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826:, one of the holiest holidays for Jews then and now, on which such activities are most strictly forbidden. There was no need for the Jews to appeal to Roman authority for assistance in the trial; they had full authority from the Romans to execute anybody for any reason sanctioned by their own laws. There was even less reason for the Romans to agree to intervene in what would have been to them internecine provincial politics. The behavior of the Sanhedrin, such as spitting on Jesus, would have been just as shocking to people then as would similar action by the members of the United States Supreme Court today. If Pilate had agreed to take the case, he would not have permitted an unruly mob to have remained present, let alone have a say in the trial. While the Romans courts, like all courts, surely freed the guilty and executed the innocent, they never would have publicly declared their intention to do so any more than would any modern court; Pilate's acquiescence in granting the mob Barabbas in exchange for Jesus is incomprehensible. Finally, had Pilate actually acted as described, Rome would have had his head on a platter, figuratively if not literally, for letting a mob dictate his actions as well as for general gross misconduct. 1029:
life and ministry, which the later Gospels detail. Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory claim that Paul's letters were written in response to specific problems unrelated to the details of the life of Jesus, and so the occasional and epistolary nature of Paul's correspondence are sufficient explanations for the lack of detail of Jesus' life. Proponents of the Jesus Myth theory note an abundance of missed rhetorical opportunities to reinforce Paul's points by quoting Jesus or citing well-known events in his life that were directly relevant to the topics he was discussing.
1138:: creative narratives based on the stories, prophecies, and quotes in the Hebrew Bible. In particular, there is no reason to assume that the sayings attributed to Q, a document theoretically devoid of narrative, originated with Jesus, rather than just being a collection of wisdom from several independent sources, such as the Old Testament. As such, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory claim that when the midrashic elements are removed, little to no content remains that could be used to demonstrate the existence of an historical Jesus 233:, Bishop of Antioch, in 115 A.D. in the "Epistle to Mary at Neapolis, near Zarbus," urged her: "Avoid those that deny the passion of Christ, and His birth according to the flesh; and there are many at present who suffer under this disease." The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians in chapter 7 says: "For anyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist," apparently quoting 1 John 4:3. 730:
his initial appearances after his resurrection, and the reactions of those he appeared to. The discrepancies are generally attributed to either an understandable confusion on the part of those who witnessed this most extraordinary event, or a sure sign of multiple sources offering creative fictional interpretation of an event they were not witness to themselves.
707:. Luke 22:13-15 and 54-66 record the hearing as having taken place in the morning, and in John 18:28 and 19:14 it happened the day before. This is especially significant as the first evening of Passover was and is one of the holiest days of the year for Jews, a day on which conducting business of any kind would be anathema. 485:'s. Philo was a Hellenized Jew who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He visited the Temple in Jerusalem, and corresponded with family there. He wrote a great many books on religion and philosophy which survive to this day, and mentioned many of his contemporaries. His main theological contribution was the development of the 305:(1909) which brought together the scholarship of the day in defence of the idea that Christianity had been a Jewish Gnostic cult that spread by appropriating aspects of Greek philosophy and Frazerian death-rebirth deities. This combination of arguments became the standard form of the mythic Christ theory. 662:
patrilineal genealogy while the other a matrilineal one, but both identify different fathers for Joseph and neither mentions Mary. Further, there is no historical precedent for indicating a matrilineal genealogy for a first-century Jewish man, and especially not to establish that man's royal heritage.
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Although there are occasional references in the disputed group to a flesh-and-blood Jesus, the undisputed group contains limited mention of Jesus as a historic figure. Even though Paul's letters are widely regarded as the earliest Christian documents, they contain very few references to Jesus' actual
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Also as mentioned above, Matthew 2:13-16 records the holy family as having fled to Egypt. Though they may well have remained incognito while they lived there, the Bible says nothing on the matter one way or the other. If they did not keep their identities hidden, it is most likely that Philo, who was
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takes place the same day as the Resurrection. In Mark, while seated at a table in or near Jerusalem, Jesus commands the Disciples to spread the Gospel and tells them that they may identify themselves to unbelievers by their invulnerability to poison and abilities to heal the sick and then is received
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Matthew 1:1-16 traces Jesus's lineage from King David's son Solomon through to Joseph's father, Jacob. Luke 3:23-31 traces a completely different lineage from King David's son Nathan to Joseph's father, Heli. Christian apologists traditionally explain this discrepancy by suggesting that one records a
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The Christian Bible is a collection of the majority of documents supporting the historicity of Jesus, and the only reliable sources for details on his life. Those who advocate the theory that Jesus is a myth consider contradictions in the Bible to impeach the credibility of those documents. Those who
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wrote, about the same time as Josephus, about contemporary Roman figures, oracles, prophesies, and moral, religious, and spiritual issues. A figure such as Jesus, whom the Gospels portray as interacting with Roman figures, making prophecies, and giving sermons on novel religious and spiritual issues,
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that Jesus was a later invention. To critics of the Jesus Myth theory, the silence is attributed to the relative unimportance of the historical Jesus at the time as viewed by Romans, Greeks, and most Jews. Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory counter this response by noting that all the evidence which
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as a most ignominious way to die, and, as such, crucifixions often caught the attention of local historians. Sometimes Romans would crucify hundreds of people a day, but they also crucified people singly or in small groups. Josephus records many of these, including that of a Jesus who was the son of
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The Bible records Jesus as having performed some very public miracles, in front of crowds numbering, in some cases, in the thousands. He healed the sick, blind, and lame; he raised the dead; he walked on water; and he fed multitudes with table scraps. History is replete with people doing such deeds,
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Biblical accounts of the resurrection differ on a great number of details of varying significance, including who was at and who went to the tomb, when they arrived, whether nor not the stone covered the tomb, whether or not there was an earthquake, who did what afterwards, how and to whom Jesus made
