The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light [Hardcover]

Harpur, a former Anglican priest and professor of Greek and New Testament at the University of Toronto, delves into the foundations of the Christian faith, questioning the historicity of the Bible, reinterpreting the familiar stories and restoring what he considers the inner meaning of scriptural texts. "Taken literally, they present a world of abnormal events totally unrelated to people's authentic living today." He documents the many traditions that predate Christianity and parallel the familiar Bible story. He sees Christianity, and the Bible itself, as a rehash of these traditions, merely imitative rather than a record of actual, historical events. He goes so far as to question the existence of the historical Jesus. Harpur believes that the early church establishment, through deliberate acts of suppression and the destruction of books that might challenge the orthodox view (most famously in the Alexandrian Library), shaped a rigid institution unable to cope with an evolving world. He insists that a major change must take place in order for Christianity to survive. His solution is termed "Cosmic Christianity"—a radical reinterpretation not just of the Bible but of the nature of the Christian faith and its links to the world's great spiritual traditions. Harpur's arguments, themselves a rehash of earlier scholarship, are unlikely to convince readers who are not already inclined to his views. (Mar. 27)
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Read this book... to enrich your personal quest for truth in order to break through previously unchallenged boundaries of religious insularity and exclusivism... challenges complacency and new vistas of insight to the serious thinker. (The Toronto Star )

Provocative? You bet! Harpur's book is guaranteed to antagonize conservative belief in the Bible as God's literal word, but ecumenical enthusiasts will delight in its message. (Shared Vision )

"...full of convincing research on the parallels between Christianity and ancient religions and philosophies." (Canadian Press )

"'The Pagan Christ'...challenges complacency and opens new vistas of insight to the serious thinker." (Toronto Star )

"...a thoroughly compelling book...[Harpur] describes and shares his intellectual journey extremely powerfully." (Globe and Mail )

In sharing his personal exploration of spirituality, Tom Harpur has guided thousands of readers on subjects as controversial as the true nature of Christ and life after death. In "The Pagan Christ", his most radical and groundbreaking work to date, Harpur digs deep into the origins of Christianity.What he has discovered will change the way we think about religion. Long before the advent of Christ, the Egyptians and other peoples believed in the coming of the messiah, a madonna and her child, a virgin birth, and the incarnation of the spirit in flesh. The early Christian church accepted these ancient truths as the very tenets of Christianity, but disavowed their origins. What began as a universal belief system based on myth and allegory became instead a ritualistic institution headed by ultraconservative literalists. As he reconsiders a lifetime of worship and study, Harpur reveals a cosmic faith based on ancient truths that the modern church has renounced. His message his clear: our blind faith in literalism is killing Christianity. Only with a return to an inclusive religion where Christ lives within each of us will we gain a true understanding of who we are and who we are intended to become.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Tom Harpur, columnist for the Toronto Star, Rhodes scholar, former Anglican priest, and professor of Greek and the New Testament, is an internationally renowned writer on religious and ethical issues. He is the author of ten bestselling books, including For Christ’s Sake and The Pagan Christ. He has hosted numerous radio and television programs, including “Life After Death,” a ten-part series based on his bestselling book of the same name.