According to Professor Bart Ehrman, Lecture 10, in his New Testament Great Courses series, modern scholars possess hundreds of pagan (non-Christian, non-Jewish) sources from the 1st century.  Why is it that none of these sources even mention the existence of Jesus?

Because All such worthiness of notice the Christians ascribed to Jesus were fabricated by the Christians, so those who were not so forsaken as to be Christians would have absolutely no cause to notice him?

Maybe they just didn't get into religious shit?

(February 23, 2019 at 1:19 pm)Jehanne Wrote: According to Professor Bart Ehrman, Lecture 10, in his New Testament Great Courses series, modern scholars possess hundreds of pagan (non-Christian, non-Jewish) sources from the 1st century.  Why is it that none of these sources even mention the existence of Jesus?

Because he didn't exist. The letter sequence that spells out the name "Jesus" does not exist in the OT. The first book was not written until 70 years after the alleged death claim. 

It is true that a movement that lead to Christianity did exist, otherwise the religion would not exist. The name Jesus was a common name in that region, so it is far more likely that a splinter sect of Hebrews who didn't like the old interpretations created a character like Superman or Batman to compete with the other sects. 

What did not happen is the idea that a upstart pissing the local and Roman leaders off would go unnoticed by outsiders. The Jesus motif is nothing more than humans creating a hero after the fact out of a sense of political oppression/martyrdom complex. 

The same pissing off the wise/authorities motif, can be found in Plato's Apology in which Socrates questioned authority only to be tried in the Senate and convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens, and forced to drink Hemlock.  

Hero motifs are rampant in all of antiquity worldwide. They really reflect nothing more than our species desire to compete and survive.

I am not a mythicist.

(February 23, 2019 at 2:52 pm)Jehanne Wrote: I am not a mythicist.

So babies are born of virgins without a second set of DNA and humans can survive rigor mortis?

You are missing the point. Christians who  believe those fantastic claims are the mythicists. 

It is also a myth That Thor makes lightening. It is also a myth that Ra and Osiris and Isis existed. They are real claims made by humans, but still myths.

If you are trying to argue that Jesus existed but was not a magic man with super powers, then what is the point of your argument that you are not a mythicist?

If you are not sure he existed, all I am saying is that HE DID NOT EXIST.

Humans do not have magic super powers as the bible would imply. So your only other viable choice as to why claims of Jesus exist, is that humans concocted a super hero based on a splinter sect of Hebrews trying to create a new sect.

The Jesus character could not be claimed if humans didn't claim it. 

Just like Paul Bunyan or Jack and the Bean Stalk would not be stories if real humans didn't inspire them. But humans do not have magic super powers regardless. Just like George Washington existed, but both the wooden teeth story, and chopping down the cherry tree story are myths.


As I said in my first post. Christianity does exist. Nobody can argue that. But we can argue and dispute the origins and fantastic claims.

That's the whole point of higher Biblical criticism, to sort fact from fiction.

(February 23, 2019 at 4:27 pm)Jehanne Wrote: That's the whole point of higher Biblical criticism, to sort fact from fiction.

I agree. 

The point is, no matter what provable human, or city, or group of humans existed, myth is myth.

Jesus DID NOT EXIST.

A group of early  splinter sect Hebrews simply got tired of the old ways and slapped a fictional character name on a movement. More specifically the early "Christians" were creating a social movement based on an underdog story, not factual history."


Babies don't have magic super powers nor do humans survive rigror mortis. So the only real mythologists are those who buy that crap.

Little known fact about Jesus, he was the world's first ninja. Only the blessed could bear witness to his holiness.

(February 23, 2019 at 6:21 pm)no one Wrote: Little known fact about Jesus, he was the world's first ninja. Only the blessed could bear witness to his holiness.

Only the thirsty sees the mirage, but it is still a mirage.