Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 184
three persons mentioned are probably God, Mary and the son of Mary. Gnostic and Apocryphal literature is almost like a heap of pitchblend, all brown to black sand containing particles of radium waiting for a Madame Curie to sift. (iv) In ancient Cairo there was a synagogue. This was really a church which the Jews transformed into Geniza in 882 A. D. In 1890 when books buried underground at this spot were dug up, about two hundred thousand pages of ancient writings in Hebrew came to light. A book of unusual significance was also identified. This is called the Zadokite document (The Damascus Rule). It contains an account of a Teacher of Righteousness to guide them in the way of his heart. This Teacher is said to have fled from Jerusalem to Damascus. Some scholars think that this Teacher is Jesus Christ. The Zadokite document throws further light on the presence of Jesus in Damascus. Fragments of this book were also found in the valley of Qumran. All this evidence dates from the first century A. D. Its importance and its historical significance is obvious. (v) The Odes of Solomon consists of 42 Syriac Odes of Christians of the first century. In 1908 James Rendel Harris, famous Syriac scholar, was able to locate this forgotten treasure. What he found was a sixteenth century manuscript. ² Some Odes included in this manuscript are put in the mouth of Jesus Christ who addresses the world in these words: 2 They who saw me marvelled at me, because I was persecuted, and they supposed that I was swallowed up: for I seemed to them as one of the lost. The Lost Books of the Bible (the World Publishing Company, New York, 1944. Second Part “Forgotten Books of Eden”. “The Odes of Solomon" (p. 120-140) 176