Where Did Jesus Die? — Page xxviii
? xxviii composition concerning the trial and death of four differ- ent persons, an insurgent general, a robber, somebody else, (I am quoting from memory as my notes are stored away) and travelling Teacher. It happened that all had the name Joshua. This resulted in a confusion by the later chroniclers and mixed up the trials and death of these persons and made one story out of it. Actually the Master Jesus lived to a ripe old age and travelled to other lands. But, said the Guide, this did not detract anything from the greatness of a very lovable mas- ter whom he eulogised with a considerable amount of affection and respect. My own concluding remarks are that the ‘Saviour of the Cross’ story is pure fabrication by ecclesiastical writ- ers of the 5th to 6th and 7th centuries; and the people of those days were quite indignant when they were asked to wear crucifixes with the body of the master on them and strongly repudiated this idea. But the clergy insisted, as the whole make up, i. e. , creating fear, pity, and awe, suited their purpose. The world has thus been saddled with orthodoxy’s high spot of gloom called ‘Good Friday’, and the story of a Saviour, who—through his death—is supposed to have taken on his shoulders the sins of all believing Christians, all oth- ers, of course not being ‘saved’, would slip straight down to Hell.