By Earl Doherty
It is a new presentation of the argument that no old Jesus existed. It offers a whole and complete survey of the query via an exam of the early Christian list, canonical and non-canonical, from Q to the Gospels, from the earliest Pauline epistles to the second one century apologists, besides Jewish, Gnostic, and Greco-Roman files of the time.
The philosophy of the period, its spiritual expression within the pagan secret cults, interesting glimpses into the ancient heritage of the interval, an in-depth attention of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, are just the various extra subject matters lined within the booklet. it's a richly-detailed, hugely lucid and exciting account of the way Christianity all started with no an historic Jesus of Nazareth, who got here to existence in basic terms at the pages of the Gospels.
While in line with the author's paintings for The Jesus Puzzle site, the publication is nearly totally an unique writing, now not a compilation of site articles. just like the site itself, the publication has been styled for the final reader, although the scholarly neighborhood will locate it of worth in addition.
Read or Download The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ? Challenging the Existence of an Historical Jesus PDF
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Extra info for The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ? Challenging the Existence of an Historical Jesus
Example text
917-18, beliovcs that Luke has 'by and large preserved the worcfutg of"Q" '. 24 the Pharisees respond 'after hearing' (c'ncooaaVTEs) the disturbing question of the crowd. It is significant that in Matthew and Luke the accusation against Jesus foUows the response ofthc crowd. The charge does not appear 'out of thin air'; it was made because his opponents were distressed by the crowd's response to his miraculous works. Not unlike Mark, the response was to a crisis. Jesus' opponents perceived that the people were being led astray and were forced to render a verdict on the legitimacy of his works.
49. Jcnb, Origins, p. 363; Peerbolte, Amec•deniS, pp. 340-41; so too D. Auoe. Reve/arion6-16(WBC,S2b;ed. M. Metzger; Nashville: Thomas Nelsen, 1998), p. 753. My use of the term 'Endlyrant' is from Jenks. StreETS JesrL< ar Demon-Possessed 39 Bee/zebu/ seems to have an established meaning as a synonym for Salall. How this occurred is unclear since the name does not occur in any literature prior to the gospels, a point that leads some to believe the name was coined on the spot... ~. " The second half of the compound name, ~·floUA, Zebuiil (':>l:ll), has puzzled scholars, yet may be a key as to why the title was used in the accusation.
23. Malina and Neyrey, Calling Jen;s Names, p. 27, nou: that Jesus himselfexercised tbc same type of discernment when be 'saw faith' and 'knew the thoughts• of his oppooenlll. SHEETS Jesus as Demon-Possessed 33 Jesus was labeled a deviant because he acted outside of his social role by being physically mobile. Indeed, the Jesus-movement all wimessed to the fact that its central characteiS were deviants because of their physical mobility. " Jesus' deviance called for a social verdiCI. Some j udged his mobility to mean that be was a wandering 'prophet' or 'teacher', while others (even his own family) as imbalanced or demon-possessed (in service of Bee/zebu/).