Did Jesus ever exist?

[RichardP]

I've heard people argue that the Jesus Christ of the bible never actually existed and was just a story. I always figured that he and the other characters in the New Testament were just as real as any in the Old.

I always figured that the Jesus of the New Testament was just too unique to have been somebodies creation. He wasn't as hardcore as the Old Testament. He was much more forgiving and showed much more compassion than the prophets in the Old Testament.

And "Jesus" was much more "conservative" -- of the Jewish religion and the rules such as the Ten Commandments -- than anybody to come after him (Paul and the other apostles).

So it seems to me that he could have been real since a fictitious character would probably not have been so controversial. I am just reasoning on the basis that he could have been real -- and the "miracles" could have been added to the stories to make them better.

What are the arguments that he never existed based upon? Is there something that would indicate that he had not lived? The parallels with older mythology could just be that people added their favorite mythology to the stories of Jesus to make the stories even better?

[Minimalist]

What are the arguments that he never existed based upon?

There is not a single early first century reference from any contemporary writer to the contrary.

No one heard of this guy at the time he was supposed to be "alive" and doing all these great magic tricks.

(Same goes for mohammed.)

[DeistPaladin]

See my debate on that topic by clicking here.

It should contain all the information you need. Let me know if you have any further questions.

[Drich]

http://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-exist.html

[Minimalist]

We do not grant this idea that the Bible cannot be considered a source of evidence for the existence of Jesus.

Well then FUCK YOU, Drippy.

(All fictional characters exist within the pages of the novel that creates them. Especially your godboy.)

[DeistPaladin]

http://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-exist.html

Most of the "overwhelming evidence" on this website was presented and shot down during the debate.

[Tea Earl Grey Hot]

The majority of scholars including secular scholars think he did but there is a small minority of scholars who have arguments that he didn't. And it's a small minority that seems to be growing in the past few years. Just don't listen to the psuedoscholars like "Acharya S." They give the Christ myth theory proponents a bad name.

Some names to look up: Robert M. Price, Richard Carrier, and Earl Doherty. There some more good ones but I can't remember their names.

[Minimalist]

Jesus freaks like to pretend this is all brand new but, as happens so often to them, reality bites them on the ass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_myth...Beginnings

Towards the end of the 18th century, the beginnings of the formal denial of the existence of Jesus began with the works of Constantin-Volney and Charles Dupuis in France.

Curiously, these two were post-revolutionary writers...in other words after the church...that most criminal of human inventions...had lost its power to silence critics.