The Cathars considered themselves to be the true followers of Jesus but that did not mean they were Christians. Not in the accepted sense anyway.

In reading about the Cathars two phases caught my eye; “Jesus is not god but a most remarkable man”and “The cruxifiction was an illusion”.

I am not the only person to have picked up on these phrases. Other writers have however, tried to turn these statements into another theological mystery, searching for an extended definition of the nature of god and his relationship with Jesus Christ.

I have taken a different route. I have challenged myself to search for scenarios which would enable these statements to be taken literally.

A remarkable man takes part in a illusion which makes it seem that he had died. Why would he have done this, how could it be stage managed and perhaps most importantly who was he?

There is nothing new in the material I have used to try and answer these questions. The topics dealing with “Alternative Old Testament” and “Alternative New Testament” build on the suggestions made by many other writers. What is perhaps different is that I have strung the work of different writers together to make a consistent story and bridged the gaps with some speculation of my own.

Certainly the persecuted Cathars of the fourteenth century did not believe that Jesus mission was a failure;it was just that the message propagated by the Roman church was not the message which they believe Jesus preached.

Also the Cathars seemed to believe that Jesus message had roots in other earlier religions.

To start at the beginning.

What has Egypt got to do with all this? And what is the link between Egypt and the Roman Emperors?