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Matthew 4:18-20 and Mark 4:18-20 both recount the same story of how Jesus selected his first Apostle, Peter, but the stories of Peter's selection from Luke 5:2-11 and John 1:35-42 are completely different. However, many apologists might argue that Matthew and Mark's accounts just say where Peter was
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would belong on this list. Naturally, those who accept the authenticity of one or the other, in whole or in part, see Josephus as providing evidence for an historical Jesus and thus would object to Josephus's inclusion. As the only first-century non-Christian to perhaps write of Jesus, the two brief
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It is widely accepted that the Gospel accounts were influenced by the Old Testament. In particular, many quotations attributed to the Q document, which the Gospels attribute to Jesus, find parallels in several places of the Old Testament. Advocates of the Jesus Myth believe that the gospels are not
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In Acts 1:9-12, forty days have passed, during which Jesus continued to preach the Gospel. The Disciples are northeast of Bethany, at Mount Olivet. Jesus delivers a brief final message to his Disciples and is taken up and received by a cloud. Two men, clothed in white, appear out of nowhere to tell
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Matthew 10:2 and Mark 3:16-19 both list the same set of Disciples. Luke 6:13-16 omits Thaddeus and includes Judas son of James in his place. Acts 1:13,26 agrees with Luke but adds that the remaining Disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot. John neither provides a list nor indicates their
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Other writers and historians of the time who did not mention Jesus include Dio Chrysostom, Aulus Gellius, Lucius Apuleius, Marcus Aurelius, Musonius Rufus, Hierocles of Alexandria, Cassius Maximus Tyrius, Arrian, Appian, Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, Lucius Annaeus Florus, and Marcus Annaeus Lucanus.
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jumps out as being the most similar to the proposal that characters and situations were invented wholesale according to religious dogma and Old Testament prophecy. However, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that the closest parallels to potential Moses-based embellishment of the Jesus
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to "great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases." This clearly indicates that Jesus must have been a popular figure known throughout the entire region; yet, no mention is made of any
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Proponents argue that had Jesus been a true historical figure there would not have been such a large number of prominent people who denied his existence, or an even larger number who defended him. Such controversies never developed over other contemporary religious figures (e.g., John the Baptist,
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Though conceding that the gospels may contain some creativity and midrash, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the gospels are more akin to ancient Graeco-Roman biographies. Although scholars do not agree on the exact nature of this genre, associated works attempted to impart historical
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The Gospels record ominous portents as having occurred at the time of Jesus's death. As recorded in Matthew 27:45-54 and similarly in the other synoptic Gospels, a three-hour darkness was "over all the land"; the veil of the temple was rent; there was an earthquake; and the graves opened and dead
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wrote, at the end of the first century, a history of Jewish kings in Galilee. As the Gospels record Jesus as having significant interactions with the Jewish political and religious leaders, as well as the highest-ranking local Roman officials, one would expect Justus to have made mention of those
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In later years, Mithras worship became the most prominent rival to Christianity, and the idea that many Christian practices, including 25th December being Jesus' birth-date, and Sunday being the dedicated day of worship, derived originally from Mithraism is regarded as likely by many mainstream
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No eclipse would have been astronomically possible at the time; Pesach, according to the lunar calendar, always is celebrated with the start of the full moon, and eclipses can only happen when the moon is new. Further, no eclipse ever lasts for more than a few minutes--let alone three hours. No
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Those who hold to the historicity of Jesus generally, though not universally, acknowledge that the Bible is not to be considered the literal truth, and that it contains many obviously-mythical elements; rather, they consider what follows to be later additions to the core truth of the historical
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According to Matthew 2:13-16, Mary and Joseph fled with the infant Jesus to Egypt in order to escape Herod's slaughtering of "all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under." The family does not return until the end of Herod's reign. In Luke
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When Christianity became the official and only religion in the Roman Empire, many temples of Mithras became Christian churches. Proponents of the Jesus Myth theory regard this as significant since the lack of dissent appears to them to indicate that the religions were so similar that the prior
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The suggestion of parallels with such myths, however, has frequently gained little traction in the academic community. It is certainly the case that advocates of the Jesus Myth theory citing the parallels are frequently let down by citing dubious sources, choosing to include even ridiculous or
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is considered, the epistles can be split into two groups - the seven considered by almost everyone to be genuine, against the rest. In this division, the theology of the disputed group seems, in the eyes of a majority of scholars, to be quite distinct from the theology of the seven undisputed
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In addition to the numerous contradictions in the Bible's own account of Jesus's life, those who reject the historicity of Jesus consider the numerous spectacular events recorded only in the Bible and nowhere else as irreparably condemning the Bible's reliability as a historical account.
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In short, if even one aspect of the trial happened as described, it would have caught the attention--and raised the ire--of a great many important people in the region and beyond. If all of it happened as described, it would have been the most scandalous trial of the millennium.
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As far as is known at present, only about six or seven early non-Christian references to Jesus appear to exist. This is despite the high degree of literacy in the Roman world, and despite the relatively large number of Roman and Jewish commentators and historians writing in the
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Acts 1:3 says that, for forty days after his resurrection, Jesus continued his ministry, yet no extra-Biblical record can be found of the most remarkable fact of a man, very publicly executed, continuing to do for over a month that which got him executed in the first place.
