The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ (full title: "The Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus, the Christ of the Piscean Age") is a New Age book by Levi H. Dowling first published in 1908. Dowling described it as having been transcribed from the akashic records.

The "Aquarian Gospel" is considered an apocryphal work, even though -- unlike most of the other apocryphal gospels -- it was written and published relatively recently. The title is derived from the astrological naming of time periods in terms of constellations; in that system, the Age of Aquarius is approaching. [Gaer, Joseph, "The Lore of the New Testament", 1st ed. (Boston: Little Brown, 1952) p.130]

Contents

SECTION I. Birth and Early Life of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Chapter 1.

SECTION II. Birth and Infancy of John the Harbinger, and of Jesus. Chapters 2-6.

SECTION III. Education of Mary and Elizabeth in Zoan. Chapters 7-12.

SECTION IV. Childhood and Early Education of John the Harbinger. Chapters 13-15.

SECTION V. Childhood and Early Education of Jesus. Chapters 16-20.

SECTION VI. Life and Works of Jesus in India. Chapters 21-35.

SECTION VII. Life and Works of Jesus in Tibet and Western India. Chapters 36-37.

SECTION VIII. Life and Works of Jesus in Persia. Chapters 38-41.

SECTION IX. Life and Works of Jesus in Assyria. Chapters 42-43.

SECTION X. Life and Works of Jesus in Greece. Chapters 44-46.

SECTION XI. Life and Works of Jesus in Egypt. Chapters 47-55.

SECTION XII. The Council of the Seven Sages of the World. Chapters 56-60.

SECTION XIII. The Ministry of John the Harbinger. Chapters 61-64.

SECTION XIV. The Christine Ministry of Jesus. Introductory Epoch. Chapters 65-71.

SECTION XV. The First Annual Epoch of the Christine Ministry of Jesus. Chapters 72-90.

SECTION XVI. The Second Annual Epoch of the Christine Ministry of Jesus. Chapters 91-123.

SECTION XVII. The Third Annual Epoch of the Christine Ministry of Jesus. Chapters 124-158.

SECTION XVIII. The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus. Chapters 159-164.

SECTION XIX. The Trial and Execution of Jesus. Chapters 165-171.

SECTION XX. The Resurrection of Jesus. Chapter 172.

SECTION XXI. Materialization of the Spiritual Body of Jesus. Chap- ters 173-180.

SECTION XXII. Establishment of the Christine Church. Chapters 181-182.

Major Points

The "Aquarian Gospel" makes the following claims, among others:

*Jesus puts on the role of The Christ, but is not automatically Christ by nature. By making himself, through effort and prayer, a fit vessel, Jesus enabled The Christ to dwell within him. Christ is therefore used as a term for the perfect human being that Jesus exemplified, a human being that has been "Christened" (anointed) and therefore made holy.

*Jesus came to earth to show the way back to God via his lifestyle and teachings. He is the example we must model our own lives after, if we seek salvation.

*Reincarnation exists, and is the explanation for various seeming injustices. Reincarnation allows people to settle debts they have incurred in past lives.

*Humanity has forgotten God and is currently working its way back to fully remembering God.

*Time is separated into ages. These ages last approximately 2,000 years. We are now nearing the start of the Aquarian Age.

*All souls will eventually mature and become perfect, like Jesus, thus ending the cycle of reincarnation.

*No soul is ever abandoned by God.

Accuracy

Various publications have called into question the accuracy of the "Aquarian Gospel." Such works generally make the following claims, among othersFact|date=February 2007:

* Dowling misidentified the ancient ruler known as Herod, calling "Herod Antipas" the ruler of Jerusalem, during a period when Herod the Great actually ruled.Pement, Eric. [http://www.pement.org/docs/channeling.htm Don't Touch that Dial: The New Age Practice of Channeling] . Nov 1988. Retrieved March 24 2008.]

* The book depicts Jesus as visiting the cities of Lahore, Pakistan, and Persepolis in Persia. Lahore did not exist during the period in question, and Persepolis had already been destroyed by Alexander the Great.

* Dowling and Edgar Cayce both claimed to have produced an account of the life of Jesus through the transcription of the Akashic records, but there are significant differences between their accounts.

* Dowling's claim that Jesus knew Meng-tse of Lhasa, Tibet, cannot be true, because Meng-tse lived 300 years before Jesus’ time.

There are other publications that attempt to support Dowling's veracity by making counterarguments against these claims of inaccuracy. In particular, it is argued in "Initiations of the Aquarian Masters" by Rev. Dr. J.L. Watson, founder of ACCU, Inc. Fact|date=April 2007 that within Theosophical thought figures such as Meng-Ste, Matheno, Miriam, Moses, Elijah and Vidyapati exist in an ascended state and so are able to communicate with Jesus after they have passed on from earthly existence. There are also other refutations to said inaccuracies.

References

Books

*"Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ", DeVorss & Company; 1st Paperback Ed edition (April 1972) ISBN 0-87516-041-7

*"The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ: The Philosophic and Practical Basis of the Religion of the Aquarian Age of the World and of the Church Universal", DeVorss & Company; New Ed edition (June 1972), ISBN 0-87516-168-5

External links

* [http://www.aquarianchurch.zoomshare.com Aquarian Christine Church Universal, Inc.] A denomination rising from the Aquarian Gospel and related new age movements
* [http://www.aquariangospel.org Aquarian Gospel Reading Fellowship] A non-denominational fellowship of Aquarian Gospel readers
* [http://www.atmajyoti.org/ch_aquarian_commentary_01.asp Introducing the Aquarian Gospel] Commentary by Swami Nirmalananda Giri
* [http://home.netcom.com/~mokeeffe/AGauthenticity.htm Regarding The Authenticity of The Aquarian Gospel] Defense of the Gospel's historical accuracy
* [http://reluctant-messenger.com/aquarian_gospel.htm The Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus, the Christ of the Piscean Age] A brief overview of the gospel
* [http://www.experiencefestival.com/aquarian_gospel_of_jesus_christ Wisdom Archive] Selected articles related to the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ

Text Sources

* [http://www.archive.org/details/aquariangospelof00levirich Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ (1911)] in the Internet Archive
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/agjc/ Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ (e-text)] includes an introduction by Eva S. Dowling
* [http://home.netcom.com/~mokeeffe/AquarianGospel1-15.htm Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ] First fifteen chapters of the Gospel
* [http://home.netcom.com/~mokeeffe/AquarianGospelSinglePage.htm Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ] Complete text on a single page