Jesus as Druid?

[Paladin]

I picked up a copy of Gordon Strachan's "Jesus: The Master Builder" and so far it's pretty dry with some wow's thrown in. Has anyone read this or heard anything about this topic of Jesus visiting early Druids?



Thanks,

RSG

[Celtic Tiger]

Re: Jesus as Druid?

I've never heard that and I am unfamiliar with the author you mention. I have heard speculation that he visited North America (Book of Mormon if I'm not mistaken) and it is recorded in the Gospels that he lived in Egypt as a child. I've heard a lot of speculation as to different traditions outside of Judaism that he may have been exposed to or grown up around, but never that he actually visited the British Isle in person.

I do know that when Christians arrived in the British Isles, some of them likened Jesus to a druid or actually called him a druid. I suspect that it was mainly because it was the closest term to priest or rabbi. It also certainly helped in conversion efforts as well.

[Louisvillian]

Re: Jesus as Druid?

It sounds pretty silly to me. There are some connections and similarities between early Christianity and some pagan thought...but that's because Christianity arose out of Hellenised Judaism and the Hellenic culture of the region. I don't see why it implies any connection to Celtic lands, least of all Britain. The simple fact is, we don't know enough about pre-Roman and Roman-era druidry to really make strong connections between it and Christianity. And the mystic and semi-pagan facets of Christianity are explained through more obvious and clear factors.

The most one could say is that when Christianity was exported to Gaul and Britain and Ireland, those of the druid caste became priests when they converted to Christianity, because they were literate and wise. Perhaps even that the notion of a rabbi or priest was "Celticised" into a druid in the cultural imagination in order to relate the stories to the people. And that much later, indigenous myths had Christian symbolism and ideas grafted onto them to make them more appealing to the now-devoutly Christian populace.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Jesus as Druid?

Maybe I can help here.... The legend around Glastonbury - which is quite well known - is that during the 'lost years' i.e. between the episode in the temple (when Jesus was about 12) and the start of his minstry (when he was about thirty), Jesus visited Glastonbury in the company of Joseph of Arimathea.

The famous Glastonbury thorn (the original was hacked down by Cromwell's soldiers in the 17th century) was supposed to have been planted during that visit.

It's a very well known story here. If there were druids in Glastonbury at the time of the purported visit (and it's quite a big 'if' because the Romans claimed to have wiped out the British Druids in the late 1st century CE so even at the time of the visit, it's possible the Druids were proscribed) then it is entirely possible that visitors to Glastonbury met them. Whether Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea did visit Glastonbury is of course open to debate.

It's not a silly idea really, (though you may not believe it) but a very long standing legend. William Blake's 'Jerusalem' is full of references to it.

[Celtic Tiger]

Re: Jesus as Druid?

Interesting. I had heard of legend of Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdaline taking the grail to Britain, but not of Joseph and Jesus going there personally.