How did the myth of Jesus' resurrection originate?

[Aractus]

I tend to agree with you on most of your statements. The one I have trouble with is about inventing the story. If it were the priest or other authorities I could see it being possible. But, with the common man, who is going to believe tax collectors and fisherman, none had note worthy positions in the community.

The tax collector, I suppose much like a Bailiff, did have powers recognized under the Roman law, and so was a "worthy position" - the fact that the Jews despised them means nothing really.

The more important point is the fact that the eye witnesses recorded to the empty tomb are women, and just like invalids, they had no legal recognition under the Roman law (or for that matter Jewish law*) to bare witness to events such as these. So if the story was invented, it should have been invented with somebody who was legally able to bare witness to the empty tomb.

*A note on Jewish law is that yes they could bare testimony, but only when certain conditions were met, and regardless they had much less recognition for baring testimony than men.

They all died for their beliefs and were poor, so where was the motive.

No, they weren't all poor. Some were poor to begin with and others chose to become poor and lead a life of poverty.

Did they all die for the beliefs? No, we don't know that! We know that some of them did, but we also know lots and lots of Jews perished 69-70AD when Jerusalem was taken by siege and they were crucified en mass. And we do know, with near certainty that both Peter and Paul died as martyrs, with Paul almost certainly being beheaded, and I believe Peter was probably beheaded.

Answer me this - was St Peter Jewish or Greek? Can you give me a definitive answer one way or the other? I can't - I can say though that he was probably Jewish. If he was Jewish then he could have been crucified, however if he was a Roman he could not have been.