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events. Not all of his writing has survived intact to this day, but none of what does exist makes mention of Jesus. Further, no mention is made--especially by early Christian apologists--of such a reference, even by writers who would have had access to his complete works.
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I do not think, after two hundred years of experimentation, that there is any way acceptable in public discourse or scholarly debate, by which you can go directly into the great mound of the Jesus tradition and separate out the historical Jesus layer from all later
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There are a number of other sources that survive from the period in which it would not have been unreasonable to find mention of Jesus, though in no particular case would one be surprised to find mention of Jesus lacking. However, Jesus is missing from all of them.
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information about historical figures, but were not comprehensive and could include legendary developments. Nevertheless, as ancient biographies, proponents of Jesus' existence believe they contain sufficient historical information to establish his historicity.
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The chief priests and elders persuade the people to demand the release of Barabbas in Matthew 27:20, whereas in Mark 15:11 only the chief priests are responsible, and in Luke 23:18-23 the people seem to decide for themselves without prompting from leadership.
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Price and other advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the inconsistencies between the Gospels, birth stories, genealogies, chronologies, and other parts of the narrative makes them worthless as historical documents. According to these authors, the
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a number of writers had published arguments in favour of the Jesus Myth theory, ranging from the highly speculative to the more scholarly. These treatments were sufficiently influential to merit several book-length responses by traditional historians and
282:, were in reality fictions to justify compilations of pre-existing liberal Jewish sayings. Bolland developed the theory that Christianity developed from Gnosticism and that "Jesus" was a symbolic figure representing Gnostic ideas about godhead. 1396:. While this is not an argument that Jesus did not exist any more than it is an argument that the Paul described in Acts, or even Napoleon, did not exist, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe it does call into question the results of 920:). Of the few non-Christian references, almost all merely mention the existence of Christians and their belief, rather than explicitly mentioning Jesus as having existed. The most cited example for a non-Christian reference to Jesus is 714:, the Jewish high court. In Luke 22:66-71, there was no trial, but only an inquiry held by the Sanhedrin. In John 18:13-24, Jesus was never brought before the Sanhedrin at all; Jesus only had private hearings before Annas and Caiphas. 652:
The following is a partial listing of claims by skeptics of contradictions in major biographical details of Jesus's life and death. Those who deny the historicity of Jesus would claim that facts such as these should not be in dispute.
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contained some reliable information about the events they describe. Since Frazerian theories about myth have been largely debunked, and the priority of Gnosticism seriously questioned, the Jesus Myth theory has dwindled in importance.
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narrative, are inapplicable. Moreover, there are many examples of ancient Jewish and Christian literature that shaped their stories and accounts according to Old Testament influence, but nevertheless provided some historical accounts
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is the most similar document of the era. In the small amount of additional material unique to Matthew, amongst the three, Jesus is presented in a way that has strong parallels with significant Old Testament figures, most noticeably
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Some of the strongest evidence against the historicity of Jesus lies in the fact that no mention of him or the events of the New Testament can be found in any of the numerous contemporary and near-contemporary records of the day.
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Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory do not agree on the dating and meaning of the early Christian texts, with recent advocates like Doherty holding to traditional scholarly dating that puts the gospels toward the end of the
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Although seldom remarked on by New Testament scholars, some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that historians lack any reliable and widely accepted methodology for determining what is historical and what is not. As
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moved it. Parallels between Mithras and the birth-narrative of Luke are also proposed by some advocates of the Jesus myth, since Mithras, as a sun god, was born under the zodiac sign that at that time was known as the
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Had presumably all the graves in the area been opened and a corresponding number of dead saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem, it is absolutely certain that those many would have reported the fact, yet none did.
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Several parallels are frequently cited by these advocates, and often appear, somewhat less carefully mixed with more dubious parallels, on internet sites. The most prominently cited and plausible parallels are with
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Jesus's trial is notable for what it describes as a great many of the most egregious possible violations of Jewish and Roman law and custom by all officials involved. The trial is said to have taken place during
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oppose the theory generally consider the contradictions to be inconsequential and largely the result of the orally-transmitted roots of the documents. A significant minority of Christians hold to the concept of
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does exist to support Jesus--mainly, the Gospels--describes a monumental figure, performing wondrous miracles and butting heads with the most prominent figures of the day, not some inconsequential nobody.
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of the Gospels means that they can provide no meaningful historical information about the time Jesus was alleged to have lived, but only about the authors of the Gospels and their own communities
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was rife in Gnostic groups. Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe that many parts of the New Testament were written as Gnostic documents, and that Paul's writing is a prominent example of
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Gnosticism, a diverse religion some of whose branches used some Christian names and ideas and which flourished and subsequently died out in the first through fourth centuries, frequently used
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Jesus, in much the same way that a caught fish gets bigger each time in the re-telling. Those who hold that Jesus is a myth see no evidence that any fish was ever caught in the first place.
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were twelve men personally selected by Jesus and who served as his traveling companions throughout his ministry. They would have come to know each other as well as any close family member.
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According to Matthew 26:18-20, 26:57-68, 27:1-2, Mark 14:16-18, 14:53-72, and 15:1, Jesus's initial hearing was at night on the first evening of Passover; in the morning, he was taken to
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mysticism. Less speculative versions of the theory developed under Dutch Bible scholars such as A.D. Loman and G.I.P. Bolland. Loman argued that episodes in Jesus's life, such as the
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Matthew 27:11-14 reports that Jesus maintained a stoic silence at his hearing before Pilate. According to John 18:33-37, Jesus answered all the charges eloquently and at length.
