This page includes links to, and my comments on, the question of the existence of Jesus in the historical record.
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Did Jesus Christ exist All sides to the question: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcno.htm Extensive commentary and links.
Did Jesus exist: http://www.gate.net/~zardoz/exist.htm Did a historical Jesus exist? by Jim Walker. . . . No one has the slightest physical evidence to support a historical Jesus; no artifacts, dwelling, works of carpentry, or self-written manuscripts. All claims about Jesus derive from writings of other people. There occurs no Roman record that provides evidence that a Jesus was put to death by Pontius Pilate. Devastating to historians, there occurs not a single contemporary writing that mentions Jesus. All documents about Jesus were written well after the life of the alleged Jesus from either: unknown authors, people who had never met an earthly Jesus, or from fraudulent, mythical or allegorical writings. . . . Extensive detail and links.
Did 'Jesus' Exist: http://www2.prestel.co.uk/littleton/gm1_jesu.htm There's nothing new in the idea that 'Jesus' never existed; some Renaissance churchmen, Voltaire, Gibbon and many modern academics and writers have all suspected or believed this. However, it's censored out of the mass media, so most people are unaware of the possibility, which I briefly look at here . . .
Phyllis Graham's The Jesus Hoax (pubd by Leslie Frewin, London, apparently in 1974) seems unavailable anywhere on Internet. The author was a Carmelite nun, and there are long passages in a sort of intense neo-mystical but anthropological style, which is rather self-centred, and I imagine not to everyone's taste.
Archibald Robertson's 1946 Jesus: Myth or History, which is quite good on documents (Thallus?, Pliny, Tacitus, Suetonius, Celsus, Josephus, Minucius Felix; but not e.g. Lucian, Corpus Inscriptionem Latinarum), is unavailable on Internet. Robertson was something of a fence-sitter and relies on the double meaning of 'myth' to avoid a definite conclusion.
Prof. G.A. Wells . . . wrote [in 1982]: ‘My fundamental theses remain the same [as in 1971]: namely, the earliest references to the historical Jesus are so vague that it is not necessary to hold that he ever existed; the rise of Christianity can, from the undoubtedly historical antecedents, be explained quite well without him; and reasons can be given to show why, from about AD 80 or 90, Christians began to suppose that he had lived in Palestine about fifty years earlier.’ And (in 1996) ‘Clergy who are not willing simply to reject or ignore scholarly criticism on the NT are faced with a serious problem. .. they can hardy tell their congregations that what has been proclaimed as Christian truth for nearly 2,000 years is little better than moonshine. ..’
Includes comments on Prof. G.A. Wells (The Jesus Myth) and others, with detailed replies to criticisms.
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA Early Historical Documents On Jesus Christ: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08375a.htm Extensive detail and links.
Non-Biblical Evidence for the Existence of Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ: http://www.christian-faith.com/apologetics-jesus/did-jesus-exist.html Is the Bible the only historical evidence that Jesus called the Christ ever lived on earth? Communists taught that Jesus never even existed. Are Christians foolishly relying on a made-up story . . . Well, actually, Jesus is mentioned by early historians who were not Christians. . . .
1. Josephus -- a Pharisee and Jewish historian . . .
2. Tacitus - A Roman Historian . . . In A.D. 115 . . . , the most important Roman historian of the first century, wrote . . .
3. Pliny the Younger . . . governor of Bithynia, wrote as follows to the Emporer Trajan around 111 A.D. . . .
4. Other Jewish Writers The Talmud . . .
Did Jesus Ever Exsist: http://www.fastboot.com/jesus_ever_exsist.html Historical Evidence for Jesus of Nazareth by Mark Eastman, MD. Flavius Josephus. Thallus. Philopon. Tacitus. Emperor Hadrian. .Lucian of Samosata. Mara Bar-Serapion. Ancient Rabbinical References to Y’shua (Jesus). Maimonides. . . . Surely Jesus of Nazareth was a historical figure and his life, message, ministry was a stumbling block to the Jews of his day.
Who Is This Man Who Says He's God: http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ds/q0205/index.html Various versions!
The Jesus Puzzle: http://infoweb.magi.com/~oblio/jesus/home.htm Was There No Historical Jesus?
Why Jesus: http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/jesus.html Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. Regardless of whether he existed in history, or whether he was divine, many have asserted that the New Testament Christ character was the highest example of moral living. Many believe that his teachings, if truly understood and followed, would make this a better world.
Is this true? Does Jesus merit the widespread adoration he has received? Let's look at what he said and did. Was Jesus Peaceable And Compassionate? Did Jesus Promote "Family Values"? What Were His Views On Equality And Social Justice? What Moral Advice Did Jesus Give? Was Jesus Reliable? Was Jesus A Good Example? . . .
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You can e-mail me at waynerp@sympatico.ca
