Controversial Documentary Claims Jesus Was A Greek Philosopher, Not Jewish

A controversial documentary from 2016 has suggested that Jesus Christ was actually a Greek philosopher and not Jewish. Needless to say, this was received with outrage. Daily Mail reports that the Amazon documentary, Bible Conspiracies, suggests that Jesus might actually be someone else. While the documentary doesn't diss the existence of Jesus as a historical figure, it simply claims that the person described as the 'son of God'  in the New Testament might actually be Apollonius of Tyana. According to the documentary, there are far too many similarities between the life of the carpenter-turned-preacher from Nazareth and the Greek Neopythagorean philosopher.

The documentary also revealed that the timelines of Jesus and Apollonius add up conveniently. Apollonius was born in the 3rd or 4th year B.C. in Central Anatolia. Because of his teachings and the many miracles he's performed, Apollonius is said to have garnered quite a few followers. It is said that he even raised a man from the dead, exactly like how Jesus rose in the Bible.  Many details about Apollonius's life reflect those of Jesus of Nazareth, Sam Boyd, an expert in religious studies and Jewish studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, told Newsweek.

Both men are understood to have lived around the same time, have been born under "miraculous" circumstances, and have been called the "son of God" by their followers, for example. These aren't the only similarities as the document claims they even bore physical resemblances that were similar. The dominant similarities are considered to be their long hair and beard. However, like Jesus, Apollonius is believed to have gained popularity in the first century A.D. following the miracles he performed. The documentary explains, "He became a disciple of Pythagoras renouncing flesh, wine, and women. He wore no shoes and let his hair and beard grow long."

It continues, "He soon became a reformer and fixed his abode in the Temple of Aesculapius." The exact nature of Apollonius' teachings and the driving force behind it is not very clear, however. The documentary further reveals, "Eventually Apollonius became a wise sage himself and his own notoriety grew. Aurelian the Roman Emperor vowed to erect temples and statues to his honor. Was there ever anything among men more holy? He reportedly restored life to the dead and spoke of things beyond the human reach. And, unlike Jesus, there is evidence to prove that Apollonius actually existed." 

"Comparisons [between] Jesus and Apollonius of Tyana are not new," John Fitzgerald, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana told Newsweek. "There are some interesting comparisons between what is claimed for Jesus and what is told about Apollonius, but no decent scholar should identify them. Jesus was certainly not Greek! Apollonius and Jesus were both figures with their own peculiar stories in the ancient world," Boyd added. "They shared many themes that were likely a part of larger cultural and religious trends."

Apart from this shocking revelation, the documentary also attempted to uncover what they believe is the truth about certain other parts of scripture. This includes whether Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene got married and if so, what about their children, the strange Anunnaki alien race that was supposedly behind the total destruction of the Tower of Babel, the nuclear explosion that they believe wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah and the hidden mathematical code that apparently contains divine revelations concerning future events. On the whole, the documentary received a lukewarm response.