To fully understand the power and the passion of the story of the Christ, one must begin with the formation of the first Jewish nation around 1000 B.C. and proceed to present times. Christ: the Power and the Passion does just that, stopping to examine pivotal events, such as the Assyrian invasion; the weight of Roman governance; the life of Jesus as a child in Nazareth; Jesus’ travels with the Magi to Persia; India and Egypt; the opening of the way by John the Baptist; Jesus’ ministry; the Passion and the Resurrection; the early Christian movement; the Inquisition; and more. Van Auken paints a vivid picture of these times, revealing the perspectives of the many peoples involved in this remarkable story. The sources for this book are unique: American mystic Edgar Cayce, The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, the Bible, Gnostic gospels and more. The book concludes with an impassioned chapter, The Mystical, Metaphysical Messiah-Christ, that makes Christ more a living reality within us all rather than a historical figure from ancient times.