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Supporters of Jesus' historicity point out that even Christian sources acknowledge that the public celebration of Jesus' birth was adopted from the date of the festival of
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mockery. For their part, the historic opponents of early Christians wrote that Christians had the same religion and practice as they, but were too stupid to understand it.
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which were imparted that were regarded as important, not the method by which they were taught. In the view of some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory, most prominently
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found, that Luke's account goes in depth, that John's talks about how the news of the Messiah was told to Peter, and who knew in Luke that Jesus claimed to be Lord.]
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In Egyptian myth, Horus gained his authority by being anointed by Anubis, who had his own cult, and was regarded as the main anointer; the anointing made Horus into
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While aspects of the theory were influential, most mainstream scholars at the time rejected the notion that "Jesus" was little more than a fiction, arguing that the
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of the time, and Pagels and Doherty (and others) believe that Paul's writing should be viewed in the context of the Hellenic culture which formed his background.
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No peer-reviewed work advocating the Jesus Myth theory exists and it has had little impact on the consensus among New Testament academics of Jesus' historicity.
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portrays a figure who never actually lived. Current theories arose from nineteenth century scholarship on the formation of myth, in the work of writers such as
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Records of major earthquakes from the period are rather comprehensive, yet no recorded earthquake happened at a time when the crucifixion could have happened.
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Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory regularly accuse those who advocate the existence of such parallels of confusing the issue of who was borrowing from whom
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There are many different views regarding the nature of the early texts. Earl Doherty argues that Jesus is a historicized mythic figure created out of the
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Doherty's treatment of the issue has received much attention on the internet from both sides of the debate, including favourable reviews by skeptics Dr.
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While there are undoubtedly many people who were crucified who remain unknown to history, various records of countless crucifixions survive. Romans saw
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Frazer further attempted to explain the origins of humanity's mythic beliefs in the idea of a "sacrificial king", associated with the sun as a
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The rending of the veil of the temple would have been a most remarkable occurrence, yet it remained intact until the temple was destroyed in
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into Heaven. In Luke, the Disciples are outdoors at Bethany where Jesus was in the act of blessing them when he was carried up to Heaven.
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Christian authors, though several scholars have proposed that when stripped of the implausible Christian phrases, the core witness to a
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warns of "many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." This view was shared by
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Presently, most New Testament scholars and historians consider the question as resolved in favour of Jesus' historicity. Nevertheless,
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letters. For some writers it is almost as if the disputed group were written specifically to counter the group thought to be genuine.
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Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory point out that the earliest references to Jesus are by Christian writers (in the New Testament and
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Some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that many aspects of the Gospel stories of Jesus have remarkable parallels with
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The Crucial Bridge: the Elijah-Elisha Narrative as an interpretive synthesis of Genesis-Kings and a literary model for the Gospels
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a man named Stada, but nobody recorded any crucifixion of a charismatic rebel preacher who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ.
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living in Alexandria at this time, would have recorded the presence of the prophesied and persecuted future King of the Jews.
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Paul, James the Just, Hillel, Honi the Circledrawer). Scholars of the period however believe that these early quotes refer to
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The term "Jesus Myth" actually covers a broad range of ideas, but most share the common premise that the narrative of the
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prevalent in the hellenic culture amongst which Christianty was born. The central figure of one of the most widespread,
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implausible parallels, advocating particular theologies to replace Christianity, and using non standard terms (e.g.
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work has been published and this theory has not found widespread acceptance among Bible scholars and historians.
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and assert that contradictions are apparent only and result from human failings to properly interpret the Bible.
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2:39-40, the holy family returns directly to Nazareth from Bethlehem, traveling to Jerusalem every year for the
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Price, Robert. 2004. New Testament Narrative as Old Testament Midrash. In Neusner, J., Avery-Peck, A., eds.
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by being baptised by John, who had his own followers, and was especially regarded as a baptiser. Worship of
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account of this most remarkable event, visible from "all the land," can be found outside the Gospels.
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A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Volume One: The Roots of the Problem and the Person
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who, in the second century, scandalized rites about Roman Christians without ever mentioning Jesus.
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Several commentators, from writers whose theories have not received widespread acceptance, such as
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has infused the Jesus Myth theory with fresh vigour with his website and publication of his book,
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report that Horus fed 5000 with just a few loaves of bread, since he was born and lived at the
1591: 1555: 1339:, and the day each week officially dedicated to him by the Roman empire was later renamed the 1106: 1017: 958: 772: 560: 556: 350: 174: 143: 111: 87: 1775: 1073:). Many Gnostic groups even regarded Jesus himself as an allegory, rather than historic, and 1542: 1233: 1181: 1122: 1098: 1049: 1013: 625: 433: 413: 369: 326: 325:
In recent years, the Jesus Myth has had few proponents in academia but has been advanced by
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historians. Mithras was a solar deity, and so was seen as being born just after the
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and the lack of early non-Christian documents to argue that the Jesus figure of the
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did not exist as an historical figure, but was, instead, an abstract, symbolic, and
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The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth, The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross.
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Christian religion and practices, before Jesus was even born, as some form of
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being singled out as least likely to be genuine by over two thirds. When the
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The Encyclopedia of Midrash: Biblical Interpretation of Formative Judaism.
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the Disciples that Jesus will return in the same manner as he was taken.
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Mithras-worshippers felt that hardly anything significant had occurred.
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number, though it does mention nine of them by name at various places.
613: 605: 601: 600:, a Natural History that mentions hundreds of people, major and minor; 397: 309: 224: 134: 42: 1403:
Opponents of the theory, including skeptical commentators such as the
970: 796:
but every other instance is universally assumed to be mythic fiction.
