We have now determined that the SUN TABLOID claim that Jesus did not die on the cross is apparently TRUE, but the claim he was never on the cross is FALSE!

Now we will deal with the "Pilate hoaxed us all for money" theory.

In the SUN TABLOID article, a supposed new author says that he has found records of a payment of about $30,000 in today's money into Pontius Pilate's personal account while Pilate was authorizing $750 to be paid to a "Cyrenian traveler". ..His assumption is that Pilate was paid a bribe to set Jesus free, and crucified Simon the Cyrenian instead.... And that Simon was then set free, and paid the $750 for "pain and suffering." Piswell then assumes that Jesus was indeed stabbed in the side by a Roman soldier, not by design, but because of mistaken identity.

So Jesus died of a tragic accident, not a person voluntarily dying for his friends, and for the Christians who would follow!

Unlike Hugh Sbonfield's scenero, which leaves intact the necessary elements that the Christian Church under the direction of the Apostle Paul used to make Jesus' death the equivalent of a Sacrificial Lamb, this theory is now presented that makes Christ's death an accident, and a part of a HOAX perpetuated by Pontius Pilate to earn a bribe while seeming to be executing criminals according to Roman law... The Muslims may like it because it shows a crafty Jesus that agrees with the picture they have painted since the days of Mohammed, but will deny the part about Jesus dying after being stabbed with a spear. ..And the Jews may like it because it absolves them of any responsibility for Christ's crucifixion. ...But once again, the "Gospel Pesher" and the plain text of the Bible, and the statement of Josephus show this second theory to be at least partly false. ...I must say "partly" because Pilate did accept a bribe, and did some of what is claimed, but Jesus himself was not the beneficiary of this bribery deal, nor the so-called "HOAX"!

It was the man called Barabbas in the Gospel stories of the crucifixion that received the benefit of the bribe paid to Pontius Pilate... Pilate was asked by the Essenes to "was his hands" because it was illegal for the Essenes to give so much money to a non-member. .."Baptism" of Pilate's hands, with the proper words said during this ceremony, would take care of this problem... And for perhaps $30,000 in tax-free money, 'Why not?'.

Pilate was willing to take another bribe to free Jesus, but Jesus and the Essenes had already agreed that Jesus would indeed go through a crucifixion, but hopefully not die... So it is true that the Jewish leaders insisted on Christ's crucifixion over the protests of a Pontius Pilate willing to set him free! ......The plain meaning of both the "Gospel Pesher", and the plain text of the Bible, and Josephus' later historical record of what happened!

. Jesus did appear to die on the cross, not to placate an angry God, but to support Paul's later "Gospel". By choice agreeing to this torture, and risking an almost certain death. But he also trusted his "Heavenly Father" and fellow Essenes to see to it he was resuscitated.

ANTIQUITIES Book 18:(63) Flavius Josephus

"Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works - a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. ..He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. ...He was [the] Christ; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principle men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day."

Finally, on the LAST PAGE of this series of pages about the TRUE HISTORY of Christ's crucifixion, we will deal with the claim that Simon of Cyrene was crucified, and then freed. SIMON of CYRENE