Aquarian Gospel, False Criticism

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SACRED ETERNAL LIFE FELLOWSHIP

“of the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

S.E.L.F. Publishing™ Division

Presents

False Criticism of the Aquarian Gospel

An essay byRev. Dr. Ray C. Pasold

Including a short article byMichael F. O’Keeffe.

Copyright © 2006 Sacred Eternal Life Fellowship

Discussed are five issues, Edgar Cayce, real Gospels, and the Persepolis issue.

One critic asserted five issues about mistakes in the Aquarian Gospel:

“That it is a fantasy of no historical value is very obvious. It is full of mistakes which demonstrate that the author is not even very knowledgeable in the basics of ancient history. Already in the first verse, the author confuses Herod the Great with Herod Antipas [1]. Other persons appear with strange names which look like reading errors, e.g. the Egyptian priest Matheno, whose name resembles Manetho (lived 200 BC) [2] and the wise chinaman Meng-ste who should probably be Meng-tse (lived 300 BC) [3]. In chapter 28 Jesus visits "the three magi" – but the NT does not say they were three, this is a much later tradition [4]. Jesus is said to visit the city of Lahore, which was not built until 600 AD [5].”

[1] See the short article below by Michael F. O’Keeffe.[2] Matheno may resemble Manetho, but they are not the same person![3] Meng-ste is not Meng-tse. Also, see the short article below by Michael O’Keeffe.[4] The NT is silent on how many there were but does state that three gifts were given by them.Each would give his own gift; therefore the much later “tradition” is based upon the truth.[5] Lahore is undoubtedly ancient. Legend had it that Loh, son of Rama, the hero of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, founded it. That epic is ancient. On the Web Site for the Lahore city government of Pakistan is this -


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Old Names Of Lahore

Laha-warLaha-noorLoh-purMahmood-pur Labokla Samandpal Nagiri Lohar-pur

Time Line of Lahore

1000 BC Foundation of Lahore by Prince Loh, Son of Rama Chandra 630 AD A Great Brahman City according to Hieun Tsang

In addition, it goes on, but nothing further need be added to prove that the writer of this criticism is not as knowledgeable about Lahore as he sounds.

I now present the article by Michael F. O’Keeffe.


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Regarding The Authenticity of The Aquarian Gospel

A short article by Michael F. O’Keeffe

Some articles have been published, which call into question the authenticity of The Aquarian Gospel. These articles cite three instances of contention. One of the arguments claims that Levi, the transcriber, made a mistake by misidentifying the ancient rulers known as Herod [1]. The second criticism is that the Akashic records, as transcribed by Levi, are not in agreement with Edgar Cayce’s description of these same sacred records. And the third criticism claims that Jesus could not have known Meng-tse of Lassa, Tibet, since Meng-tse lived 300 years before Jesus’ time [3].

(1) First, let’s address the “Herod issue.” [1]

Historians have often gotten the Herods confused, with good justification, for there were at least seven, and two of them were known as Herod Antipas.

The Herods were all of the same family. They were Jewish in faith, but their ancestry was Indumean and Arabian. Roman authorities appointed them as rulers over lands in the Middle East. The patriarch of the Herodian dynasty, Antipater II, ruled an area that included Palestine, which consisted of three provinces - Judea, Samaria and Galilee (and regions to the north). He died in 43 BC.

Antipater’s son, Herod Antipas, succeeded him, and he was known as a great builder, and under his authority, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was begun. Thus, he became known as “Herod The Great.” Near the end of his reign, Jesus was born, and by his order, the infant boys of Bethlehem were slain.

Herod The Great died shortly after the slaughter in Bethlehem, and after his death, his kingdom was divided among three of his sons. One of them, Herod Archelaus, became governor of Judea, but approximately nine years later he was deposed by Rome for excessive cruelty. (A man from outside the dynasty, Gratus, who ruled for about eleven years, replaced him, and Pontius Pilate, also from outside the dynasty, succeeded him.)

Archelaus’ brother ruled Galilee and Paraca (Perea), and he, like his father, was known as Herod Antipas. His palace was in the city of Tiberius, upon the shores of the Sea of Galilee, however he had other residences available to him, including one in Jerusalem. In a drunken state, during a festive celebration in the fortress at Machaerus, he ordered the beheading of John the Baptist, and more than a year later, he was residing in Jerusalem on the morning Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified.

A third brother, Herod Philip, became ruler (Tetrarch) of northern Palestine - Iturea, Gaulanitis, and Trachonitis. He was the fifth ruler in the dynasty. Philip’s nephew, Agrippa (grandson of Herod the Great), eventually assumed rule over northern regions of Palestine, including Galilee and Paraca, and later his rule extended to Judea and Samaria. Historians have referred to him as Herod Agrippa I.


