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Christianity and the Origin of Sanskrit

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  • Christianity and the Origin of Sanskrit

    A while back I had been looking at a website called ebible.com. On that website was a question, Did Jesus ever travel to India?

    https://ebible.com/questions/2901-di...ravel-to-india

    Anyway, farther down one person shared information from a PDF talking about work done by a man named Dr. Alexander Harris. I had shared it elsewhere, naturally it was scoffed by some rather vitriolic atheists, but, basically, the premise is that Christianity was introduced to India before Sanskrit was actually written, thus, why The Mahābhārata sounds very Christian. I was interested in what other people thought. Here is the link:

    http://appiusforum.net/sanskrit.pdf

  • #2
    Still reading the provided source info, but the first answer in the first link --

    "There is no biblical support for the idea that Jesus meditated in India before beginning His ministry in Israel. Nor is there any evidence that He left the land of His birth at any time to go to In..."

    ... is a classic case of argument from silence (argumentum ex silentio). The notion that there is "no biblical support" is problematic in that John tells us that there were "many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."

    I think of this any time somebody says "Well, Jesus NEVER....." or "....never SAID...."

    But I seriously doubt the India thing.
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
      Still reading the provided source info, but the first answer in the first link --

      "There is no biblical support for the idea that Jesus meditated in India before beginning His ministry in Israel. Nor is there any evidence that He left the land of His birth at any time to go to In..."

      ... is a classic case of argument from silence (argumentum ex silentio). The notion that there is "no biblical support" is problematic in that John tells us that there were "many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."

      I think of this any time somebody says "Well, Jesus NEVER....." or "....never SAID...."

      But I seriously doubt the India thing.
      Oh, I agree, whole heartedly. It is unlikely that Jesus ever left the "tri-state area", so to speak. But, people claim that Jesus must have traveled to India and learned from the teachings of Buddha to explain why they appear to have similar teachings. The article was mostly provided for citing my sources and talking about whether Christianity actually inspired the creation of Sanskrit and that Buddhists actually incorporated the teachings of Jesus instead.

      Comment


      • #4
        Sanskrit is significantly older than Christianity. Unless it's talking about a very different Sanskrit than I'm used to.
        Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? -Galatians 3:5

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by disciple100 View Post
          Oh, I agree, whole heartedly. It is unlikely that Jesus ever left the "tri-state area", so to speak. But, people claim that Jesus must have traveled to India and learned from the teachings of Buddha to explain why they appear to have similar teachings. The article was mostly provided for citing my sources and talking about whether Christianity actually inspired the creation of Sanskrit and that Buddhists actually incorporated the teachings of Jesus instead.
          There is evidence that Buddhism arrived in Rome before AD.
          Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
          Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
          But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

          go with the flow the river knows . . .

          Frank

          I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Pentecost View Post
            Sanskrit is significantly older than Christianity. Unless it's talking about a very different Sanskrit than I'm used to.
            Sanskrit, Latin and Greek are said to have evolved from the same (root) language called the Proto-Indo European (PIE). It is possible that along with language, many concepts (such as the concept of God/s) may have been transmitted.
            (Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic are not part of this language family)
            The ancient Indian scriptures written in Sanskrit are the vedas. (Vedic Sanskrit in the Rig Veda is said to be approx 2,000 to 1,000 BCE...)

            Some scholars say that Eastern Christianity and its missionaries reached India by the 1st century...and some also speculate that by the 4th century this type of Christianity had reached upto Japan.....
            Before Christianity, there were trade routes going to the East which Jewish traders were using, so it would not be surprising if Eastern Christian missionaries used these routes to spread Christianity further to the East. ......It would also not be that surprising if Buddhist ideas were carried back on these trade routes...or perhaps even monks/scholars?.....

            ....It is also how Islam spread to the East......

            Comment


            • #7
              What aspects of Christianity do you find similar to Buddhism?

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by siam View Post
                What aspects of Christianity do you find similar to Buddhism?
                It is known that Buddhist teachers were in Alexandria in the first century.

                There are similarities, but not out of line with common features of many religions of the world including those in close proximity to Christianity like Zoroastrian. Some sayings or proverbs are very similar. There are similar teachings and morals in all cultures of the world. something interesting in all this, we are all humans.

                A major difference is the emphasis on God, and Buddha appeared to still endorse the Concept of the ultimate Brahman, but Buddha appears to deemphasize the belief in God, and describes an apophatic Source.
                Last edited by shunyadragon; 01-15-2015, 06:39 PM.
                Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
                Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
                But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

                go with the flow the river knows . . .

                Frank

                I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

                Comment


                • #9
                  "We are all humans"-----we all tend to forget this too easily......

