Jesus In India — Page 43
CHAPTER ONE 33 indeed necessary for mortal bodies in this world, and their lack could prove fatal. Hence, there is no doubt that Jesus, the Messiah, did not die on the cross, and did not acquire a new spiritual body: rather, he was in a state of swoon which resembled death. And it so happened, by God Almighty's Grace, that the tomb in which he was placed was not like the tombs we have in this country; but rather it was a large and ventilated room with an opening. It was a custom with the Jews in those days to build large sepulchres with an access; they were kept ready in advance and when someone died, his body was placed therein. We find a clear testimony of this in the Gospels. Luke contains this statement: Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they (that is to say, the women) came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre (ponder a little at this point). And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 24:2-3)¹ Consider for a moment the words, 'they entered in. Obviously, a human being can only enter a tomb which is like a room and has an opening. I shall state at its proper place in this book that the tomb of Jesus, may peace be on him, which has recently been discovered in Srinagar, Kashmir, also has an opening just like this 1. This seems to be a misprint in the first edition. The correct reference is Luke 24:1-3. [Publisher]