Existence of Jesus

[DD_8630]

Well I guess I'm thinking that perhaps ideas altogether are statistically more likely to be based on something than be made up from scratch!

So perhaps the Jesus of the bible is therefore more likely to be based on someone who really existed?

And don't you think the 'main character' would seem 'more real' (apart from the miracles LOL!) if he/she was actually based on someone?

Ah, but if you're going to discard the fantastical parts of Jesus life as false, why keep the mundane parts as true?

I dunno I just think its more probable that Jesus was based on someone than made up altogether.

Sure there's no evidence that he was based on someone. But there's also no evidence he was just made up COMPLETELY from scratch either. It could be either.

And is made up from scratch necessarily the automatic default position because it seems more parsimonious or something?

Exactly. Occam's Razor implies that, all things otherwise the same, the explanation which posits less entities is more likely to be true. In this case, we have one explanation (Jesus didn't exist) posits less entities than the other (Jesus existed).

Probably

Almost certainly

Yes.
No.
Maybe...
Can you repeat the question?

:p

Ok;

Of course THE Jesus didn't exist. Because there was no virgin birth or son or God or miracles and whatnot!

Heh, I was quoting the lyrics from Malcolm in the Middle :p

Either he existed or he didn't :p

Indeed. What I mean is how similar would the 'character' based on Jesus. The 'real' Jesus; have to be in order for it to count as Jesus?

If he was nothing like Jesus. Or it was even a girl - then that obviously doesn't count.

But if he's very similar then that may count. Especially if strikingly similar but without the miracles.

Although the point you make about the founding of Christianity is a very good one (I mean of course lol), because if the guy Jesus was based on actually had very many differences than Jesus. In fact if he was nothing like Jesus - yet he founded Christianity - perhaps that may count still because he founded Christianity - and that's who Jesus was based on (or could be based on).

What if it was a girl? Wasn't even a man? Yet founded Christianity. Jesus could have been based on someone female and changed to male.

I do doubt that somehow. I think simply because men were so much more dominant back then.

In fact if Jesus was made up totally then Christianity could have been 'started' (where do you draw the line, what's the start?) by a whole bunch of people.

I guess it comes down to what you consider 'Jesus' to be. An actual man by the name of Jesus who lived in the early first century, or the founder of Christianity (regardless of name, dates, etc), or the individual on whom the Biblical character of Jesus was based (regardless of whether he did the alleged things), etc.