Trying to determine if Jesus existed

The Buffalo News ^ | 1/29/2007 | JAY TOKASZ

[grey_whiskers]

or as a cynical effort to make a little money.

???

Can you explain this in a little more detail, please?

Many of Jesus' statements, as well as Paul's, contradict this idea; furthermore, the propensity of early Christians to end up as martyrs makes the profit motive rather thin gruel--particularly as Christianity did not empasize the heroism of the gangsta lifestyle :-)

Cheers!

[Alamo-Girl]

If he was just a mythical figure they would be the first to say so.

Indeed. Thanks for the ping!

[Fitzcarraldo]

Being hounded by Romans, Jews and Greeks, ship wrecked, imprisoned, martyred, all for an imaginary person?

[melsec]

Being hounded by Romans, Jews and Greeks, ship wrecked, imprisoned, martyred, all for an imaginary person?


BINGO!

Cheers

Mel

[RadioAstronomer]

LOL! :-)

[azhenfud]

Amid much fractious debate - as well as dismissive criticism from many Christians - the group of seminar scholars concluded that fewer than one-fifth of the statements attributed to Jesus in the four Gospels were actually made by him and also agreed that he did not rise from the dead.

The "Jesus Seminar" still exists, but interest in its work has faded, and its founder, Robert Funk, died in 2005.

Members of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion, which is based at the secularist Center for Inquiry, near the University at Buffalo North Campus, want to reignite the debate with a different emphasis.

---

Reckon they ought to call their little seminar "The Lazarus Project".

[Ping-Pong]

1John 2:22 "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."

One of the verses in which God answers their research study, and just think of the time and money it would have saved them.

[UpAllNight]

--We alone possess the self-awareness to acknowledge his existence, but even if we didn't there are countless other proofs available.--

Isn't that what I was saying?

[flevit]

http://www.leaderu.com/theology/burialcave.html

to original findings published was 1958, see link below for an abstract..its in italian..

http://www.jstor.org/view/00029114/ap020281/02a00260/0

[flevit]

the manuscript is in italian, not the abstract... doh...

[Between the Lines]

I believe that James and Jesus were siblings, one way or another, is soundly refuted by the Church.

Whether they were brothers or cousins is irrelevant to the subject. If brother was mistranslated from the OT it is highly likely that it was also mistranslated from Josephus.