Indoctrination & Mental Gymnastics

[goodwithoutgod]

Philo of Alexandria
The early years of the Roman Republic is one of the most historically documented times in history. One of the writers alive during the time of Jesus was Philo-Judaeus (sometimes known as Philo of Alexandria).
Philo was born before the beginning of the Christian era, and lived until long after the reputed death of Christ. He wrote an account of the Jews covering the entire time that Christ is said to have existed on earth. He was living in or near Jerusalem when Christ’s miraculous birth and the Herodian massacre occurred. He was there when Christ made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He was there when the crucifixion happened with its attendant earthquake, supernatural darkness and resurrection of the dead took place – when Christ himself rose from the dead and in the presence of many witnesses ascended into heaven. These amazing marvelous events which must have filled the world with amazement, had they really occurred, were all unknown to him. It was Philo who developed the doctrine of the Logos, or Word, and although this Word incarnate dwelt in that very land and in the presence of multitudes revealed himself and demonstrated his divine powers, Philo saw it not.
Philo might be considered the investigative reporter of his day. He was there on location during the early first century, talking with people who should have remembered or at least heard the stories, observed, taking notes, documenting. He reported nothing about Jesus.

You're just typed 10,000 words, none of which show conclusive evidence that the biblical writings are untrue. Sure you've stated opinions of qualified historians and scholars and then passed them off as demonstrating that your assertions are true. You've attempted to qualify your supposition that christian writers were biased, and therefore lying, and the same for oral tradition, but again what proof do you have of this? Are the teams of qualified historians and bible scholars, who disagree with your assumptions, that have written the commentaries in the numerous modern day bibles biased liars also? I'm just taking one example from your post. Philo lived in Alexandria all of his life. He did mention in his writings that he visited Jerusalem, but never stated how long he spent there or the specific time frame. In fact, we know almost nothing of the details of his life. Show the words from Philo's writings that state that he was present in Jerusalem during the crucifixion, resurrection, etc., especially when we're not even sure of the dates?

That is why they were cited, do some reading, some research. Biblical scholars have known these facts for a long time, they just don't advertise them. My favorite communication from the REL 450 Christian History christian professor with a doctorates in philosophy and theology, "why would you post that information? Are you trying to shake people's faith? The information is true, but you miss the point, it isn't the authenticity that matters, but the message...the belief in a transcendental world, beyond man's physical one which people need in their lives" ....lol yes professor, let's not, "shake up their faith with inconvenient facts that dispell the myth and lies"...anything but that.

Only american evangelical delusional ministers believe the fairy tale as written and peddled, those who actually have studied the history, the majority of which happen to be christians, know the authors for example of the gospels were anonymous, and written much later then "tradition" says. Of Paul's books, he only authored 8 of the 13, this isn't earthshaking to a biblical historian, these are known facts, that the vast majority accept, because it is irrefutable when analyzed. Read the books, do the research, I have, that is why I cite my papers. Anyone can have an opinion. Dr Carrier's "historicity of jesus, why we might have reason to doubt" has 86 pages of citations, traceable back to validate each and everything he asserts...that is substantially more relevant then what rev johnson told you at church.

Heck if you dont want to read, google authorship of (fill in the blank), click wiki, (no, that isnt my point), scroll down to the bottom to the blue hyperlinked SOURCES, read and validate those, chase the trail of information, I have done so for many years, and finally went and obtained a degree in religious studies from saint leo university...and in every class challenged the instructor on the validity of the information, and in every circumstance, they would defer to "the message", the "importance of belief in a better world, a transcendental world"...while confirming facts like, well yes, John didn't write that and we don't know who did, but it was "passed down via oral tradition"...mhmmm. cause that's valid. I have hundreds of books on the subject, the vast majority of which are christian textbooks, scholarly articles, biblical historical studies...the information is there, it is just the....inconvenient truth.

As it happens, we have an excellent witness to events in Judaea and the Jewish diaspora in the first half of the first century AD: Philo of Alexandria (c25 BC-47 AD).

Philo was an old man when he led an embassy from the Jews to the court of Emperor Gaius Caligula. The year was 39-40 AD. Philo clearly, then, lived at precisely the time that "Jesus of Nazareth" supposedly entered the world to a chorus of angels, enthralled the multitudes by performing miracles, and got himself crucified.

