Historicity of Jesus - 2

[acharya]

The missionaries saw that they have many problems once they discovered Sanskrit in India.

Only after 1700 did they figure out that they have a problem in their narrative of jesus



http://www.scribd.com/doc/40025185/SANSK...n_download

Hollwel was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1711 and joined as a surgeon in East India Company inB engal. For a very short period he was a Governor ofB engal and then soon he left India.He died in 1798 in England. He didnt know Sanskrit.

In 1767, and 1771 he added second and third part to this book. In1779 he re-issued second and third part with altered title-A Review of the Original Principles, Religious and Moral, of the Ancient Bram ins.L astly in 1786 he brought out a tract titled- Dissertation on the Origin ,N ature, and Pursuits ofI ntelligent beings and on Devine Providence, Religion and religious worship. He followed orthodox Deism and was an enthusiastic advocate of vegetarianism.



He was hostile to the Christian doctrine ofT rinity and to the existing structure of Church of England. Hollwel didnt agree with contemporary missionaries who wanted to make Hinduism a derivative of Christianity. He also believed that Hindus believed in one god and Deities of the pantheon were to be taken only in the figurative sense. Hollwel was translated in German in 1767 and in French in 1768





Alexander Dow born in Scotland in 1735. He was a Colonel in East India CompaniesB engal army and died in India in 1779. In 1768 he translated 17th century historian Firishtas History on India into English titled-History of Hindostan. In 1772 he added third volume to this book. Dow didnt know Sanskrit. Dows dissertation on Hindus appeared in French in 1769.



Both Hollwel and Dow were widely reviewed and discussed inB ritain. Their description of Hinduism had very little new dimensions. What had been described in the early two centuries writings of Missionaries and travelers on Hinduism had reflected in their writings. [size="6"]However, to a greater extent they accepted originality of Hindu philosophy, independent of Christianity.[/size]





Voltaires criticism of Christian doctrine is well known. He was attracted to Hinduism in 1760 when he was presented a copy of Ezour Vedam, a forgery perpetrated by the Society of Jesus. Voltair had read both Hollwel and Dow and also was influenced by their description of Hinduism.



Voltairs Philosophie de lhistoire was first published in 1765, which had most abrasive anti-christian statements.T here is no doubt that writings of Hollwel and Dow had influenced Voltair in formulating his views on antiquities of Religions. He challenged the antiquity of Jews and was convinced the Hindus were most ancient people on the earth.

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This recognition to the Hinduism as an oldest religion on earth obviously put Judaism and Christianity as relatively recent religions in the history of mankind. Halheds writings also tacitly supported Hindu antiquity and originality.T his position of Hinduism was obviously not acceptable not only to the mainstream Christianity but even the scientists of the period couldnt digest this view (Pristley).[/size] All future Indology starting with William Jones till the beginning of 20th century should be assessed on this 18th century image of Hinduism portrayed by early European Indologists