1781: 1285: 1217: 1069: 1045: 943:
CE (more than two generations after most Christian scholars date the
823: 775:, no actual record of any such astronomical phenomenon can be found. 629: 470: 165: 70: 38: 1763: 1711: 1154: 1087: 710:
In Matthew 26:59-66 and Mark 14:55-64, Jesus is tried by the entire
297:. The most influential of the books arguing for a mythic Jesus was 105:
and it's connection to the regeneration of the earth in springtime.
1324: 1209: 1127: 585: 486: 482: 401: 271: 50: 1706:"Did Jesus Exist? Earl Doherty and the Argument to Ahistoricity" 1551: 1547: 1280: 975:
The second reference, which merely mentions that a person named
954:, contain two references to a Jesus as the founder of a sect. 1728: 1716: 1463:
The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History
616:, Roman satirists who favored topics similar to Jesus's story; 1685: 932: 592:, a philosopher and mystic who was a contemporary with Jesus; 548: 513: 268: 1016:
are regarded as not authentic by a majority of Scholars, the
1391:, a well respected scholar of early Christianity, comments, 1275:) - embalmed/anointed Horus - in parallel to Jesus becoming 1040:, have argued that Paul's writing should be interpreted as 940: 925: 863: 597: 544: 509: 474: 373:), a scholar of Ancient History and Classical Languages. 249:
The first scholarly proponent of this theory was probably
572:(written ca. 94) are the subject of often-heated debate. 628:, who both recorded events and people in Palestine; and 1717:
Jesus (was) is a Fictional character (not "historical")
380:, whom the early Christians experienced in visions, as 196:
have popularized the Jesus-Myth concept int their book
1764:"A History of Scholarly Refutations of the Jesus Myth" 1603:. Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York: Doubleday. 675:
feast. No mention of any acts of infanticide is made.
1791:
a page devoted to the issues raised by the Jesus Myth
771:
Although many explanations have been offered for the
1067:, which Gnosticism viewed as a form of knowledge ( 555:For those who reject the authenticity of both the 1635:Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament. 1117:and a lost collection of quotations known as the 460:Notable omissions in extant contemporary records 1172:Parallels with Mediterranian mystery religions 1148:Although there are many types of midrash, the 813:preacher giving such a sermon to such crowds. 750:Matthew contains no mention of the Ascension. 1250:in Egyptian, which translated into Hebrew is 738:In both Mark 16:14-19 and Luke 24:50-51, the 8: 1642:The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide. 1105:, according to which most of the content of 263:thinker who argued that the true founder of 1425:Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels 345:, philosopher and expert on mysticism, and 1461:, 1909/2003; D.C. Duling & N. Perrin, 852:saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem. 524:would have been of great interest to him. 1534:. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press. 1097:According to a majority of scholars, the 1664:Peru, IL: Open Court (Carus Publishing) 1565:Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ. 1166:The First and Second Books of Maccabees 947:), as preserved in the writings of the 899:Early non-Christian references to Jesus 172: 141: 109: 85: 1007: 481:By far, the most notable omission is 7: 1614:The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man. 808:to a crowd of "multitudes," and the 1656:Jesus Outside of the New Testament. 1309:) which others fail to recognise. 996:. Nevertheless, the Hebrew form of 983:who is traditionally identified as 396:, who sought to divide and destroy 57:allusion to a higher knowledge. No 1669:The Historical Evidence for Jesus. 1520:The Roman Origins of Christianity. 1093:The influence of the Old Testament 1022:authorship of the Pauline epistles 979:was the brother of a person named 969:as a leader of a sect is reliable 31: 1640:Theissen, G., and Merz, A. 1998. 1271:written in Egyptian documents as 1048:, the centre of one of the major 754:Events only recorded in the Bible 1753:Historical Jesus Christ Unveiled 1729:Hermann Detering's RadikalKritik 1000:, a colloquial form of the name 455:Specific arguments of the theory 164:influenced the development of a 1628:The Historical Figure of Jesus. 1113:were copied wholesale from the 1079:Gnosticism in the New Testament 1063:to guide its initiates towards 1735:Debunking the Historical Jesus 1680:Supporting a Jesus-Myth theory 1371:Historiography and methodology 1: 1747:Supporting a historical Jesus 1453:Elwell Evangelical Dictionary 1451:G.L. Borchert, "Docetism" in 887:According to Acts 1:9, Jesus 1758:Critique of the Jesus Puzzle 1723:The Non-Historicity of Jesus 1307:Anubis the anointer/embalmer 1008:Paul's presentation of Jesus 489:, the "Word" that opens the 137:was symbolic not historical. 1799:Category:Biblical criticism 1770:"Shattering the Jesus Myth" 1633:Sherwin-White, A. N. 1963. 24:User talk:SOPHIA/Jesus-Myth 1814: 1782:Acharya rebuttal to Licona 1647:Thompson, Thomas L. 2005. 363:), and the noted humanist 361:Jesus and the Lost Goddess 41:usually associated with a 1473:Early Christian Doctrines 1437:Jesus Outside the Gospels 1400:into Jesus of Nazareth. 1341:day of the invincible sun 1224:) is very similar to the 957:The first reference, the 847:Portents at Jesus's death 1623:Amherst, NY: Prometheus. 1616:Amherst, NY: Prometheus. 1576:Freke, T. and Gandy, P. 1530:Brodie, Thomas L. 2000. 1490:The God Who Wasn't There 1343:, in turn being renamed 1293:, and more particularly 568:mentions to be found in 1700:"Earliest Christianity" 1572:The Evidence for Jesus. 1563:Ellegard, Alvar. 1999. 1468:Encyclopædia Britannica 1232:. Some versions of the 1220:, whose Egyptian name ( 1178:life-death-rebirth gods 640:Biblical contradictions 570:Antiquities of the Jews 561:xx.9 reference to James 312:, Pauline epistles and 1686:Earl Doherty's Website 1651:New York: Basic Books. 1524:Atwill, Joseph. 2005. 1518:Atwill, Joseph. 2005. 1471:, 2006; J.N.D. Kelly, 1439:, and Graham Stanton, 1134:history but a type of 221:Second Epistle of John 103:dying and reviving god 1776:"Answering Acharya S" 1740:"The Jesus Mysteries" 1731:(partially in German) 1719:Rt. Rev. Lino Sanchez 1644:Minneapolis: Fortress 1626:Sanders, E. P. 1995. 1621:Deconstructing Jesus. 1619:Price, Robert. 2000. 1612:Price, Robert. 2003. 1458:Catholic Encyclopedia 1441:The Gospels and Jesus 1435:; Robert Van Voorst, 1103:two-source hypothesis 959:Testimonium Flavianum 910:argument from silence 874:The Resurrected Jesus 846: 557:Testamonium Flavanium 532:{{disputed-section}} 203:Ancient fore-runners? 1766:by Christopher Price 1760:by Bernard D. Muller 1599:Meier, John. 1987. 1465:, 1993; "Docetism", 891:to Heaven from atop 314:Acts of the Apostles 267:was the Alexandrian 49:, which claims that 47:historicity of Jesus 1712:Jesus never existed 1660:Wells, G. A. 1999. 1579:The Jesus Mysteries 1297:, has some merit. 1202:The Jesus Mysteries 987:, is also disputed 949:Christian apologist 810:Sermon on the Plain 806:Sermon on the Mount 804:Jesus preached the 590:Apollonius of Tyana 418:The Fabricated Paul 412:, and others, like 356:The Jesus Mysteries 331:George Albert Wells 280:Sermon on the Mount 217:The Jesus Mysteries 198:The Jesus Mysteries 1708:by Richard Carrier 1550:; revised edition 1433:Jesus and the Word 1398:historical inquiry 1295:Marian Iconography 1180:in the widespread 1156:; for example, in 685:Disciples of Jesus 647:Biblical Inerrancy 536:Justus of Tiberias 321:Recent scholarship 251:nineteenth century 1789:"Did Jesus Exist" 1649:The Messiah Myth. 1526:Caesar's Messiah. 1303:anup the baptiser 1182:mystery religions 1121:, with which the 1050:mystery religions 1018:Pastoral Epistles 773:Star of Bethlehem 767:Star of Bethlehem 392:of the family of 351:mystery religions 341:), as well as by 287:twentieth century 22:(Redirected from 1805: 1567:London: Century. 1543:The Jesus Puzzle 1513:Allegro, John M. 1450: 1419: 1354:stable of Augeas 1258:house of Any/Anu 1246:, and was named 1234:Book of the dead 1123:Gospel of Thomas 1099:synoptic problem 1014:epistles of Paul 725:The Resurrection 626:Aelius Aristides 596:, who wrote, in 434:The Jesus Puzzle 414:Hermann Detering 370:The Jesus Puzzle 335:The Jesus Legend 327:William B. Smith 245:Early proponents 207:Some, including 187: 182:Empty citation ( 180: 178: 170: 162:Jewish mysticism 156: 151:Empty citation ( 149: 147: 139: 131:Pauline Epistles 124: 119:Empty citation ( 117: 115: 107: 100: 95:Empty citation ( 93: 91: 83: 45:position on the 37:is a historical 27: 18:User talk:Sophia 1813: 1812: 1808: 