dockeen

I will start by saying I don't know if there is a scenario in which it could be said to be "proved" that an historical Jesus existed, but for the purposes of this thought experiment, assume that some quite good proof that a figure substantially in line with the gospels came to light.

The proof does not provide proof that he is the "son of god", simply that he
lived and did some remarkable things.

How would this impact your thinking? What would you do?

djrafikie

It was a very common name at the time, I'm guessing there were lots of jesuses.

Vic333

It really shouldn't affect anyone's lives (not the existence of any sort of secular Jesus, anyhow). Theories of a mythical or historical Jesus are merely attempts to reconstruct the past from the evidence we have. I think a person should be able to be an advocate of either position an not be emotionally tied up in the result. It's honesty in method we should be passionate about.

I keep both options open as possibilities, though I believe the mythical hypothesis is most likely.

dockeen

Please note that the conditions of the thought experiment was not simply
that there was some guy named Jesus living at that time, but rather:

"a figure substantially in line with the gospels"

Meaning someone saying what he is reported to have said, and doing some
remarkable things.

In some ways this is a flip of the other thread - but it is in part exploring
how attached those of us who have looked at the history and come to
certain conclusion about the realism of Jesus to our beliefs. Is it
almost an axiom to some (me?) that what we read of Jesus in the bible
is not true, and how would we react to having evidence that the axiom
might not be true?

Zaphod

It wouldn't ruin my life at all - it would just be confirmation of the prosaic.

aa5874

If Jesus did exist as described in the NT then I would have to investigate the existence of Allah and all other Gods before I make a decision on which one to follow.

credoconsolans

Heracles or Odin, Ishtar, the Shinto spirits, etc., .

Toto

That was what I thought until about 10 years ago. But that made Jesus just another idealist failed reformer, whose followers completely screwed up his ideas. :huh:

stephan huller

But his name is recorded in Irenaeus AND the rabbinic literature as Yeshu which is utterly unique. The idea that his name was common is incorrect. Irenaeus makes the amazing claim that any mystical inferences drawn from the Greek Ἰησοῦς are utterly misguided because his real name was originally made up of two and a half letters. For the mythicists here it is worth noting that Irenaeus does offer a mystical explanation of the name Yeshu.

djrafikie

link plz