RE: Jesus and Paganism
July 29, 2012 at 10:32 pm
(This post was last modified: July 29, 2012 at 10:48 pm by Marnie.)
(July 29, 2012 at 9:43 pm)Minimalist Wrote:Quote: but I was talking more about people proclaiming Jesus is entirely a myth with no historical basis.
And what do you think the "historical basis" for jesus might be?
Careful....there are people here who know this stuff.
(Here's a little hint. Just because the bible says so means exactly shit.)
As in Jesus existing as a person and the miraculous claims of miracles and his Resurrection are exaggerated. I can see how Christianity has similarities to other religion's Gods and beliefs.
I'm unsure how to phrase this, but if you believe Jesus is entirely a myth and there was no wandering preacher the Gospels were vaguely based on, how did the myth of Jesus develop and how did the infusion of the culture's take place? Was it a purposeful creation of the character of Jesus?
(July 29, 2012 at 10:17 pm)padraic Wrote:Quote:but I was talking more about people proclaiming Jesus is entirely a myth with no historical basis.As it turns out,there is no credible evidence for an historical Jesus. BUT, absence of evidence is not proof of absence,,although it's usually a pretty good indicator.
Nor is their enough credible evidence [in my opinion] to assert categorically that the figure of Jesus is entirely myth.
My position: It's plausible,even likely that in first century Judea: There lived a wondering ,devout Jewish teacher with a small band of followers. That his name was something like Yeshua/Yoshua bar Yusuf. That he founded a small,very Jewish sect. That he was crucified as were THOUSANDS of Jews during the Roman occupation.
The same may not be said of the Jesus of the New Testament. HE is almost certainly a mythical figure,fleshed out over 300 years,by anecdote, hyperbole,censorship and forgery.He did not emerge as full god/man until after the first Nicene council in 325 ce. The emperor Constantine dragged church leaders kicking and screaming and forced them to cobble together a canon for purely political reasons; order and stability in his empire.
There is no credible evidence that Constantine became a Christian,although it is thought he may have done so shortly before his death. The Roman empire did not become officially and intolerantly Christian until the emperor Theodosius in 380 CE. Official persecution of 'pagans' began in 381
You believe the same things about Jesus that I do. The Gospels portray the "Christ of Faith" and not the Jesus of history.