1807: 1806: 1804: 1803: 1802: 1778:by Mike Licona 1772:by J.P. Holding 1749: 1725:Michael Hoffman 1682: 1677: 1662:The Jesus Myth. 1654:Van Voorst, R. 1509: 1485: 1447: 1429:Rudolf Bultmann 1416: 1413: 1373: 1337:winter solstice 1186:Osiris-Dionysus 1174: 1095: 1012:Several of the 1010: 901: 885: 876: 849: 836: 834:The crucifixion 819: 802: 800:Public ministry 793: 791:Public miracles 784: 782:Flight to Egypt 769: 756: 736: 727: 701: 681: 668: 666:Early childhood 659: 642: 594:Pliny the Elder 588:, who wrote of 584:These include: 578: 553: 530: 518: 479: 462: 457: 444:Richard Carrier 440:Robert M. Price 353:(co-authors of 349:, a scholar of 323: 303:The Christ-Myth 247: 205: 181: 171: 169: 160:proposed that 150: 140: 138: 125:Later works by 118: 108: 106: 94: 84: 82: 67: 29: 28: 21: 20: 12: 11: 5: 1811: 1809: 1796:Category:Jesus 1793: 1792: 1786: 1785: 1784: 1773: 1767: 1761: 1755: 1748: 1745: 1744: 1743: 1742:by Freke/Gandy 1737: 1732: 1726: 1720: 1714: 1709: 1703: 1697: 1688: 1681: 1678: 1676: 1675:External links 1673: 1672: 1671: 1665: 1658: 1652: 1645: 1638: 1631: 1624: 1617: 1610: 1604: 1597: 1574: 1570:France, R. T. 1568: 1561: 1535: 1528: 1522: 1516: 1508: 1505: 1504: 1503: 1498: 1496:John of Gamala 1493: 1484: 1481: 1412: 1409: 1378:historiography 1372: 1369: 1238:house of bread 1173: 1170: 1162:1 and 2 Samuel 1115:Gospel of Mark 1094: 1091: 1009: 1006: 985:James the Just 963:second-century 900: 897: 884: 881: 875: 872: 848: 845: 835: 832: 818: 815: 801: 798: 792: 789: 783: 780: 778: 768: 765: 755: 752: 735: 732: 726: 723: 705:Pontius Pilate 700: 697: 680: 677: 667: 664: 658: 655: 641: 638: 577: 574: 552: 543:Josephus (ca. 541: 529: 526: 517: 508:Plutarch (ca. 506: 504: 495:Pontius Pilate 491:Gospel of John 478: 467: 461: 458: 456: 453: 422:second century 339:The Jesus Myth 322: 319: 246: 243: 215:in their book 204: 201: 188:Most recently 66: 63: 30: 15: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1810: 1801: 1800: 1797: 1790: 1787: 1783: 1780: 1779: 1777: 1774: 1771: 1768: 1765: 1762: 1759: 1756: 1754: 1751: 1750: 1746: 1741: 1738: 1736: 1733: 1730: 1727: 1724: 1721: 1718: 1715: 1713: 1710: 1707: 1704: 1702:by G.A. Wells 1701: 1698: 1696: 1692: 1689: 1687: 1684: 1683: 1679: 1674: 1670: 1667:Wells, G. A. 1666: 1663: 1659: 1657: 1653: 1650: 1646: 1643: 1639: 1636: 1632: 1629: 1625: 1622: 1618: 1615: 1611: 1609: 1605: 1602: 1598: 1596: 1593: 1589: 1585: 1584:Timothy Freke 1581: 1580: 1575: 1573: 1569: 1566: 1562: 1560: 1557: 1553: 1549: 1545: 1544: 1539: 1536: 1533: 1529: 1527: 1523: 1521: 1517: 1514: 1511: 1510: 1506: 1502: 1499: 1497: 1494: 1492: 1491: 1487: 1486: 1482: 1480: 1478: 1474: 1470: 1469: 1464: 1460: 1459: 1454: 1449: 1444: 1442: 1438: 1434: 1430: 1426: 1422: 1421:Michael Grant 1418: 1410: 1408: 1406: 1405:Jesus Seminar 1401: 1399: 1395: 1390: 1389:J. D. Crossan 1384: 1382: 1379: 1370: 1368: 1366: 1361: 1357: 1355: 1350: 1349:Constantine I 1346: 1342: 1338: 1332: 1330: 1329:pre-cognitive 1326: 1322: 1318: 1314: 1310: 1308: 1304: 1298: 1296: 1292: 1288: 1287: 1282: 1278: 1274: 1270: 1267:(a religious 1266: 1261: 1259: 1255: 1254: 1249: 1245: 1244: 1239: 1235: 1231: 1227: 1223: 1219: 1215: 1211: 1205: 1203: 1199: 1195: 1191: 1187: 1183: 1179: 1171: 1169: 1168:, p. 15-17). 1167: 1163: 1159: 1155: 1151: 1150:Toledot Yeshu 1146: 1142: 1140: 1137: 1131: 1129: 1124: 1120: 1116: 1112: 1108: 1104: 1100: 1092: 1090: 1088: 1085: 1082: 1080: 1076: 1072: 1071: 1066: 1062: 1058: 1053: 1051: 1047: 1043: 1039: 1038:Elaine Pagels 1035: 1030: 1026: 1023: 1019: 1015: 1005: 1003: 999: 995: 993: 989: 986: 982: 978: 973: 971: 968: 964: 960: 955: 953: 950: 946: 942: 939:, written in 938: 934: 930: 927: 923: 919: 918:its Apocrypha 914: 911: 907: 906:first century 898: 896: 894: 890: 883:The Ascension 882: 880: 873: 871: 867: 865: 860: 857: 853: 844: 841: 833: 831: 827: 825: 816: 814: 811: 807: 799: 797: 790: 788: 781: 779: 776: 774: 766: 764: 760: 753: 751: 748: 744: 741: 734:The Ascension 733: 731: 724: 722: 718: 715: 713: 708: 706: 698: 696: 692: 688: 686: 679:The Disciples 678: 676: 674: 665: 663: 656: 654: 650: 648: 639: 637: 633: 631: 627: 623: 619: 615: 611: 607: 603: 599: 595: 591: 587: 582: 575: 573: 571: 566: 562: 558: 550: 546: 542: 540: 537: 533: 527: 525: 522: 515: 511: 507: 505: 502: 500: 496: 492: 488: 484: 476: 472: 468: 466: 459: 454: 452: 449: 447: 445: 441: 437: 