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Agrippa’s younger brother ruled a region of Lebanon and he was known as Herod of Chalcis. Agrippa’s son, Herod Agrippa II, became the eighth ruler in the dynasty (and at least the seventh to bear the name, Herod). He did not immediately succeed his father, but eventually he became ruler of both Chalcis and northern Palestine.

This resolves the criticism of Levi’s description of “The Herods.” Levi was not confused. However, some critics of the Aquarian Gospel have been.

(2) Second issue: Levi’s account of the Akashic Records vs. Edgar Cayce’s account.

Edgar Cayce was a very talented man, and, among other things, he was able to access the Akashic Records, but his ability to visit this mystic recording of human history was limited. One who visits these records must learn to tune his mind to the frequencies of etheric energy waves from the past. Edgar Cayce’s ability to tune was not perfected, as Levi’s was.

Edgar was able to “fan through” a few pages of the sacred, mystic records of World History, but he was not strong enough to view specific events clearly and precisely, whereas Levi was strong enough to open The Book; and he could “turn pages” at will. His transcription is “the little book,” and it is commonly known as “The Aquarian Gospel.”

Levi was able to remain in a state of meditation for several days at a time. Only a person who can achieve this level of self-control (and strength of will) is strong enough to perfectly tune his mind to the frequencies of past events, enabling him to view the past, as if happening “here and now.”

Levi could replay an incident during meditation (as many times as necessary) to accomplish a perfect description and transcription of historical events. This is how Levi transcribed the Akashic Records (the book of God’s Remembrance). Whereas, Edgar Cayce, not nearly as strong as Levi, viewed the past as if peering through a fog, somewhat like listening to a radio which is receiving two or three stations simultaneously.

The “Edgar Cayce issue” is resolved.

(3) Third, the “Meng-tse issue.”* [3]

Consider this: James Madison was elected President of the United States in 1808, and less than 200 years have elapsed. Yet, a significant number of James Madisons have resided in North America since then. Likewise, Meng-tse, who was a friend of Jesus in Lassa, Tibet, is obviously not the same Meng-tse of Chinese historical records (unless there is a calendar discrepancy of nearly 300 years, which seems unlikely).

“Meng-tse issue” resolved. *(Note: The Aquarian Gospel spells Meng-tse as “Meng-ste.”)

End of article by Michael F. O’Keeffe.


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The writer critic who brought up the first five issues, further asserted the following:

“The Aquarian Gospel differs from most other bible imitations in one important respect: Dowling believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as the real gospels tell, and he lets the risen show himself not only to the disciples but also to the Prince of Orissa and the magi in Persepolis. (That this city was permanently destroyed in 330 BC seems to have escaped him.)”

Note the critic’s remark about the “real gospels.” Apparently, he refers to the four gospels of the New Testament as approved by the orthodox Christian churches, and not the many others found at Nag Hammadi and elsewhere. (The 52 ancient texts discovered in Nag Hammadi, Egypt include “secret” gospels, poems, and texts attributing to Jesus sayings and beliefs that are different from the New Testament gospels.)

Research proves that Persepolis continued after the burning of the castle into the third century A.D. Please note the italics and underline added by me to the excerpt from this article.

“Persepolis was destroyed slightly less than two centuries after it was begun. Alexander of Macedonia plundered Persepolis and then set fire to it in 330 BC. According to Greek biographer Plutarch, he needed 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels to carry away the treasure looted from Persepolis. In 316 BC Persepolis was still the capital of Persis as a province of the Macedonian empire. The city gradually declined in the Seleucid* period and after, its ruins attesting its ancient glory. In the 3rd century AD the nearby city of Istakhr became the centre of the Sassanian empire.”

*Seleucus was the Macedonian general who accompanied Alexander the Great into Asia and founded a line of kings who reigned in Asia Minor until 65 BC. This is the Seleucid period.

The Persepolis issue is resolved.

It appears these critics did not do proper research. Detractors abound, but apparently, they can’t find any real (versus imagined) historical fault with this book. However, this book is meant for Spiritual growth and awakening, not for a history lesson, even though the history has been verified.

Rev. Dr. Ray Pasold

The author thanks Michael F. O’Keeffe for his diligent research and contribution to this essay, without which it could not have been written.

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Published by the S.E.L.F. Publishing™ Division of the Sacred Eternal Life Fellowship

Revised Edition 5, dated September 20, 2006

Copyright © 2006 Sacred Eternal Life Fellowship

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Aquarian Gospel, False Criticism