(Because Ive seen way too much of this, lately, and its driving me up a wall.) OMG! WAS JESUS CHRIST A ROMAN INVENTION TO PACIFY THE MASSES? Quick answer: No. Longer answer: If youre actually interested in the subject of the historicity of Jesus, here are a few links, from reliable authors that have done a lot of research on the subject. Unfortunately, there are a lot of mythicists out there who do shoddy work (or just out-and-out lie) and it can make the whole hypothesis look silly. But there has been a lot of really good work done on the subject, by professional historians, bible scholars, and passionate amateurs. But you have to be careful. If I was going to begin looking into the topic, I would start with: Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed At All(amazon/Nailed-Christian-Myths-Jesus-Existed/dp/0557709911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382165924&sr=8-1&keywords=nailed+david+fitzgerald) by David Fitzgerald: Terrific book. Funny, easy to read, but also very well-researched. IMHO the perfect introduction to the subject of Jesus historicity. (Hmmm...for some reason Amazon is saying the Kindle link is unavailable. Thats the version I have, along with the audiobook.) It strikes a great balance between being readable and informative. Examining the Existence of the Historical Jesus (https://youtube/watch?v=MvleOBYTrDE&list=PLhXrLKu_La8jLXVFWb21y9Q9blGguDaT2) A youtube video of the lecture that goes along with Nailed. David is a very engaging speaker--its kind of hard to remember the exact sequence of events, because I was reading/watching a lot of stuff (and I had a lot of time, being laid up in the hospital and at home, to do a lot of reading & watching) but Im pretty sure this was my first introduction to mythicism, and what got me interested in the subject. Okay, next is a link to a youtube playlist of various Richard Carrier lectures on the subject. If I was going to pick one expert you absolutely have to read and listen to, the person whos probably done the most to advance serious mythicist studies, it would be Richard Carrier. Seriously, the guy is a genius, and Im constantly blown away by his level of passion and dedication, his commitment to accuracy and detail, and just the sheer amount of information the guy possesses on a wide variety of subjects. My Richard Carrier Historicity Playlist: https://youtube/watch?v=pX4LvKvIWJw&list=PLhXrLKu_La8goMIj_sXjzR2GnQ_iKTKcG Next, a link to Richard Carriers book Proving History: Bayes Theorem and the Quest for the Historical Jesus (amazon/Proving-History-Bayess-Theorem-Historical/dp/1616145595/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382167427&sr=8-1&keywords=Richard+Carrier) As you can tell from the title, the book is not entirely about Jesuss Historicty, and Carrier spends much of the book examining the historical method. Even if you arent that interested in the subject of Jesus, its a must-read for serious historians. A sequel should be out shortly which will focus entirely on the case for a mythical Jesus. A link to Richard Carriers blog: freethoughtblogs/carrier (From his blog) freethoughtblogs/carrier/archives/1794: A link/summary of Carriers responses to Bart Ehrmans book, which argued that Jesus was a historical figure. And a link to a lot of his writings, on this subject and many others (Seriously. Genius.): richardcarrier.info/jesus.html And finally, Jesus: Neither God nor Man by Earl Doherty: (amazon/Jesus-Neither-God-Case-Mythical/dp/0968925928/ref=pd_sim_b_5) This is a DENSE book, not the easiest to read, but methodically researched and considered by many (rightfully, I think) to be essential reading on the subject. Also, if youre interested in further reading, I would suggest taking a look at Robert M. Price. Ive found all of his writing to be very readable and entertaining, and he always makes me think--even if I dont end up agreeing with his conclusions! But he has a way of making you examine beliefs that were so ingrained (especially if you grew up in the church) you never really thought about them critically before. Hope this helps! And stay away from all the Atwill nonsense!! (freethoughtblogs/carrier/archives/4664)
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 07:40:03 +0000
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