5 reasons to suspect Jesus never existed...

[_I have a question]

Are you planning on staying bitchy and irrationally judgemental about almost everything on the board?

Not unless you plan to continue acting like a hyperbolic dick, honey.

I've been a hyperbolic dick since day one!

[_Jersey Girl]

Aristotle is overstating his case in that quote. Julius Caesar's physical existence, for example, is much better attested by the network of evidence than Jesus. It's Ok to argue that based on available evidence and how the existence of historical figures is inferred, it is likely that Jesus existed without having to assert extreme confidence. Jesus's existence is about as well attested as Socrates - maybe a little worse - to put it in perspective. Socrates acts as a good analogy because he also has mythic qualities wrapped up in commentary and questions about when his voice ends and where the authors writing about him begins.

I don't recall saying that about Julius Caesar and Jesus. In one of the linked threads I said this:

I have three questions for you: Did Pythagoras exist? Did Thales of Miletus exist? Did Musonius Rufus exist?

...

If you answer "no" to any of these then you will need to throw away most ancient history outside of figures like Caesar, Augustus, and Alexander the Great. Yes, the big men of history have better documentation, that's the nature of being a powerful political figure. But, since Jesus never claimed that his kingdom was of this world, I don't know why you would expect that he would be as well documented as those whose kingdom was of this world.

Original pared down and emphasis added. I probably should have said ancient history concerning persons; places and events are different beasts when it comes to evidence.

And they say there is no God. Hello, Aristotle.

Would you have expected pagan authors to invest time writing about Christ?

Would you expect that there would birth/death records for Christ?

Where would we find birth/death records for Christ?

Where would we find documentation regarding his trial and punishment?

[_SteelHead]

Did Jesus exist? Quite possibly.
Are the gospels historical? Not so much.

Simple answer.

[_Jersey Girl]

... 2 posters who are particularly well qualified to engage the topic.

How so?

- Doc

Cam, Please do not take this as me wanting to disinvite you from this board, because I think you make a great contribution here when you're of a mind to. But please stfu with this tedious BS, okay?

[_Jersey Girl]

Did Jesus exist? Quite possibly.
Are the gospels historical? Not so much.

Simple answer.

Were the gospels intended to be historical writings?
What sort of historical information would you expect to find in them?

Two simple questions.

[_Jersey Girl]

Are you planning on staying bitchy and irrationally judgemental about almost everything on the board?

Not unless you plan to continue acting like a hyperbolic dick, honey.

I've been a hyperbolic dick since day one!

Awesome! Because you just met your match and we oughtta have a nice run here.



So why did you stop asking questions when it came to your OP here? I have a question has no questions about the historical Jesus?

What's up with that.

[_I have a question]

So why did you stop asking questions when it came to your OP here? I have a question has no questions about the historical Jesus?

What's up with that.

What's the statute of limitations on when I am required to ask a question about the OP?

[_Jersey Girl]

So why did you stop asking questions when it came to your OP here? I have a question has no questions about the historical Jesus?

What's up with that.

What's the statute of limitations on when I am required to ask a question about the OP?

Before you hit the submit button when you posted it. So, you're SOL from here on out. SOL not to be confused with the statute of limitations.

[Guest]

There is no census that coincides with the one said to have happened at Jesus's birth. The massacre of the innocents, by which a whole cohort of Israeli children was supposedly put to the sword has no outside corroboration. These types of events should have been recorded by the historians active during the time and place. There is little to support the gospels as historical.

Should we expect them to be? You can come up with an answer satisfactory to yourself.

[_I have a question]

What's the statute of limitations on when I am required to ask a question about the OP?

Before you hit the submit button when you posted it. So, you're SOL from here on out. SOL not to be confused with the statute of limitations.

I can't seem to find where that's written in the board rules....

I think there are two elements (maybe three) to the Jesus debate.
1. Did Jesus really exist?
2. Did Jesus actually do what the Gospels claim he did?
3. If the answer to 1 and 2 is yes or no, what relevance does that have for us today?