Secular Elation

I am writing a story and I need some information of the Jesus story in the Bible. All I know about the story is that Jesus was crucified by the Romans, put in a tomb covered by a stone, and then he rose again. That's it--I don't know jack about why they did it, how many days passed between the crucifixion and the rising, who moved the stone, etc.

Could someone provide a brief explanation of the whole story? Where did the crucifixion/rising supposedly occur? Also, what precisely was the language spoken at the setting during that time of the story?

Oxidizing Material

Pontius Pilate's (sp) religious adviser was wary of Jesus when he entered Roman territory, for Jesus claimed to be the messiah, and there were many people who did not believe him. Mr. Adviser was one of said people.

He advises Pilate to have Jesus imprisoned or killed, but PP is okay with the Christ being around. He orders an influx of guards to shut the adviser up. Jesus is actually seen as a "threat" to the higher powers.

Eventually, John the Baptist is captured and arrested for "slander against Rome", as the offical charge went. He was thrown into the dungeons of Rome, and decapitated for Her Majesty (not the Queen of England). This fufilled the scripturaly prophicy of John's death, and Elizabeth starts crying over Jesus' forecoming death because of this.

Jesus also forsees this, and Judas, one of his disciples, turns him in to the authorities for "Political treason", calling himself the KING of Jews and all, after the religious adviser bribed him (as I recall).

The people are turning against Jesus now, because of the severe love they have for Rome and contempt they have for slander against her. Pilate offers a bargain to the crowd, because he doesn't really want to have to kill Jesus. By Roman law, he's obliged to give one prisoner to the people, and in this case, either Barabus, the thief and murder, or Jesus. Barabus is set free.
To his own, Pilate has Jesus beaten by his guards instead, thinking this will please the crowd, but they demand death.

Jesus is taken to the top of a hill, and is cruxcified between two thieves. That plaque above his head reads "King of the Jews", as the signs read the crimes of the condemmed. The thief to his right denies Jesus, the thief to his left accepts him as he dies, and Jesus promises him paradise.

The medical logic behind this is that his arteries were severed by a whipping he received, and his lungs were filling with carbon dioxide due to the lack of air he could swallow, as since he was hanging by his wrists which were nailed into the wood, his chest couldn't function properly. Actual cause of death from cruicifixion: Crushing of the heart from internal swelling. He suffered limitless pain.

"It is finished" were his last words, and then he died for the sins of man.

It's believed Jesus was around 32-34 years of age when he died, and since they were in Rome, one would assume that the people spoke Greek. Jesus was born into speaking and reading Hebrew.

And Jesus was noted to having risen from the tomb he was laid to rest in three days after his death at the 6th hour. There are some who believe that we was simply a "Buried alive" case and that Roman guards didn't say anything under threat of torture, but the Bible speaks of Jesus being pierced in the side with a sword, which tends to kill permenantly.

Granted, my knowledge of Christianity is a little rusty, but that's what I remember.

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[ April 25, 2002: Message edited by: Oxidizing Material ]</p>

Secular Elation

Was the hill located in Rome?

Oxidizing Material

To the best of my knowledge and what common sense should dictate, I believe it was. God, the name of the hill is on the tip of my tounge, but I can't remember it. I think it was the same name as some rock band get together (Not Woodstock)

Secular Elation

I only want to be positive about the precise location.

By the way, for you secular scholars out there, what theories are there that go against the Jesus story? Now, it is to my understanding that both secular and religious scholars agree that someone was crucified--the secular ones argue that it wasn't the Christian character of Jesus, but the religious do. Is the secular theory that someone really was crucified and buried in a tomb/cave, but that the Christians simply fabricated the bit about the resurrection?

NOGO

You guys should do some reading.
The gospels are not very long.

Secular Elation

They are long enough for me to not have any time for.

Toto

Then try a movie - Life of Brian should give you the basics.

Seriously - many people were crucified under the Romans. Different secularlists have different theories - some think there was no crucifixion of anyone like Jesus - it was all a dramatic allegory. In support of this, crucifixion usually took days - it was deliberately drawn out to torture the criminal - but Jesus allegedly died in 3 hours. And it is unlikely that he would have been buried in a swell tomb - his body would more likely have been thrown in a common grave and eaten by dogs.

What kind of story are you writing? If it's fiction, you could just make up something, since you don't have time to read even Mark.

Secular Elation

How'd you know?

I could just make something up. I simply don't want to include historical innacuracies in my story. After all, I'm no archaeologist.

Toto

There is very little accurate history from that time period. Why don't you lay out what you are going to put in your story, and we can tell you if it's too far off the mark, and who it will offend.