[ShadowAce]

I guess you could say that. God did architect the universe.....

[trad_anglican]

as well as using human psychology to analyse the behaviour towards Jesus as depicted in the Bible

Read as "as well as making stuff up to sell a book"

[ClearCase_guy]

Jesus rose to become the most senior Rabbi of his time, thus explaining how he was able to exert such influence

Yeah, that whole "Son of God" things had nothing to do with his ability to influence others.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

My theory is that Joseph was a fisherman until the wise men from the East came to the family, gave them a sizable chunk of wealth, and begged them to flee.

Joseph took his family to Egypt, apprenticed himself to a carpenter using the wealth the Eastern Kings gave him, and returned to Galilee where he built boats for the fishermen.

I believe he was a poor man who became a skilled craftsman.

[Perdogg]

Art Vandelay? ;)

[MEGoody]

. . .as well as using human psychology to analyse the behaviour towards Jesus as depicted in the Bible.

:::rolls eyes:::

[Genoa]

John 7:15 — “The Jews therefore marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” This seems to indicate that Jesus was not formally trained. His followers called him Rabbi as a courtesy.

[SnakeDoctor]

>> If Jesus was the son of a poor itinerant carpenter with some radical ideas nobody would have been that concerned about what he said.

... until the “son of a poor carpenter” starts raising people from the dead. Miracles performed on command tend to draw attention ... even to idnviduals who are otherwise unlikely to be listened to.

SnakeDoc

[Jedidah]

My understanding is that the word that has been translated “carpenter” in our English bibles actually means “builder” and that, since most buildings in that time were of stone, he was more likely a stone mason.

Attempts to portray Jesus as anything other than an average Jew from a modest family in a nondescript town is counter to what scripture says.

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

[subterfuge]

so if Jesus was an ordinary Jew he would have been arrested or physically attacked.

Ummmmm, Jesus WAS arrested and physically attacked. And I don't believe He had a "high position" either.

[randog]

...Jesus rose to become the most senior Rabbi of his time...

I guess that's one definition of "Messiah".

I suppose if you take God out of the equation this guy's thesis makes sense, but that's a mighty big 'if'.

[Vendome]

Yes he was.

He was the Son of the Great Architect.

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

this is horse hockey where’d he go? RISD? MIT? Princeton? Harvard?

[Doc Savage]

My new book is due out in May clearly showing that Jesus one one of Mary’s octuplets. In fact I’m developing a new show called ‘8 is Enough!’.

[mountainlion]

I see a man trying to tailgate on another author and write his own davinchi code. Read the Bible and you will know the truth. If any of this trash was true then why didn't Ussher or Josephus write about it?

[pgyanke]

'For example, when Jesus turned the money changers out of the temple there is no mention in the Bible of the police guards getting involved or there being a backlash.

That's because He was right to do it! He gave His reasons for His actions and the Chief Priests were afraid to physically confront Him... because He was right. They tried to call Him out... but failed.

[GreyFriar]

At least we know he was NOT a politician!

[martin_fierro]

[righttackle44]

A guy who wants to dismiss the Deity of Jesus Christ. These guys can argue against it all they wish. They will be proven wrong. The irony of all of this is that Jesus still loves them and died and rose for their, and my, sin and sinfulness.

[WKB]

Baptist ping