                  I think Western scholars of Christian origins are so caught up with trying to fit Chistianity with Judaism, that they perhaps underestimate how dynamic this region may have been and the heavy influence of the the highly sophisticated cultures of Persia, India and China........(but then, as an Easterner....I might be biased...)

                  Also, as far as I know, Sanskrit, Mahabharata, and Buddhism are all older than Christianity.....and the Eastern Christianity that came into the East was Syriac/Nestorian and used Aramaic (not Greek). Their books were the Peshitta and the Diatassoren.......

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by siam View Post
                    Sanskrit, Latin and Greek are said to have evolved from the same (root) language called the Proto-Indo European (PIE). It is possible that along with language, many concepts (such as the concept of God/s) may have been transmitted.
                    (Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic are not part of this language family)
                    The ancient Indian scriptures written in Sanskrit are the vedas. (Vedic Sanskrit in the Rig Veda is said to be approx 2,000 to 1,000 BCE...)

                    Some scholars say that Eastern Christianity and its missionaries reached India by the 1st century...and some also speculate that by the 4th century this type of Christianity had reached upto Japan.....
                    Before Christianity, there were trade routes going to the East which Jewish traders were using, so it would not be surprising if Eastern Christian missionaries used these routes to spread Christianity further to the East. ......It would also not be that surprising if Buddhist ideas were carried back on these trade routes...or perhaps even monks/scholars?.....

                    ....It is also how Islam spread to the East......
                    To this day there are communities in India called "St. Thomas Christians" because they converted (along a Syriac tradition) by the Apostle Thomas. And at least Wikipedia claims Christianity reached China in the 7th century.

                    I do not see a connection between the Eastern churches monastic tradition and Bhuddism.

                    And it's nice to hear from you again Siam, you were missed.
                    Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? -Galatians 3:5

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by disciple100 View Post
                      A while back I had been looking at a website called ebible.com. On that website was a question, Did Jesus ever travel to India?

                      https://ebible.com/questions/2901-di...ravel-to-india

                      Anyway, farther down one person shared information from a PDF talking about work done by a man named Dr. Alexander Harris. I had shared it elsewhere, naturally it was scoffed by some rather vitriolic atheists, but, basically, the premise is that Christianity was introduced to India before Sanskrit was actually written, thus, why The Mahābhārata sounds very Christian. I was interested in what other people thought. Here is the link:

                      http://appiusforum.net/sanskrit.pdf
                      I don't think the Mahabharata (or the Baghavad Gita) sound like Christian.

                      they are fun reads though. Got a talking snake too.
                      But I never saw any Jesus message
                      To say that crony capitalism is not true/free market capitalism, is like saying a grand slam is not true baseball, or like saying scoring a touchdown is not true American football ...Stefan Mykhaylo D

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Thanks Pentecost

                        I agree there do not seem to be definitive connections between the teachings of Jesus Christ and Buddha and/or Sanskrit/Mahabharata....on the other hand...as human beings, we live in a dynamic interactive world in which there are a flow of ideas and knowledge.....so, similarities here and there would occur simply because we are humans.....

                        Both similarities and differences in world religions are interesting ....and can be helpful if they provide a means of acceptance, toleration, and understanding of others...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Pentecost View Post
                          To this day there are communities in India called "St. Thomas Christians" because they converted (along a Syriac tradition) by the Apostle Thomas. And at least Wikipedia claims Christianity reached China in the 7th century.
                          This remains quite late for the topic of the thread.

                          I do not see a connection between the Eastern churches monastic tradition and Bhuddism.
                          The only significant connection is the fact that monastic traditions are a part of many ancient cultures
                          Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
                          Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
                          But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

                          go with the flow the river knows . . .

                          Frank

                          I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by jordanriver View Post
                            I don't think the Mahabharata (or the Baghavad Gita) sound like Christian.

                            they are fun reads though. Got a talking snake too.
                            But I never saw any Jesus message
                            Have you read the material in question?
                            Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
                            Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
                            But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

                            go with the flow the river knows . . .

                            Frank

                            I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by shunyadragon View Post
                              Have you read the material in question?
                              when you read books, why would you need somebody else to tell you whats in them?
                              I should tell them whats in them.

                              but yes, i struggled with the pdf:
                              similarity because both Jesus and Krishna suckled breasts as infants???

                              really??

                              wow, what are the odds that infants in 2 different sources are depicted nursing, my oh my

                              BTW, I dont find that in the Bhagavad-Gita or Mahabharata,
                              Krishna is already grown up god, except in section 4 Mahabharata where Krishna is a female.
                              To say that crony capitalism is not true/free market capitalism, is like saying a grand slam is not true baseball, or like saying scoring a touchdown is not true American football ...Stefan Mykhaylo D

                              Comment

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