Philo was also in the right place to give testimony of a messianic contender. A Jewish aristocrat and leader of the large Jewish community of Alexandria, we know that Philo spent time in Jerusalem (On Providence) where he had intimate connections with the royal house of Judaea. His brother, Alexander the "alabarch" (chief tax official), was one of the richest men in the east, in charge of collecting levies on imports into Roman Egypt. Alexander's great wealth financed the silver and gold sheathing which adorned the doors of the Temple (Josephus, War 5.205). Alexander also loaned a fortune to Herod Agrippa I (Antiquities 18).

One of Alexander's sons, and Philo's nephews, Marcus, was married to Berenice, daughter of Herod Agrippa, tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, 39-40. After the exile of Herod Antipas – villain of the Jesus saga – he ruled as King of the Jews, 41-44 AD. Another nephew was the "apostate" Julius Alexander Tiberius, Prefect of Egypt and also Procurator of Judaea itself (46-48 AD).

Much as Josephus would, a half century later, Philo wrote extensive apologetics on the Jewish religion and commentaries on contemporary politics. About thirty manuscripts and at least 850,000 words are extant. Philo offers commentary on all the major characters of the Pentateuch and, as we might expect, mentions Moses more than a thousand times.

Yet Philo says not a word about Jesus, Christianity nor any of the events described in the New Testament. In all this work, Philo makes not a single reference to his alleged contemporary "Jesus Christ", the godman who supposedly was perambulating up and down the Levant, exorcising demons, raising the dead and causing earthquake and darkness at his death.

With Philo's close connection to the house of Herod, one might reasonably expect that the miraculous escape from a royal prison of a gang of apostles (Acts 5.18,40), or the second, angel-assisted, flight of Peter, even though chained between soldiers and guarded by four squads of troops (Acts 12.2,7) might have occasioned the odd footnote. But not a murmur. Nothing of Agrippa "vexing certain of the church" or killing "James brother of John" with the sword (Acts 12.1,2).

Strange, but only if we believe Jesus and his merry men existed and that they established the church. If we recognize that the Christian fable was still at an early stage of development when Philo was pondering the relationship of god and man, there is nothing strange here at all.

What is very significant, however, is that Philo's theological speculations helped the Christians fabricate their own notions of a godman.

http://www.iep.utm.edu/philo/ - of special note: "He may have influenced Paul, his contemporary, and perhaps the authors of the Gospel of John (C. H. Dodd) and the Epistle to the Hebrews (R. Williamson and H. W. Attridge). In the process, he laid the foundations for the development of Christianity in the West and in the East, as we know it today. Philo's primary importance is in the development of the philosophical and theological foundations of Christianity."

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topi...lo-Judaeus - of special note: "A number of works ascribed to Philo are almost certainly spurious. Most important of these is Biblical Antiquities, an imaginative reconstruction of Jewish history from Adam to the death of Saul, the first king of Israel. Philo’s works are rambling, having little sense of form; repetitious; artificially rhetorical; and almost devoid of a sense of humour. His style is generally involved, allusive, strongly tinged with mysticism, and often obscure; this may be a result of a deliberate attempt on his part to discourage all but the initiated few."

A thinking person would presume a noted historian of his experience and caliber, would certainly have heard of the amazing miracles of this mythical jesus who walked on water and healed the sick and blind....nope, not a word. How about these events, since they occurred right in the region ..

Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

Luke 23:44-48 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

Unfortunately for believers, there is not one shred of evidence that this happened...zero, all of the royal scribes, historians, philosophers, and literate people who wrote down and recorded EVERYTHING of any significance, failed to note the whole earth going dark mid-day for three hours...an eclipse lasts about 7.5 min max, so it wasn’t that, and there were two renowned historians who recorded each and every eclipse, as well as any other astronomical oddity....nothing, .....zero. Never happened.

Matthew 27:51-53
King James Version (KJV)
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

nothing? Not a word? one would think the earth going dark, (philo was on earth we think anyway right?) and zombies wandering around town after jesus 's execution would cause quite a stir...nope, not a word.

NEVER HAPPENED.