Explore the other side of Judeo- Christian history

Anton Sammut: In-Naħa l-Oħra tal-Istorja Ġudeo-Kristjana: A historico-religious treatise on Judeo-Christianity, self-published, 2011, 397 pp. €12.

In his first publication, Alte Vestiga, Anton Sammut made extensive use of his knowledge of both the ethos and the philosophy that make up the psyche of the average human being, with its multitude of physical and emotional complexes.

This treatise aims to dispel the innumerable half-truths and legends- Alfred Palma

In this tome, also translated into English, Sammut subjects the characters to a philosophy that is inextricably his own; a philosophy that relies almost exclusively on the element of truth, particularly where religious beliefs and ethics are concerned.

Alte Vestiga was a prelude to what was to come, not in the strictly narrative storyline but in the form of a historico-religious thesis on Judeo-Christianity, which frequently complemented the story in that novel.

What came next was this revealing treatise, which aims to dispel the innumerable inexactitudes, myths, half-truths and legends that have long been presented as the non plus ultra fundamentals of the Judeo-Christian religion.

On the front cover, just below the enigmatic detail from Leonardo’s The Virgin and Child with St Anne and John the Baptist, the author writes:

“The history of religion has always been subjected to censorship, to invariably accommodate those who needed the power to dictate. An excellent point of departure to what follows and, alas, an irrefutable and sadly tragic truth. From here on, the reader is taken on a journey that is both instructive and eye-opening, utterly revealing in its off-the-cuff clear-cut treatment, as much as, at first glance, it may seem ipso facto controversial and provocative.”

The first part of this work deals with the origins of religious symbols, the Sumerians, Abraham, the Israelites, Moses, the complete Exodus, from David to the Babylonian exile, and from here on to the birth of Christ.

The second part expounds on Christ, the Gospels, and on to James the Just, St Paul and Christian Hellenism, Agnosticism, an analysis on the Agnostics and their gospels, the formation of the New Testament and its linguistic aspect, the institution of the Church and the first popes, the strengthening of the papacy and the official establishment of the Catholic Church, the persecution by the clergy and papal corruption, on to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Great Schism, Protestantism and all that came after up to recent times.

This is followed by three reflections: the first is a reflection in retrospective, the second is on mind power, the neurotic religious pundit, and other salient observations, the third is a tentative look into the future and what may lie in store for mankind.

Another two reflections round up this oeuvre: one by Fr Peter Serracino Inglott and the other by the Fr René Camilleri.

Fr Peter admits to being intrigued and provoked by Sammut’s formidable thesis, admitting this long and meticulously researched exercise on both the sacred books and the history of the Church is meant to help the reader to look at both rationally, and from a point of view with which the average believer, to date, has been unfamiliar.

On his part, Fr Camilleri stresses that the book augurs well for those who do not content themselves with what they have been taught but would rather elect to know how it landed in their laps.

A detailed bibliography plus a full comprehensive index bring down the curtain on this book on Judeo-Christian history.