Jesus Christ, Sun of God: Ancient Cosmology and Early Christian Symbolism

by David Fideler

Book Overview

The early Christian Gnosis did not spring up in isolation, but drew upon earlier sources. In this book, many of these sources are revealed for the first time. Special emphasis is placed on the Hellenistic doctrine of the "Solar Logos" and the early Christian symbolism which depicted Christ as the Spiritual Sun, the illumination source of order, harmony, and spiritual insight. Based on 15 years of research, this is a unique book which throws a penetrating...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0835606961
• ISBN13: 9780835606967
• Release Date: October 1993
• Publisher: Quest Books (IL)
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An extremely important book

I cannot stop recommending this book to those who are truly interested in the origins of Christianity. David Fideler's book provides solid proof that Christianity is as much of a Greek religion as it is a Hebrew religion. Rather than the common view that Christianity was pure and Hermetically sealed from outside "pagan" influences, exactly the opposite turns out to be true: that Christianity was pagan from the very beginning, that Christianity was a retelling of "pagan" Mystery Teachings, such as the doctrine of the Logos, as taught by Heraclitis, Plato, and others. This is one of those rare books that is so condensed with useful information that every page seems to make you say, "Wow!" And the content has such a depth that the more times you read through the book, the more you get out of it. Hopefully this book will inspire more study along these lines, and certainly Fideler's book should be considered a classic amongst its field. I wish more people in mainstream Christianity had an open enough mind to allow themselves to read such books.

One of the best books I've read in a long time.

It has become plainly obvious from the Christian commentary above that they do not like "secular scholars" revealing that Christian philosophy and theology is mostly built on Pagan ideas. The fact is that the above reviewers obviously missed the point of this book. Fideler spends the first half of the book demonstrating that there is a deeply evolved amount of symbolism in the texts of the N.T. that started 500 years (give or take) before Christ's time (and likely farther back than that). Symbolism that is communicated in numerical metaphors, imagery, harmonics and in poetry and myth that express higher (ineffable?) concepts. With a fuller understanding of Logos, we understand why the "Word" is an inadequate translation and reinforces Plato's own observations on the problem with language. With Clement's symbols of the Dove and the New Song we see how old concepts such as Gematria became "modernized" under the Hellenistic church fathers - expressing new ideas in an ancient way.One could take many things away from this book: a new appreciation for those Pagan philosophers the Catholic Church is not fond of, an appreciation for the similarities between scientific and mystical thought, or an understanding of the problems associated in literal interpretation of religious works. Fideler covers many things in this book - the only fault I find was that it wasn't twice as long!

Very eye opening book

This is a great book. The author does a great job of showing how religions (specifically christianity)don't just pop into existence. He shows how christianity was so successful because of its similiarities to other religious systems. As a christian I really enjoyed the book. It really opened my eyes and helps me to better understand my religion and the Bible. A great buy. Highly reccomended!!!

A solid introduction to the Pagan-Christian connection.

Good first book on the Pagan-Christian connection by an interested a-religionist. A solid general introduction to the pagan sources of Christian ideas, followed by a detailed analysis of ancient Pagan-Christian numerology. Highly recommended.

Reveals the cosmic principles behind Christianity

Science overlooks the fact that there is a non-material harmony behind visible reality.The pre-Christian world knew of this harmony.This book shows for the first time in the modern era how the ancient understanding of the Logos underlies the names and attributes of Apollo and Hermes, the Greek god of music, harmony and geometry.This mathematical symbolism originated in the Pythagorean and Orphic schools, which maintained that the nature of the gods- or the first principles of creation- is defined by Number.Fideler shows how Number and celestial archetypes, derived from these earlier sources,are used in Christianity.For example, the number of "Jesus" is 888, which signifies the Spiritual Sun.888 also equals Olen, the founder of Apollo's oracle.It is also the string ratio of the Pythagorean whole tone.This book throws new light on the origins and symbolism of Christianity.It is also a mine of information on sacred geometry and principles of cosmic harmony.It is a fascinating book that bridges the gap between religion and science.