Did Jesus Exist

[nailit]

Was going to post on Lonnies thread below but didnt want to hijack his thread.
When discussing jesus with christians they always use the 'trilemma' argument...that Jesus must have been either Lord, liar or lunatic (a C.S.Lewis concept I think) I always respond that they are missing another option...legend.
I see no good reason to suppose that Jesus ever existed. The 'evidence' for a historical Jesus is at best scant and at worse non existant. The gospel stories read as an obvious retelling of ancient dying and resurrecting saviour gods. If read literally they make no sense at all but if read as the myth that they were intended to be then they can be read in a different light.
(by myth I mean as the ancients would have used the word...a story to convey deeper truths and not to be taken literally)
Thoughts?

[naomi24]

Jackdaw, that doesn't work as historical record. Tacitus did briefly mention Jesus but since Tacitus was born long after the event he can only have written about that particular time from hearsay.

[Jackdaw33]

Tacitus must have had his sources. Otherwise, according to you, no history is valid unless witnessed by a contemporary.

[naomi24]

He neglected to name his source. I would love nothing better than for someone to prove that Jesus existed, but unfortunately history is not validated by hearsay.

[Zacs-Master]

If Luke Skywalker had been a character only written in fiction, I'm pretty sure he would have achieved a god like status within 2 millennia.

[-Talbot-]

I can honestly say this is a MT original quote



The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.

[Khandro]

If you wish to continue on the fool's errand of attempting to disprove the existence of Jesus, you may as well attempt to disprove the existence of Pontius Pilate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate

[naomi24]

Khandro, who are you talking to?

[Khandro]

n. Anyone attempting to disprove the existence of Jesus.

[naomi24]

I don't think anyone is trying to do that.

[Zacs-Master]

Then it may be time to revisit the OP. Especially the comment 'I see no good reason to suppose that Jesus ever existed'.

[wildwood]

I firmly believe that there was a man called Jesus at that time, and that he was crucified for claiming (albeit maybe by his followers) that he was the king if Jews.
The historical account loses it's credibility when the scriptures turn to the impossible subsequent events like the 'resurrection' etc.

Jesus was not the only one to be killed for his belief. There are many accounts of the death penalty exercised for religious beliefs, or the lack thereof, even today.
Over the ages, many thousands of people who rejected the Church have been put to death in some of the most gruesome manner by Christians.

We can not dismiss or except something that happened many hundreds of years ago without properly and accurately manuscripted evidence.

There are dozens of new religions that pop up all over the world every week. The vast majority disappear just as fast. The odd one sticks around and if the folks around the centre are under stress or duress, they are likely to cling to any hope offered and can easily be brainwashed.

IMO yes, Jesus did exist, but not as a god or omnipotent being as we are meant to believe.

[mibn2cweus]

I will not venture a guess as to whether the person commonly referred to these days as 'Jesus' ever actually existed . . . not that I don't sometimes wonder if such were a possibility how He would regard what history and its consequences has made of Him.

[Zacs-Master]

And what is/are the conclusions of your wondering?

[mibn2cweus]

Given some of the consequences of His believers, I wonder if He ever wishes He'd never been born.

[Khandro]

If Jesus had not been born, Europe and its culture as we know it, would not exist, though if some of you don't buck up, it will exist not much longer.
Just imagine; all the great cathedrals of Europe dynamited, the Louvre, the National Gallery, the Prado, all torched to the cries of Allahu Akbar!

[Zacs-Master]

Are you not a European Khandro?

[Khandro]

Zacs; In order of ascendancy: European, British, English, Lancashire (cricket), Manchester (football, City).
German guest-resident.

[Zacs-Master]

So that should have been 'if some of US don't buck up'.

[Khandro]

Zacs; No, I bucked up long ago, see my thread;
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Society-and-Culture/Religion-and-Spirituality/Question1527869.html

[Zacs-Master]

Ah yes, I was involved in that. It didn't really convince me that you'd 'bucked up' more that you had a rather 'out there' solution to Islamic extremism, namely the re emergence of Christianity. Which is about as likely as Corbyn becoming PM.