The Jesus Papers: Exposing the Greatest Yarn Spinner in History

Recently I heard an interview with Michael Bagient on a local talk show.  He was promoting his new book, The Jesus Papers: Exposing the Greatest Cover-Up in History.  The greatest cover-up in history?  My interest was piqued.  What I learned is that Bagient asserts that Jesus survived the crucifixion and escaped to Egypt with his wife, Mary Magdalene.  I'm intrigued by conspiracy theories--UFO's, JFK, Abraham Lincoln, September 11, Halliburton--but this one cast doubt on the validity of the Gospel accounts of Christ's life and death.  I'm a Christian, so Baigent's ramblings got my dander up. 

Michael Baigent's theory about Jesus is at the very least controversial, not to mention that most serious scholars think he's not only an opportunist; they think he's dead wrong. (Some say he's a kook.)  I didn't hear the entire interview; but the segment I heard gave Bagient an abundance of time to spew his lies and half-truths -- and the host of the show failed to ask hard questions!  Now I was livid. 

In his book, The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?, Hank Hanegraaff asks, "What is truth?"  He explains it this way: "Truth is anything that corresponds to reality.  As such, truth is not determined by the popularity of a book…Nor is it a matter of preference or opinion.  Truth is true even if everyone denies it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone affirms it." 

Michael Bagient co-authored the 1982 bestseller, "The Holy Blood, Holy Grail," an alleged book of nonfiction.  Unfortunately he has succeeded in palming off his grand conspiracy theories on a gullible public. In 2005 Baigent and one of the co-authors of Holy Blood filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Dan Brown, noted author of The Da Vinci Code. (Brown's novel portrays the Gospels as "fabrications" and the deity of Christ a mere myth.)  Bagient and his partner in crime lost the lawsuit, but the suit gained them a ton of media attention.  This isn't surprising, as the liberal media love to sink their fangs into anything that might discredit the Gospel accounts in the New Testament.  Satan's been busy. 

According to Laura Miller, "The publicity surrounding the trial has not only driven up sales of the 20-year-old book Baigent accuses Brown of ripping off, it seems to have given "The Jesus Papers" a healthy boost as well. Last week, Baigent's new book climbed to the sixth slot on Amazon's bestseller list." 

Filing a lawsuit against the renowned Dan Brown got Michael Baigent recognition and a ton of face time.  The man's a genius!

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