(October 30, 2010 at 12:17 am)Minimalist Wrote: "Paul" which xtians insist was the earliest xtian writing ( a dubious assertion but it is what they claim) knows nothing of joseph, mary, pilate, a trial, or a virgin birth.
Obviously, those parts of the legend had not been written when the Pauline epistles were compiled.
To give the history of Christ was not what God wanted of Paul, he was sent to the gentile population to tell of the eternal salvation through the resurrected Christ, the death and resurrection are the focus of salvation not Mary, Joesph,Pilate or the trial these were willing and not so willing participants in the life of Christ and none of which can bring salvation to one's life. Min this is old territory, we've been over this, Paul's mission to the gentiles was for salvation, the disciples mission was to prove to the Jewish people that Jesus was the Messiah through their own history.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.