Where did the Jesus myth come from?

[Brian37]

Jesus was not a real person, so where did this Jesus myth come from? Was it based on a single other faith? Was it a combination of other faiths? Or was it completely invented out of nothing?

There WAS a person or people, lead by a person, or group of people who started the religion, otherwise it would not exist. And those people got their ideas from prior and surrounding cultures.

Much like what we now call "soda" started out, not as the soft drink it is accepted as now. But when carbonated beverages first started to compete just before the turn of the 1900s , those who sold them at that time, were marketing them as a medicine.

Religion exists like Coke and Pepsi exist. Coke comes out with a cherry soda, Pepsi looks at that and says " We need to get in on that, lets give it a similar flavor, change the can color and marketing and give it a different name".

But what did not happen is baby being born without a second set of DNA and no one has ever survived death.

So even if we found the DNA of a man named Jesus, all we would find is a guy who managed to be a successful marketer of a myth. Most experts who are not apologists lean to Jesus being a myth. But it would not matter if he did exist, even then, he was just a man, and religion is still myth people use for political power.

[jupitor]

Jesus was 'invented' by the Greek community of the time, will you all get that? he is a myth, Greek mythology myth. Introduced because the Greeks did not have a son with this new invisible god that had been made up by King Akenartum of Egypt. Jesus is Greek mythology nothing more nothing less

[FallentoReason]

I really think calling it 'myth' isn't appropriate. Myth implies that none of it is real and just all 100% delusional or however you want to describe it, but I really think there's some 'tangible' elements of philosophy that get missed at first glance. This is because we don't have the right take on the Gospels and keep thinking it's all literal history (hence the myth label possibly). I strongly believe that these people were deep thinkers and not suspect to fooling themselves that there was a real person Jesus. Clearly that's the case now though..

[jupitor]

Jesus only spoke in parables, is that natural? No. It was all Greek philosophy

[Brian37]

Jesus was 'invented' by the Greek community of the time, will you all get that? he is a myth, Greek mythology myth. Introduced because the Greeks did not have a son with this new invisible god that had been made up by King Akenartum of Egypt. Jesus is Greek mythology nothing more nothing less

I AGREE, Jesus IS a myth.

The point IS, that it would NOT matter if he did exist. Virgin births do not happen and people do not survive death, much less the naked assertion that a disembodied magical super brain BY ANY NAME started everything.

Claiming Jesus as being the one true god is like claiming Thor made lightening. Gap answers and naked assertions based on the imaginations of ignorant myth will never be a good tool for measuring reality. Making shit up is only a placebo good for our imaginations.

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I really think calling it 'myth' isn't appropriate. Myth implies that none of it is real and just all 100% delusional or however you want to describe it, but I really think there's some 'tangible' elements of philosophy that get missed at first glance

People wonder why I hate the word "philosophy"

Hitler had a "philosophy" in "pure race". Slapping such a dangerous and ambiguous word such as "philosophy" is absurd and deadly. Christianity is not a philosophy, it is a club full of people who have the same super hero, and even their fans cant agree on what that super hero wants.

What you are trying to say is that real people and real places mentioned in the bible existed. YES, but that did not make the bible a science textbook.

And you are saying "there are some nice stories in that book" so "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water"

Islam has the "pillars" which advocate positive things.

Buddhism has the "Noble Truths"

And YES, the bible has nice stories too.

But none of them make the religions true.

"The New Atheism" a book by Victor Stinger addresses this fallacy of "specialness of label". Our morals are, and have always been evolutionary and while a religion may say some "good" things as Christopher Hitchens said "Name me one good thing said, or good deed done, a believer could do, that an atheist could not".

Christianity and Islam and Hebrews and Hindus, ARE NOT myths in the sense that people believe them and have had a history of passing their stories down. BUT THEY ARE ALL MYTHS in terms of their incantations, prayers, traditions and deities. Our imaginations are far to often passed off to the next generation as fact.

[Epimethean]

Jesus is most likely NOT Greek in origin. Persian perhaps, but not Greek.

[FallentoReason]

Jesus only spoke in parables, is that natural? No. It was all Greek philosophy

I agree.

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People wonder why I hate the word "philosophy"

Hitler had a "philosophy" in "pure race". Slapping such a dangerous and ambiguous word such as "philosophy" is absurd and deadly. Christianity is not a philosophy, it is a club full of people who have the same super hero, and even their fans cant agree on what that super hero wants.

I tend to think that 2000 years ago the mentality of a 'Christian' was conpletely different than what you see today. I don't think it's fair to extrapolate and claim that it's always been about their 'superhero'. I think it was simply the vehicle they used for their philosophy.

What you are trying to say is that real people and real places mentioned in the bible existed. YES, but that did not make the bible a science textbook.

I have never asserted that and I don't think it's what I'm trying to say currently either.

And you are saying "there are some nice stories in that book" so "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water"

Yeah I suppose you could say it like that. Not exactly 'nice stories' but more the fact that I believe there's an alternate and possibly correct interpretation that's getting thrown out. I might not be Christian, but my curiosity makes me dig deeper. I don't think I've ever decided to chuck out the bath water with Christianity. For me personally I find it rewarding having a closer look from a different perspective now.

Islam has the "pillars" which advocate positive things.

Buddhism has the "Noble Truths"

And YES, the bible has nice stories too.

But none of them make the religions true.

Agreed.

"The New Atheism" a book by Victor Stinger addresses this fallacy of "specialness of label". Our morals are, and have always been evolutionary and while a religion may say some "good" things as Christopher Hitchens said "Name me one good thing said, or good deed done, a believer could do, that an atheist could not".

Pretty interesting quote.

Christianity and Islam and Hebrews and Hindus, ARE NOT myths in the sense that people believe them and have had a history of passing their stories down. BUT THEY ARE ALL MYTHS in terms of their incantations, prayers, traditions and deities.

The only thing that can be said is a myth in your list is just the deity. There's evidence for their incantations, prayers and traditions that they had.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Jesus is most likely NOT Greek in origin. Persian perhaps, but not Greek.

Assuming Jesus existed,he was devout Jew and founded a strictly Jewish sect.


Perhaps relevant to look at the origins of Judaism; The influences vary,beginning with Zoroastrianism, (Persia) which also influenced Greek thinking. Perhaps bit simplistic to simply call Christianity a Greek religion,even via Saul.

The polytheistic religion which became Judaism,and later bastardised into Christianity lifted ideas from several sources.Eg at least part of Mosaic law,from Hammurabi, the Noah myth from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

[Epimethean]

I see Jesus coming about at the same time as Mithra in Rome, and Mithra is a much older god.

[Minimalist]

Plutarch recounts that Pompey's army ran across Mithraism when he campaigned in the east in the mid 60's BC. Yet, the Romans had been active in Asia Minor since the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC. For much of the intervening time they were allied with the great trading centers of Rhodes and Pergamum. It is a well established fact that ideas travel along trade routes along with the actual trade items. Mithraism, which flourished in Rome as the cult of Sol Invictus, was popular among the army and the merchant classes.

Go figure.