"The Third Jesus" book review by Ashish Samuel

I had asked a friend of mine – from High School – to review Dr. Deepak Chopra’s book “The Third Jesus”.  He obliged despite his busy schedule.  Please share your views if you have read the book?

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Deepak Chopra’s book, The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore” Chopra attempts to present that Jesus Christ was referring to Buddhism/Eastern Mysticism. Most of his arguments were not taken from the New Testament; he draws it from Gnostic writings (extra-biblical documents) and quoting from apocryphal works which are not part of the bible. This means if he doesn’t use those documents his argument will have no value.  It becomes clearer to me that he is using the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as a way to promote his thinking (the modern religion, generally called new age thinking). You could also notice several inaccuracies.

1-Page-11, he said, “But Jesus doesn’t mention sin.” Anyone with a basic biblical understanding can easily refute this (Matthew 12:31; John 8:7, 34; 16: 8,9, etc). 2-Page-139 the author wrote, “The salvation Jesus offered was the same as Buddha’s…” The salvation supposedly offered by Buddha cannot possibly be the same as that offered by Jesus Christ, since Jesus Christ said that He was the only way to God, not Buddha (John 14:6). In addition, the apostle Peter stated “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ, which the above clearly states.

Chopra presents three forms of Jesus:  1- historical Jesus; 2- Christian’s Jesus; 3- Third Jesus as an “enlightened master” (p. 154) and “a simple teacher” (p. 186). The Third Jesus he attempts to demote Jesus Christ from that of Lord and Savior to that of an enlightened master of his own creation and new age religion. It’s not clear, why would he promote this “Third Jesus” from a source he himself considers unreliable.