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theCardinalbird
Guest
Before the time of the Messiah, was it ever possible for non-Jews to be saved?
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Ron_Conte
Guest
Yes, they could enter the state of grace by an implicit baptism of desire. They could know that God exists by reason alone. They could avoid guilt for some actual mortal sins by invincible ignorance. They could love their neighbor, and could repent from any mortal sins by perfect contrition (sorrow out of true selfless love). So they could be saved.
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rossum
Guest
At least one was. The Buddha was a Catholic Saint (Baarlam and Josaphat) for a time. 
rossum
rossum
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Kei
Guest
Yes.
They had to live righteous lives.
Those who lived by reason, for instance (ie Plato), are believed to be saved.
Check out the definition of a Noahhide.
Of course, when you say saved we do not mean in Heaven until after Jesus’ Crucifixion.
They were saved by going to hell, but not the hell for the devil and his henchmen which is the destination of the damned, but hell as in the abode of the righteous.
They had to live righteous lives.
Those who lived by reason, for instance (ie Plato), are believed to be saved.
Check out the definition of a Noahhide.
Of course, when you say saved we do not mean in Heaven until after Jesus’ Crucifixion.
They were saved by going to hell, but not the hell for the devil and his henchmen which is the destination of the damned, but hell as in the abode of the righteous.
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theCardinalbird
Guest
Was he!? I didn’t know that. When was he canonized?
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Kei
Guest
Not all saints were canonized. What he’s talking about is two saints who are presumed to be based off the story of the Buddha.
They are now considered to be a Christian retelling of his story (king is told by prophecy his child will be great ruler or great sage, king wants a ruler, tries to make him live a life to assure that he is a ruler, but ends up backfiring and making him be a sage).
That said, the idea that he was saved isn’t a very strange one to find, similar to Plato and the like. He founded a system that inscribed some sort of morality found through attempted use of reason.
They are now considered to be a Christian retelling of his story (king is told by prophecy his child will be great ruler or great sage, king wants a ruler, tries to make him live a life to assure that he is a ruler, but ends up backfiring and making him be a sage).
That said, the idea that he was saved isn’t a very strange one to find, similar to Plato and the like. He founded a system that inscribed some sort of morality found through attempted use of reason.
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TheOldColonel
Guest
Yes, God is the source of all salvation at all times to every people of every faith according to his great mercy and just judgement. The Second Vatican Council made this quite clear.
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BlackFriar
Guest
This author explains how the myth developed.
www.lionsroar.com
Reviews: How the Buddha Became St. Josaphat | Lion’s Roar
Reviews of "In Search of the Christian Buddha: How an Asian Sage Became a Medieval Saint" by Donald S. Lopez, Jr. and Peggy McCracken.
www.lionsroar.com
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rossum
Guest
He was ‘canonized’ very early as a result of a Christianized version of part of the Life of the Buddha which travelled west about 700 CE.
See Barlaam and Josaphat for more details. Unfortunately he was purged in the recent removal of semi-legendary early saints. A pity; leaving him in would have been a good piece of ecumenism.
rossum
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