Did Jesus Even Really Exist?

[Erinome]

I wonder how many people here think that the Jesus from the gospels in the bible actually existed in reality?

What do you think? Please explain why/how you came to your conclusion.

[Shell B]

I don't care. I came to that conclusion due the awful sense of boredom I feel when people discuss whether he existed or not. Part of me thinks he or someone like him existed, but that you can hardly say he was the Jesus of the gospels, either way. For him to have existed as the Jesus of the gospels, he would have had to have been the son of god, also been god and a miracle worker. Yeah, can I answer no and I don't care?

[Minimalist]

I voted "no" for 2 reasons.

First, there is no credible evidence of any such person from the early first century AD.

Second, the jesus which morons worship is a miracle worker and believing in miracles requires far too many brain farts to take seriously. If there WAS a real human behind the mythology then he is not what they worship anyway.

[DeistPaladin]

I've posted before on this forum that I want to first know what someone means by "historical Jesus". Dismiss the miracles and there's not much left (much like a "historical Superman", the powers are so woven into the character concept).

Further, if you dismiss the miracles, then you must believe the Gospels are all lies and exaggerations, at best. That being the case, what sources would we go to in order to find out what his teachings were or the nature of his ministry?

[Justtristo]

I voted no, not necessarily because of the lack of evidence in the extra biblical sources. However because of the lack of evidence in the New Testament itself outside the Gospels. As Earl Doherty argued in both The Jesus Puzzle and Jesus: Neither God Nor Man, when you read the New Testament letters. The authors never use the authority of Jesus, which you would expect if he had been a historical character in trying argue their positions. Instead when they talk about Jesus or the Lord, they are very likely describing a character who existed in the heavenly realms, rather than our world.

As I see it now the figure of Jesus started out as a mythical character and then got historicised later on when the gospels were written. Not to mention I believe the Gospels were written a lot latter than a lot of scholars argue. Also that the Paul described in the New Testament did not exist, although it was likely there was a historical character which Paul was based off. Which would led to my developing belief that Christianity started out as a mystery cult outside Palestine and that it was heavily Gnostic in flavor.

[Skeptical_Nurse]

I wonder how many people here think that the Jesus from the gospels in the bible actually existed in reality?

What do you think? Please explain why/how you came to your conclusion.

I think that maybe a man named jesus existed and he was a carpenter, but that's common, especially now.. Cheap labor

[Rayaan]

I personally think that Jesus did exist, but the only thing is that, over time, people started to give him God-like attributes and then made him appear as if he is the Son of God. Maybe he is indeed the son of God, but I wouldn't take the word "son" literally, as if he was the begotten son of God. I think it was just another way of saying that he was a "servant of God," or something like that, or perhaps just a way of showing reverence to him. Also, we know very little for sure about Jesus and some of the events surrounding him from the standpoint of secular history, and similarly, we don't know much about what the very first Christians believed either.

Nonetheless, he is a man who is written about extensively and that's the reason that I find it unlikely that a person like him would be a completely fictional one.

[Norfolk And Chance]

I definitely don't care and won't ever debate a theist on the matter, because I just don't care. He might have, he might not have. Proving his existence does not prove the many things attributed to him are true, so you can always skip jebus and get straight to the god stuff.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

I don't know.

I think it's possible,even likely that a man called something like Yeshua/Yoshu bar Yusuf lived in first century Judea. That he was a bit of religious nut.That he had a small band of equally nutty followers, and that he founded a small, ,insignificant Jewish sect. He may even have upset some local big cheese and gotten himself crucified.

That does not does not describe the Jesus of the New Testament. I 'm pretty confident he is pure myth. I also believe the question is irrelevant to the jumble of stolen ideas, hyperbole, fabrication and rank superstitions which are Christianity.

[Erinome]

Most definitely the miracles are hogwash- the product of a so-so imagination. I think it's probably all made up, considering the source of the "evidence".