Quote:Even if the Gospels weren't actually written until the 4th century, it would be a bit pointless faking Tacitus's account 1,000 years after the Gospels had already said that Pontius Pilate had crucified Jesus.
You are missing the point of the passage. Modern xtian apologists are using it to "prove" that jesus existed but as noted in the discussion the church was pushing the idea that NERO began the persecution of xtians.
As noted in Moss' book, there was no official persecution of xtians until the mid-3d century and even then it was sporadic. The church would have had no reason to prop up the idea of jesus' "historicity." At that time they could have simply burned anyone who argued that point at the stake. The idea that jesus is historical fiction did not emerge until the late 18th century...when the church had lost the power of murdering anyone who dared to suggest that.
As to your questions you have to lose the idea that this was some sort of unified religion that began at a specific point in time.
1: When did Christianity start? Xtianity as we know it now seems to flow from the mid 2d century AD although it has continued to undergo doctrinal changes ever since. The precursors of it are unknown although the Gabriel Revelation Stone gives us a hint that some concept of resurrection after 3 days was existent c 4 BC. Unfortunately the dying/resurrected vegetation god was a common motif throughout the ANE. "Jesus" is the last bit of chrome on the bumper of that idea - not the beginning of it.
2: Where did it start? Unknown but anywhere from Egypt to Asia Minor seems plausible.
3: How did it start because somebody, somewhere had the idea that the real Jewish Messiah was crucified and rose from the dead. How does any religion start? They sure as shit did not get that idea from the "Jews" for whom the messiah was supposed to be a successful military leader - not some schmuck who got his ass nailed to a board after attaining none of the goals which the messiah was supposed to do. There were so many gnostic groups that no one can really sort out how one came to dominate the others and then re-write history to make themselves the "one true faith." I highly recommend Bart Ehrman's "Lost Christianities" for some background on this point. PM me an email address if you'd like an electronic version.
