Articles on the Historical vs Mythical Jesus

Here are a couple of articles on the Jesus Myth hypothesis:

http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/jesus_myth_history.htm#6

http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/jesus_myth_followup.htm


For a more detailed look into the Jesus Myth, check out The Jesus Puzzle by Earl Doherty, who has written a book and has a website dedicated to his hypothesis.

The book is called The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity begin with a mythical Christ?

http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Puzzle-Christianity-Mythical-Christ/dp/0968601405

The book is an easy read and a real eye-opener. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the latest debates over the historical Jesus.

The Gospel of Mark, why was it written?

It is generally believed among scholars that the gospel of Mark was the first written gospel and that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source to create their own accounts. Mark is generally dated toward the end of the first century, around AD 70.

It is my belief that Mark was written by someone, probably in Rome, about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. The gospel was written to explain that what happened to Israel was prophesied in the OT. I tend to believe Jesus was a mystical/spiritual being as the subject of Paul's gospel message. Jesus lived and spoke from the scriptures of the OT. But that is another discussion.

Below is a well-written article from a friend from IIDB that I found fascinating. It is a good read and well worth your time.

http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/gospel_mark.htm


Happy Holidays,

Jay

Happy Holidays

It's been a while since the last post as life and work keep us all busy these days. I hope to spend more time with random thoughts as time permits.

Happy New Year!

J