Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156244 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Synopsis
In Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion author Ahmed Osman, contends that there is a suppressed history of Christianity that can be traced back to ancient Egypt. He compares the chronology of the Old Testament and its factual content with ancient Egyptian records to show that the major characters of the Hebrew Scriptures - including Solomon, David, Moses and Joshua - are based on Egyptian historical figures. He further suggests that not only were these personalities and the stories associated with them cultivated on the banks of the Nile, but the major tenets of Christian belief - the One God, the Trinity, the hierarchy of heaven, life after death and the virgin birth - are all Egyptian in origin. He likewise provides a convincing argument that Jesus himself came out of Egypt. With the help of modern archaeological findings, Osman shows that Christianity survived as an Egyptian mystery cult until the fourth century A.D., when the Romans embarked on a mission of suppression and persecution. In A.D.

391 the Roman-appointed Bishop Theophilus led a mob into the Serapeum quarter of Alexandria and burned the Alexandrian library, destroying all records of the true Egyptian roots of Christianity. The Romans' version of Christianity, manufactured to maintain political power, claimed that Christianity originated in Judaea. In Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion Osman restores Egypt to its rightful place in the history of Christianity.

Customer Reviews

An utterly compelling read - outstanding scholarly work
What if we find out that ... circumcision was an ancient Egyptian custom: Baptism was an ancient Egyptian rite, as well as the Unction of the King; the word "Messiah" is an original Egyptian word; 'Mary' means 'the beloved' in the ancient Egyptian language; the Ten Commandments were stated much earlier in the Egyptian Book of The Dead; or that the resurrection of Osiris took place three days after his death? An absolutely compelling read, and essential to anyone who wants to study the origins of Christianity without superfluous fairy-tale explanations and beyond pure speculation. The author unravels a biblical cover-up by the biblical editors in Babylon that has hindered our understanding of the biblical accounts for a long time. Osman also discusses the atmosphere in Alexandria in the third century BCE and shows that thence sprung the first 'Christian' movements, the Therapeutae and Gnostics. He also points out numerous contradictions in the Gospel accounts that, together with his analysis of Talmudic and Coranic sources, destroy the Church-advocated myth of Jesus completely. Paradoxically, the first Church fathers (and Bible translations up to the 16th century) identified Jesus with Joshua; Osman clarifies this connection superbly, based on the biblical evidence. His conclusions are not dissimilar to those of other scholars, but his systematic analysis of the history of Egypt from the centuries 15 to 14 BCE and biblical correspondences bring a new light to this field.

I have enjoyed this book greatly, and would recommend it to anyone who really wishes to understand the phenomenon of Christianity, its context and its true ancient roots.

Pure Rubbish
The author (who appears to have no qualifications and training in Biblical studies and is a lawyer by profession) argues that David was actually the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutmosis III (who ruled from 1490-1436 BC) who had married Abraham's wife (Sarah) for a brief period. Solomon (who really was Pharaoh Amenhotep III), on the other hand, was the father of Moses (who really was Pharaoh Akhenaten) - the husband of Mary (Jesus' mother, who actually was Queen Nefertiti). Jesus is said to be Pharaoh Tutankhamun, killed in 1352 BC. In other words, Moses, David, Solomon, Mary and Jesus were Egyptian royalty who reigned in Egyptian in the New Kingdom period.

Need I add any more?

Not only will Christians and Muslims find Osman Ahmed's writings ridiculous, but so would any serious historian and Biblical scholar - irrespective of their religion (or the lack thereof).

As a Muslim I feel ashamed and embarrassed that some Muslims would be producing such trash - that not only plays potty with the data in the Bible but also in the Quran and all available sources - instead of engaging with and conducting serious scholarship.

You should purchase this book only if you wish to entertain yourself by knowing about the latest output by wackos. But if you wish to learn seriously about the Bible and early Christianity, then please immediately toss this book in the bin if you have committed the outrageous acting of purchasing it, and read what qualified scholars have to say - such as Bart Ehrman, James Dunn, John Meier, Helmut Koester, E. P Sanders etc.