435: 430: 425: 423: 419: 415: 411: 410:first century 405: 403: 399: 395: 391: 387: 386:Joseph Atwill 384:says he did. 383: 379: 378:Old Testament 374: 372: 371: 366: 362: 358: 357: 352: 348: 344: 343:Timothy Freke 340: 336: 332: 328: 320: 318: 315: 311: 306: 304: 300: 296: 293: 292:New Testament 288: 285:By the early 283: 281: 277: 273: 270: 266: 262: 258: 255: 252: 244: 242: 240: 234: 232: 228: 226: 222: 218: 214: 210: 209:Timothy Freke 202: 200: 199: 195: 191: 190:Timothy Freke 185: 176: 167: 163: 159: 154: 145: 136: 132: 128: 122: 113: 104: 98: 89: 80: 76: 72: 64: 62: 60: 59:peer-reviewed 56: 52: 48: 44: 40: 36: 25: 19: 1794: 1668: 1661: 1655: 1648: 1641: 1634: 1627: 1620: 1613: 1607: 1600: 1577: 1571: 1564: 1541: 1531: 1525: 1519: 1488: 1472: 1466: 1462: 1456: 1452: 1448: 1445: 1440: 1436: 1432: 1424: 1417: 1414: 1402: 1397: 1392: 1385: 1374: 1365:Sol Invictus 1362: 1358: 1353: 1344: 1340: 1333: 1325:diabolically 1320: 1311: 1306: 1305:rather than 1302: 1299: 1284: 1276: 1272: 1265:Horus karast 1264: 1262: 1257: 1251: 1241: 1237: 1221: 1206: 1189: 1175: 1165: 1147: 1143: 1132: 1096: 1068: 1064: 1054: 1034:Earl Doherty 1031: 1027: 1011: 1001: 997: 991: 980: 976: 974: 966: 956: 936: 915: 902: 893:Mount Olivet 886: 877: 868: 861: 858: 854: 850: 837: 828: 820: 803: 794: 785: 777: 770: 761: 757: 749: 745: 737: 728: 719: 716: 709: 702: 693: 689: 682: 669: 660: 651: 643: 634: 583: 579: 554: 534: 531: 519: 503: 480: 463: 450: 432: 429:Earl Doherty 426: 417: 406: 375: 368: 365:Earl Doherty 360: 354: 338: 334: 324: 307: 302: 299:Arthur Drews 284: 265:Christianity 248: 235: 229: 206: 158:Earl Doherty 129:drew on the 79:James Frazer 68: 55:metaphorical 34: 32: 1588:Peter Gandy 1538:Doherty, E. 1158:1 Maccabees 992:Testamonium 945:crucifixion 937:Antiquities 935:CE), whose 840:crucifixion 367:(author of 347:Peter Gandy 257:Bruno Bauer 213:Peter Gandy 194:Peter Gandy 1595:0609807986 1559:0968601405 1507:References 1286:veneration 1119:Q document 1042:gnosticism 127:G.A. Wells 75:Max Müller 65:Background 35:Jesus Myth 1695:Acharya S 1327:inspired 1243:bethlehem 1190:mysteries 1065:salvation 817:The trial 740:Ascension 712:Sanhedrin 699:The trial 657:Genealogy 622:Epictetus 618:Pausanias 610:Petronius 394:Vespasian 254:historian 43:skeptical 1630:Penguin. 1501:Jus Asaf 1483:See also 1317:Irenaeus 1075:docetism 1061:metaphor 1057:allegory 952:Eusebius 922:Josephus 889:Ascended 673:Passover 565:Josephus 559:and the 521:Plutarch 499:Caligula 295:scholars 261:Hegelian 239:docetism 231:Ignatius 175:citation 144:citation 112:citation 88:citation 1637:Oxford. 1273:HR KRST 1269:epithet 1253:bethany 1230:Lazarus 1214:Mithras 1136:midrash 1107:Matthew 614:Persius 606:Martial 602:Juvenal 469:Philo ( 398:Judaism 310:Gospels 276:Gnostic 225:Marcion 135:Gospels 71:Gospels 1394:strata 1345:Sunday 1321:copied 1277:Christ 1218:Osiris 1070:gnosis 1046:Tarsus 1002:Joshua 824:Pesach 630:Fronto 612:, and 576:Others 547:- ca. 528:Justus 471:20 BCE 390:Romans 166:Christ 39:theory 1582:, by 1411:Notes 1210:Horus 1198:Gandy 1194:Freke 1128:Moses 998:Jesus 981:James 977:Jesus 967:Jesus 931:- c. 598:80 CE 586:Damis 487:Logos 483:Philo 475:40 CE 402:Judea 272:Philo 168:myth. 51:Jesus 16:< 1592:ISBN 1586:and 1556:ISBN 1552:2000 1548:1999 1291:Mary 1281:Isis 1260:). 1248:Annu 1226:root 1222:Asar 1212:and 1196:and 1111:Luke 1109:and 1059:and 866:CE. 683:The 624:and 442:and 382:Paul 359:and 337:and 329:and 259:, a 211:and 192:and 184:help 153:help 121:help 97:help 77:and 33:The 1693:by 1446:2. 1415:1. 1289:of 1228:of 1200:in 1141:. 933:100 549:100 514:127 301:'s 269:Jew 1590:, 1554:) 1479:. 1475:. 1455:; 1443:. 1431:, 1427:; 1423:, 1383:. 1089:. 972:. 941:93 929:CE 926:37 864:70 608:, 604:, 563:, 545:37 512:- 510:46 501:. 473:- 448:. 424:. 404:. 179:: 177:}} 173:{{ 148:: 146:}} 142:{{ 116:: 114:}} 110:{{ 92:: 90:}} 86:{{ 1546:( 1540:, 1256:( 924:( 551:) 516:) 477:) 436:. 416:( 333:( 186:) 155:) 123:) 99:) 26:)

Index

User talk:Sophia
User talk:SOPHIA/Jesus-Myth
theory
skeptical
historicity of Jesus
Jesus
metaphorical
peer-reviewed
Gospels
Max Müller
James Frazer
citation
help
dying and reviving god
citation
help
G.A. Wells
Pauline Epistles
Gospels
citation
help
Earl Doherty
Jewish mysticism
Christ
citation
help
Timothy Freke
Peter Gandy
The Jesus Mysteries
Timothy Freke

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