Did the historical Jesus exist? A growing number of scholars don’t think so

Jobrny ^ | August 30, 2014 | Valerie Tarico

[Mean Daddy]

Most antiquities scholars think that the New Testament gospels are “mythologized history.” In other words, they think that around the start of the first century a controversial Jewish rabbi named Yeshua ben Yosef gathered a following and his life and teachings provided the seed that grew into Christianity.

At the same time, these scholars acknowledge that many Bible stories like the virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, and women at the tomb borrow and rework mythic themes that were common in the Ancient Near East, much the way that screenwriters base new movies on old familiar tropes or plot elements. In this view, a “historical Jesus” became mythologized.

[boycott]

Meanwhile a person like Homer, of which there is no direct evidence he was an actual person, is accepted to have been a real person who lived around 800 BC by the vast majority of scholars.

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Yep. And most believe Alexander the Great exited around 300 BC too.

Nothing is more documented in ancient history than the life of Jesus. Nothing even comes close. I guess nothing is real to these so called “scholars.”

[MichaelCorleone]

There are multitudes of books and videos that make the iron clad case that not only did Jesus walk this Earth, he rose from the dead as well.

If these ‘scholars’ were truly scholars, they would have examined the evidence that so many before them did. And most of these people originally set out to prove Jesus was not the Messiah; they thought they could effectively end Christianity.

These so-called scholars may be intelligent, but they lack wisdom. Let us pray for them.

[Argus]

Jesus is more real than these “scholars”.

[Jeff Chandler]

They screwed up. This stuff is supposed to be published just before Easter.

[boycott]

Bart Ehrman really did cash in on his soul. Everything he’s ever written has be well countered by true scholars.

[Caipirabob]

So technically speaking, these are “anti-Christ” scholars...yeap.

[bigdaddy45]

Thanks. I was going to say the exact same thing. So the 12 disciples died grisly deaths for a fraud? I don’t think so.

[Sherman Logan]

To be fair, the Josephus Jesus comments have always been debated as to whether they are entirely genuine.

OTOH, Tacitus speaks in detail about the persecution of Christians by Nero in the 60s, and AFAIK nobody has ever challenged the passage’s authenticity.

[gusopol3]

Article contends Paul knew nothing of Jesus’ earthly ministry; well, this passage comports well with the very opening of that ministry as recorded in all 4 Gospels:

(Acts 19:4-5
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

it’s Joker time among the leftist intelligensia and this is just another example of their degeneracy.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Well guys you can ask him if he’s real when he comes back.

[Richard from IL]

Here are some interesting podcasts re Ehrman.

http://issuesetc.org/tag/bart-ehrman/

[ifinnegan]

“They screwed up. This stuff is supposed to be published just before Easter.”

LOL. So true.

That and a related one where Jesus was real, but he didn’t really die but faked his death.

They always trot these out around Easter.

[arthurus]

Designated scholars never think so. No god could be smarter than they are therefore the Idea of God is negated because God must be smarter than anyone at all.

[Sherman Logan]

This all gets so old. There is nothing at all unusual about Jesus not being mentioned in the secular writings of the time. It just goes to show what the Gospel accounts state openly, that Jesus was unimportant.

[Thorliveshere]

When you read the New Testament, you can tell it’s real, because the Disciples’ actions and words are so real, real people reactions, especially in extraordinary circumstances. if you were to fabricate something, would you have the story told that you were cowardly and afraid for your life that you would die another man’s connection to you, or would you set yourself up to be somehow heroic?

That’s what always gets me, they did what many of us would do! It’s incredibly relate-able.

[Gumdrop]

“So. All those martyrs died, not just for a fraud, but for a fake fraud, to preserve a fake, fraudulent fiction?”

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Your comment has been stated before. About 25 years ago I saw a program on EWTN with Fr. Ken Roberts. He alluded to the fact that the apostles all (except for John) gave up their livelihood and homes to spread the good news of Jesus Christ the Savior. They each accepted death rather than to rescind their faith or deny Christ.

So, you are on solid theological ground here. It is not logical that the gospel story was made up by a bunch of lunatics or crazy people.

[SeaHawkFan]

So all the A.D. and B.C. dates that are measured in relationship to the birth of Christ is just a coincidence?

I don’t think so.

[ConorMacNessa]

When I went to the actual article referenced in the link provided, I got a pop-up touting "marriage equality." Notwithstanding that red flag, I read the article.

I believe in the historical Jesus, and I reject the assertion that worked over near-Eastern mythology is the "kernel" of Christianity.

The kernel of Christianity is the Word enunciated in the Sermon of the Mount - particularly the Two Great Commandments. Frankly, the question of the existence of historical Jesus is in one sense not relevant to the truth of Christian Doctrine. Whoever enunciated the Word given in the Sermon on the Mount - and elsewhere in the four Gospels - laid down a law that is not seen in any other tradition or in any mythology.

The attack on the historicity of Jesus is nothing but a proxy attack on the validity of Christianity. And look where that attack has taken our society! To the brink of ruin.


"Dia shábháil ar fad anseo!"

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[boycott]

Here are some interesting podcasts re Ehrman.

http://issuesetc.org/tag/bart-ehrman/

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Thanks. I look forward to listening to a few of them.

Ehrman just seems to throw stuff on the wall and hopes some of it sticks. I guess he believes it will stick because he’s considered a “historian.” He may be a “historian” but he’s not very professional how he goes about just slinging so much out there.