By C. Michael Forsyth
Jesus forgave — but he didn’t forget. Bible scholars now say that from an early age, the Messiah kept a detailed enemies list.
The 8-foot-long scroll contains the names of 105 people who did the Lord wrong, from the age of 7 through the eve of His crucifixion at age 33. The meticulously kept record includes each specific offense, date and location, according to biblical archaeologist Paolo Giametelli.
“Some of the names on the list are to be expected, such as Pontius Pilate, Judas and Satan,” says the expert. “But the text includes some surprises, such has a boy named Azariah, ‘who did cast a rock at my head’ when Jesus was only 9. Further down there is a reference to one Lemuel of Nazareth, who refused to pay for a cabinet he’d ordered during Christ’s days as a young carpenter.”
The scroll was found in fragments in the ruins of a Coptic Christian temple outside Jerusalem excavated by archaeologists. The fragile pieces of parchment were painstakingly put back together and translated. The list includes the Pharisees who opposed His ministry as well as Salome, the temptress responsible for the beheading of Jesus’ friend and ally John the Baptist.
Researchers are uncertain why Jesus, known for preaching love and kindness, kept the enemies list.
“The obvious implication is that our Lord planned retribution, either by using His holy superpowers or calling upon His father in Heaven for vengeance,” said the scholar. “But it is equally possible that this was a list of people to forgive.”
Copyright C. Michael Forsyth
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Peace Bro. Michael, thank you for your research, I am in a discussion on FB with a person that does not believe that Jesus ever existed. He says that the Bible is the only book that exist that talks about him. And that the Bible is only a book of ‘stories’. So, I am in a search of other ‘writings’ of people during his time period outside of the Bible to prove that there are other ‘historical’ evidence that Jesus was a real person. ‘Writings’ or physical items or etc. to show the proof of Jesus’s existence. Thank you for you work. I am wanting to know more about: The Coptic Christian scroll that you spoke about.