In 1924 H. Raschke published his great book about Mark's gospel. Raschke emphasized the non-existence of the modern historical consciousness in ancient times. Rather, everything was understood magically and speculatively. The Gospels are written in the ancient consciousness. Any rationalization of the Gospel tales is thus worthless. Raschke notes that Aramaic was the popular language of most eastern Mediterranean peoples, and tales in the Aramaic language prevailed. Aramaic language, due to the lack of fixed vowels, is rife with puns and ambiguities.
This is already evident in the Tanakh. For example:
- Israelites could not drink the water in a town named Mara (bitter waters).
- Miriam became a leper in the town of Hazaroth (leprosy).
The same happens in the gospels, especially Mark's:
- Judah Ischarioth = Isachar (hireling)
- Multiplication of food in Beth Saida (camp of feeding)
- Martha does the dirty work in Bethany (camp of the miserable)
- The daughter of Iairus (awaken) wakes up from the dead.
- Divorce is discussed in the land of the Geraseni (gerusin, divorce)
These puns allow a very detailed examination of Mark's tales. The Marcionites are seen as the original community behind Mark's gospel. Jesus advices his disciples to follow a man carrying a clay jar (mrkws Mark) with water. The Greek term for clay jar is keramion, which alludes to Marcion.
The hidden docetic background of Mark's gospel has been revealed already earlier by other scholars.
Thus doubtlessly the Christian god-son is a construct loaned from Gnostic circles and turned into a flesh-and-bone-construct due to the vulgarization of the religion.
- The Christ of the Gospels is a historified Christ of Paul's epistles
- The Christ of Paul's is a catholically tuned Gnostic Christ
- The Gnostic Christ is, in turn, just a metaphysical force.
Only the modern incapacity for metaphysical thinking makes people claim the historicity of Jesus.
