According to GoodReads, Michael Zomber is a historian, researcher, writer, arms dealer, and screenwriter. But he has contributed one work that has the power to reshape the religious thinking in many countries in the world. In 2009 his book, Jesus and the Samurai: The Shining Religion and the Samurai, was quietly published, but within its covers, is the potential to reshape the Christian Faith.
In the book, Michael Zomber explained that Christianity had permeated through much of India and China and even as far East as Japan. By the year 250 AD, Christianity’s influence in the East was having an effect drawing Buddhists and Hindus into the Christian fold.
In the east Christianity was referred to as the Shining Religion or the Luminous Teaching. This peaceful system of teaching was very popular in Japan where for a time it was considered almost as popular as Buddhism. At the end of the 16th century, Christianity had millions of converts in Japan.
Even though there is a great deal of speculation about the missing years of Jesus’ life, this Christian development in the East took place well after the crucifixion. Zomber has made a study of Christian iconography occurring on Samurai weapons and shields.
The possibility exists that Christ traveled to these regions before he began his ministry. He may have even borrowed some of the teachings of Buddhism, as the Buddha appeared 500 years before the birth of Jesus. Any student of Buddhism sees the parallels to the Christian faith in the basic principles of Buddhism.
The life of Jesus Christ should be the most examined area of religious history, and yet much is missing, and the segment of 17-years between a mention in the Bible and the beginning of his ministry remains missing.
According to IMDB, Michael Zomber has done splendid research and opened up an area of religious studies that would be of great interest to both believers and Christian researchers.