Chesterton: "Fairy Tales Are More Than True" (With Follow-Up Commentary By Rev. J. Edgar Bruns, My Most Memorable Professor)

Alan: My most brilliant teacher, Rev. J. Edgar Bruns -- author of "God As Woman, Woman As God" and "The Christian Buddhism Of John's Gospel" -- held (with no disparagement of history which he highly prized) that "Myth is truer than history."

"The Christian Buddhism of St. John: New insights into the Fourth Gospel"

http://www.amazon.com/The-Christian-Buddhism-St-John/dp/B0006CPRI2

John Ford, John Wayne, Aquinas And Theosis (Christian Divinization)

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/12/more-on-theosis.html

"Interstellar," Myth, And "The Christian Buddhism Of St. John: New Insights Into The Fourth Gospel"

https://newsfrombarbaria.blogspot.com/2020/11/interstellar-myth-and-christian.html 

A CATHOLIC PRIEST AND SCHOLAR LOOKS AT 

JOHANNINE/BUDDHIST PARALLELS

By Steven H Propp TOP 100 REVIEWER on July 24, 2013

The Rev. J. Edgar Bruns (1924-1997) was President Of Notre Dame Seminary From 1975 To 1981 and longtime historian of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans; he also wrote other books such as The forbidden Gospel, The art and thought of John, etc.

He wrote in the Preface to this 1971 book, "This book has grown out of a series of lectures given in the Institute of Christian Thought at St. Michael's of Toronto in the spring term of 1969-1970. The lectures were themselves the logical supplement to a hypothesis suggested in my book 'The Art and Thought of John.' The hypothesis was that Johannine thought is structurally closer to that of Madhyamika Buddhism than it is to either the Judaic or Hellenstic categories of thought then current. I was, perhaps, more concerned, in the earlier work, to show the historical possibility of Buddhist influence on first-century Christian thought, than to exhibit the actual parallels. I hope that in this book I have gone much further in substantiating both aspects of that hypothesis." (Pg. vii)

He suggests, "There appear to be, however, two significant distinctions between the revelations circulated among Jews and orthodox Christians on the one hand and those circulated among pagans, Gnostic-Christians, and Mahayana Buddhists on the other... First of all, the Jewish and Christian revelations are intended for all... The second distinction is in the area of content. The Jewish and Christian revelations are concerned with PROPHECY whereas the Gnostic and Buddhist revelations consist of TEACHING... though also often encumbered by mythological elements." (Pg. 10-13)

He argues, "In the Prajnaparamita sutras it is said that the Tathagatas... have come from perfect wisdom... the Buddha appears as such in virtue of his perfect wisdom, but he does not first HAVE perfect wisdom and then become a Buddha, nor does he RECEIVE perfect wisdom and then become a Buddha... Just as in John he who loves is born of God-Love, that is, realizes God, so he who exercises perfect wisdom is said to be born of perfect wisdom, that is, he realizes enlightenment or Buddhahood... This parallels EXACTLY John's teaching that to be born of God means to bear God." (Pg. 33)

Definitely not for "traditional" Catholics, this book will be of considerable interest to those looking for "eastern" interpretations of Jesus and Christianity.

G.K. Chesterton: "The Anarchy of The Rich"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/10/gk-chesterton-anarchy-of-rich.html

G.K. Chesterton and Warren Buffett's Class War

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/01/gk-chesterton-and-warren-buffetts-class.html

G.K. Chesterton On Charity, Hope And Universal Salvation

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/10/chesterton-on-charity-and-universal.html

G.K. Chesterton Quotations... And More

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/12/chesterton-quotations.html

Pax On Both Houses: Compendium Of G.K. Chesterton Posts
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/10/pax-on-both-houses-gk-chesterton-posts.html