Pythagorean philosopher who did indeed perform many miracles, taught with
great wisdom, and traveled extensively. He was also a vegetarian. And was
perhaps the man Paul, the apostle, makes reference to In I Corinthians 1:12:
".Now this I say, that every one of you saith I am of Paul, and I of
Apollos [Apollonius?], and I of Clephas, and I of Christ." Luke makes
mention of the same man: ".And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at
Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures." (Acts 18:24).
Point number one: we agree on the man. He did exist during the times of
Christ and was an eloquent philosopher.
Point number two: we agree that the scriptures have been tampered with.
Truly, by the time the King James Version, 1611, arrived, entire passages had
been changed. Actually, we agree-scriptures had been changed by the third
& fourth centuries during the time of Constantine.
Point number three: we agree that by the third & fourth centuries
Christianity was not Christianity. That is, it had mutated into something
else. I call it "Christendom" branching out like a mutated tree
(Matt.13:32).
And point number four: we even agree upon Jesus Christ-to some extent. By
the fourth century we had lost track of the Jewish Jesus (the real Jesus) and
substituted a Gentile Jesus. Today, when people "believe in Jesus,"
more times than not He's a fabrication that looks part Italian, part
Caucasian, and part European. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt-THAT
Jesus is Roman Catholic.
What I'm saying is-I believe, from reading what little you have written,
that you have the right premise but wrong conclusion. Points one through four
are your premise. And I believe a correct premise. Your conclusion, however
goes something like-because of points one through four-Jesus Christ was a
mythical character fabricated by fourth century Catholics. That's wrong,
Stephen. Points one through four do not automatically lead to point five.
Let's look at another scenario. Suppose the historical accuracy of
scripture was tampered with soon after the death of Christ. (I'm certain it
was.) Suppose the early church did mutate into an ugly hybrid. And suppose the
Jewish Jesus did fade away. Where does that leave us? I don't believe our
choices are: either Christ or Appollo. There are other options. What about, to
borrow from my hero, Hugh Nibley.
Rhetoric Replaces Revelation: Shortly after Christ's death and
resurrection, all hell broke loose. Prophets and philosophers try to mingle.
Prophets and gnostics go head to head. Prophets and mystics tangle. Prophets
and Essences mingle. Prophets and reformers meet. Prophets and scholars butt
heads. Jerusalem and Alexandria try to merge and fail miserably. During the
second century the church tried to "paganize" Christianity and
"christianize" paganism. It's like oil and water. The two don't mix.
Never have. Never will.
The same goes for rhetoric and revelation. There is no substitute for the
voice of prophecy. Or the voice of a living Prophet, the Living Word. My
anchor is in the Living Word.
The above statement is why I absolutely love Mormonism. Joseph Smith
discovered, restored, and had a revelation of God & Jesus Christ. Why is
that so important!? I'm not dependent upon scholars, mistics, gnostics,
historians, polemics, reformers, tampered-with scriptures, or philosophy to
pave the way. I know that God lives, I know that Jesus is the Son of God, for
the voice of prophecy has spoken. It's the Living Word. My anchor holds.
Let's summarize:
Premise: scripture has been tampered with. Early Christianity mutated into
the Roman Catholic Church. A Gentile Christ came forth. Revelation ceased for
centuries; heaven was silent. All correct.
Conclusion: Joseph Smith restored the ancient church. Joseph Smith &
early Christianity go together. Joseph had a revelation of the Jewish Christ.
The "Mormon Jesus" is not today's Jesus among the churches. As a
result, the doctrine of God and the nature of Man has been gloriously revealed
in these endtimes. A restoration of ancient Christian teachings lost from the
churches of the so-called "mainstream" have been reclaimed. And
that's worth rejoicing over.
That's another scenario. A very possible scenario.
