Did Jesus Even Really Exist?

[Epimethean]

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[Minimalist]

Hardly would Pilatus be known at all but for the eponymous character in the low brow fiction "holy bible"

Pilate is discussed in both Josephus "Antiquities of the Jews" and Philo's "Embassy to Gaius." Neither mentions the godboy which caused later xtian frauds to write him into the story to continue fooling dolts like G-C.

[DeistPaladin]

Now we are getting to the big ones. Both were associated with Him for what, two hours.

So now we've gone from "no one" to "well, they were just passing acquaintances".

Pilate: Crucified Jesus and then Jesus was supposedly seen walking around three days later. You do know that Romans didn't like executed criminals escaping, right? That's kind of bad for the whole point of crucifixion, which was to make an example of the executed.

Herod Antipas: Thought Jesus was the reincarnation of someone he executed.

Both are significant claims. Combining this with all the throngs of people from neighboring provinces coming to see him (rich and poor alike), the priests conspiring to get rid of him, his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, etc. etc., we don't have a narrative that fits with your "he was too insignificant for anyone to have noticed" story.

[Angrboda]

Sedanta really was ten feet tall, and his spear was magical. He really did tie himself to a rock in a war spasm and single-handedly beat off a raiding party (his corpse really did drop the blade on the first person who approached). A group of children really were turned into swans that lived hundreds of years. Oisin was actually a human-deer hybrid, and Finn really ate the magic fish.

I think a mind-meld is in order. And after that, the oral sex.

[Joe Bloe]

Born to a virgin, turned water into wine, cured blindness with spit, found seven demons living inside the body of Mary Magdalene, calmed the stormy sea, walked on water, raised Lazarus from the dead.

The stories just go on and on, bullshit tale after bullshit tale. There is no way that this character ever existed.

Argument from incredulity.

No, it's not an "argument from incredulity". If you read my post again, you will notice that I deliberately avoided mentioning the human being named Jesus. I referred to several impossible events and said that the "character" associated with those stories could not exist. While I did not use these precise words, I think it is pretty clear that I was saying that "the Jesus of the New Testament is pure myth". Other people on this thread have said the same thing:

However,there is no doubt in my mind that the Jesus of the New Testament is pure myth.

Oh, that was you...

[Happy UnBeliever]

Now we are getting to the big ones. Both were associated with Him for what, two hours.

So now we've gone from "no one" to "well, they were just passing acquaintances".

Pilate: Crucified Jesus and then Jesus was supposedly seen walking around three days later. You do know that Romans didn't like executed criminals escaping, right? That's kind of bad for the whole point of crucifixion, which was to make an example of the executed.

Herod Antipas: Thought Jesus was the reincarnation of someone he executed.

Both are significant claims. Combining this with all the throngs of people from neighboring provinces coming to see him (rich and poor alike), the priests conspiring to get rid of him, his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, etc. etc., we don't have a narrative that fits with your "he was too insignificant for anyone to have noticed" story.

we don't have a narrative that fits with your "he was too insignificant for anyone to have noticed" story.

You don't have a narrative to fit any story much less a myth.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

The stories just go on and on, bullshit tale after bullshit tale. There is no way that this character ever existed.

. That you find a thing impossible and therefore untrue is the very definition of the logical fallacy called "argument from incredulity"

There are some equally fanciful things written about the Buddha and the prophet Muhammud,yet there is little doubt that each was an historical figure.That absurdly unlikely things are attributed to those people does invalidate their existence.

However I don't believe in the Jesus of the New Testament with miracles due to lack of credible evidence. I DO believe it's possible ,even likely he was an historical figure,sans miracles.

Our difference here may actually be on of semantics,meaning the same thing in reality: I BEHAVE AS IF all gods,and all religions, without exception, were invented by men to meet human needs and desire;EG from the need for meaning to the desire for power and wealth.I believe the notion of priests/clergy/prophets is one of the greatest a confidence tricks ever perpetrated on the human race.

However,I'm a skeptic,and believe all questions must remain open. I avoid claims of certainty as much as I can,as does science.

[Anomalocaris]

There is nothing wrong with disbelieving what you have comprehensively evaluated and deemed to be impossible. After all, can not be true is the definition of impossible.

Argument from incredulity deals with whether the process of evaluation itself is flawed, not whether you should accept the logical consequence of the outcome of the evaluation in the absence of new evidence.

[Happy UnBeliever]

The stories just go on and on, bullshit tale after bullshit tale. There is no way that this character ever existed.

. That you find a thing impossible and therefore untrue is the very definition of the logical fallacy called "argument from incredulity"

There are some equally fanciful things written about the Buddha and the prophet Muhammud,yet there is little doubt that each was an historical figure.That absurdly unlikely things are attributed to those people does invalidate their existence.

However I don't believe in the Jesus of the New Testament with miracles due to lack of credible evidence. I DO believe it's possible ,even likely he was an historical figure,sans miracles.

Our difference here may actually be on of semantics,meaning the same thing in reality: I BEHAVE AS IF all gods,and all religions, without exception, were invented by men to meet human needs and desire;EG from the need for meaning to the desire for power and wealth.I believe the notion of priests/clergy/prophets is one of the greatest a confidence tricks ever perpetrated on the human race.

However,I'm a skeptic,and believe all questions must remain open. I avoid claims of certainty as much as I can,as does science.

I DO believe it's possible ,even likely he was an historical figure,

In what way? Surely you do not accept the Bible as a credible historical document?

However I don't believe in the Jesus of the New Testament with miracles due to lack of credible evidence.

There is no credible historical evidence in ANTIQUITY that Jesus of the Bible ever lived...

[Minimalist]

That you find a thing impossible and therefore untrue is the very definition of the logical fallacy called "argument from incredulity"

I think you're off base here, Pad.

The idea that "jesus" can drive demons into pigs and send them scurrying into a non-existent sea demands incredulity since the proponents can provide no evidence for it happening.