Kosh

The "younger brother" comment in the time machine thread got me to thinking.

Ignoring the many other plausible arguments for the origin of the resurrection myth, why do we never see Jesus "resurrection" explained away as a possible slight of hand by twins?

What was the occurrence (and survival rate) of twins in ancient Israel?

Toto

I attended a lecture once by someone with an elaborate theory of how Jesus had a twin who was separated from him at birth, and the sightings after his death were of his twin. It was possible, but not especially convincing - since it is more parsimonious and in accord with the evidence to assume that the post-resurrection sightings were later legends.

I don't know that the theory was ever written up for publication, but William Lane Craig uses that theory in his attempt to show that an actual resurrection is the best explanation of the evidence - because all of the naturalistic explanations are so improbable.

Tao of Pooh

I read a novel that had the theory of Jesus having a twin in it. I can't remember the name of it tho (damn!) Anyway, I remember the twin's name was Seth. I thought it was interesting.




Sin lies in hurting other people unneccesarily. All other sins are invented nonsense.

robto

It's interesting that the Gospel of Thomas is supposed to have been written by Jesus's twin brother, Didymos Judas Thomas. Judas is the same name as Jude (as in the epistle of Jude) and Didymos and Thomas both mean "twin".

In the Acts of Thomas (IIRC) there is a story about Thomas trying, unsuccessfully, to convince some newlyweds not to have sex. Someone who looks like Thomas then appears in the bedchamber and talks the bride out of consummating the marriage. This, of course, was Jesus, not Thomas, who appeared to her.

Kosh

From Here

"According to the lot, therefore, India fell unto Judas Thomas, which is also the twin: "

This seems a little vague on just whose twin Judas Thomas is. It simply points out that he has a twin, not that he's Jesus' twin.

Do you have any other information?

robto

From the same site. I agree it's not completely spelled out, but
- Thomas is a brother of Jesus
- Thomas is a twin
- Thomas looks like Jesus

So it seems reasonable to conclude that he is Jesus's twin. This, at least, is what NT scholars have concluded. (For example, Drijvers's intro to Acts of Thomas in Schneemelcher, NT Apocrypha.)

Gooch's dad

About forty years ago, a pulp fiction novelist named Frank Yerby wrote an excellent novel with the "Jesus and his twin brother" plot. Judas My Brother had an extensive set of footnotes in the back, and was one of my first exposures to skeptical biblical criticism.

The problem I see with the twin hypothesis is this--why wouldn't Paul have met the actual twin brother, a few years later? It only makes sense if the twin runs off to Egypt to avoid being crucified as another rabble-rouser.

Jedi Mind Trick

If Jude was Jesus' twin, wouldnt that shoot the virgin birth down, else the twin was a god/man also? I don't know.

robto

Well, the Thomas Christians probably didn't believe in the virgin birth. There's no mention of it in the Gospel of Thomas. I haven't read all of the Acts of Thomas, so I don't know if it's in there.

But even in mainstream Christianity, the virgin birth was a later development. None of the earliest sources (Paul, Mark, Q) mention it. Nor does the Gospel of John, for that matter.

Chris Weimer

I actually have Yerby's novel, but never read it. Found it at some dollar sale. Is it any good?