Atheos

I don't think it's such a great mystery how Christianity could have started without a historical Jesus. Worship of mythical figures is quite common historically. The only mystery is why the religion became so popular. I figure it's no different than trying to ascertain why Microsoft ended up with a more popular operating system than Digital Research. Lots of factors to consider.

I don't think Christianity would die out if somehow unimpeachable evidence were to turn up tomorrow demonstrating that there never was a historical Jesus. Honestly I can't imagine what sort of evidence that would be, but for sake of argument let's say it did turn up.

There are already variants of Christianity in place that would continue to do just fine, perhaps even flourish if Jesus was relegated to something more of a Gnostic style spiritual figure whose sacrifice in a spirit world was allegorically represented by a human metaphor.

archibald

This is strictly true, but worship of recent 'myth' characters is very rare, and worship of 'myth' figures who get turned into 'historical' soon after is almost, unique, as far as I know, so it shouldn't, IMO, be the go-to 1st preference, if we have to guess. Exceptions require exceptional evidence. :]

No Robots

Christian theology requires the elimination of the historical Jesus:

The aporia of Christianity is its claim that Jesus founded a new religion, despite his being immersed throughout his life in the practices and beliefs of Judaism. It is his historical reality as a Jew that must be eradicated by Christian theology if its claim to be a new religion is to have any meaning.--"Theology as a vision of colonialism: From supercessionism to dejudaization in German Protestantism" / Susannah Heschel. In Germany's colonial pasts / Eric Ames, Marcia Klotz, Lora Wildenthal, eds; p. 159.

Christian religion must embrace mythicism or perish.

TedM

You aren't really talking about modern Christianity, nor the Christianity that really took over and lasted for 1900 years at least. That's the popular Christianity. That's the one that 'started' and lasted. Your appeal to these variants of Christianity that touch on new-agey gnosticism is an appeal to fringe Christianity that didn't thrive, and therefore I doubt it would thrive if Jesus were proven non-historical. Christianity, as we know it, would die out. You may have a few hundred thousand or even a million 'new age Christians' remain, and they may get a few converts, but 90% of Christians would die out within a generation or two. History seems to be on my side here.

mountainman

That's no mystery. Constantine supported it.


Including a very successful hostile take-over bid in the 4th century.


It's a persistent virus.



* The original three books of Emperor Julian "Against the Christians"

* Ammianus Marcellinus' obituary to Constantine


So Lenny Bruce was right when he said that everyday people were leaving the church and turning to god.

mountainman

We have evidence for only 1686 years at least. (Nicaea, churches, crosses, persecution, intolerance, death and destruction ...)



But the fat lady has not yet sung.

mountainman

Is the academic study of ancient history a real life issue?
To be fair, for some people, it is.

Jesus can only die by means of historical revisionism.
Who controls the past controls the present.
Who controls the present controls the future.

The history of Jesus was written by Eusebius of Caesarea.
Eusebius was either a liar or hopelessly credulous.

mountainman

The so-called holy books at the basis of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the products of ruthless wars. Each monotheistic state religion was implemented by military commanders who had eliminated all opponents and who had absolute and supreme control of their respective empires. It's time to leave all these books in the jet stream behind us.

No Robots

Scholastics, theologians, religionists, sceptics and progressives have no interest in the historical Jesus: he doesn’t serve their interests. Most Jews likewise have no interest in him: now that the cultural power of Christian theology is largely crushed, there is no point in beating it over the head with Christ’s Jewishness. Interest in the historical Jesus thus resides with a vanishing small minority, many of whom self-identify as atheists. The irony of a tiny minority of atheists defending the historicity of Christ will continue to bedevil everyone else.

aa5874

Even some of those who believe in God (the DEISTS) have abandoned their QUEST for the historical Jesus based on lack of credible sources so it would really bedevil many why some atheists want to defend the UNSUBSTANTIATED HJ of Nazareth.