The Tomb of Jesus — Page 53
53. Oldenberg mentions the prophecy thus: “On the occasion of a prophecy regarding Metteyya, the next Buddha, who will in the far future appear upon the earth, it is said, 'He will be the leader of a band of disciples numbering hundreds of thousands, as I am now the leader of bands of ,,,14 disciples numbering hundreds. Still another authority records the prophecy in these words: "The general expectation of the birth of a great prophet, Redeemer or Savior, which is alluded to even by Tacitus, as prevailing at the period when the founder of the Christian religion appeared, was, there can be no doubt, of Buddhist origin, and not at all confined to the Jews or based only on the prophecies of their scriptures. ' ,,15 16. As is clear from the authorities referred to above, the name of the coming prophet is. Metteyya. Max Muller states that the English T or. Th gives the sound of S in Arabic and Persian. . Hence the word Metteyya is no other than the word Messiah. H. T. Princep remarks: "Gautama declares himself to be the twenty-fifth Booddh, and says, 'Bagwa Metteyya is yet to come. ' The 14 Oldenberg, Buddha, p. 142. Henry T. Princep, Tibet, Tartary and Mongolia, p. 171. 15 16. Sacred Books of the East, vol XI, p. 318.