RE: The First Century Void
June 16, 2017 at 9:41 pm
(This post was last modified: June 16, 2017 at 9:41 pm by RoadRunner79.)
(June 10, 2017 at 6:22 pm)Minimalist Wrote: One of Richard Carrier's most compelling arguments, the utter failure of any first century Greco-Roman writer to mention anything about xtianity.
The argument from silence, albeit a favored one of some skeptics, is a difficult one to maintain. It is a form of absence of evidence, and the burden is on the one putting forth the argument to support it as a evidence of absence. Normally it is put forth rather vaguely, and my first question is who? Often (as later in this thread) Philo is mentioned, but if you look at Philo's works, it is mostly philosophical in nature, and the subject of Christianity; doesn't fit in. But in any case all the one opposing this type of claim, needs to do, is posit some form of reasonable doubt.
In this instance you brought up Seneca the Younger. As I look through his works on Wikipedia I get a similar feeling. Although it wasn't cited, as near as I can tell, the reference to Augustine is the following
Quote:Seneca, among the other superstitions of civil theology, also found fault with the sacred things of the Jews, and especially the sabbaths, affirming that they act uselessly in keeping those seventh days, whereby they lose through idleness about the seventh part of their life, and also many things which demand immediate attention are damaged. The Christians, however, who were already most hostile to the Jews, he did not dare to mention, either for praise or blame, lest, if he praised them, he should do so against the ancient custom of his country, or, perhaps, if he should blame them, he should do so against his own will.
Augustine of Hippo. (1887). The City of God. In P. Schaff (Ed.), M. Dods (Trans.), St. Augustin’s City of God and Christian Doctrine (Vol. 2, p. 120). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.
From this, I would ask what other is your above quote based on (other than a wild imagination) because it appears to outreach the quote from Augustine on a work that is now lost to us.
You also have the problem with this theory, because it isn't just about Christ, but about Christians. And I think you will find an increasing and linear progression of history from the first century, in which you need to push back quite a bit, and explain quite a bit more, in order to fulfill this conspiracy theory. You also have to ignore those who did write early such as These early writers who mention Christian's and Christianity
There is a reason that Wikipedia says:
Quote:Arguments from silence, based on a writer's failure to mention an event, are distinct from arguments from ignorance which rely on a total "absence of evidence" and are widely considered unreliable; however arguments from silence themselves are also generally viewed as rather weak in many cases; or considered as fallacies.
It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man. - Alexander Vilenkin
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther