steve_bnk

A story I heard.

Einstein was in the audience at a conference.

The speaker concluded ..'and this is so'.

Einstein asked 'But why imust this be so?'

The speaker replied 'Because it is written'

Euinstein asked 'Written were?'

The speaker exclaimed angrily pounding his fist on the podium 'In my book!!!'

jdl

The Kindle version of his book is reasonably priced, as a matter of fact. And he is right to point out that you haven't done the leg work here. If you haven't read the case that mythicists make, then what point are you trying to make by saying you haven't seen their evidence? I haven't read Doherty, but I have read Price, and exactly the kind of case you are demanding from mythicists is right there in the pages of Deconstructing Jesus. You don't have to agree with mythicists, but if you don't read them then nobody has to take you seriously.

EmmaZunz

@ JonA - If you don't read Earl's book, you're the one who's missing out!

@ GakuseiDon - I'm not sure what or why you're arguing against me. Could you just describe briefly what your opinion is?

JonA

But I have seen Mythicist 'evidence', just not the kind of evidence that I'm talking about in this thread. My conclusion is that it doesn't exist. There are no early Christian writings that depict Jesus as a solely mythical being in line with an evolution from a mythical Jesus to an historicized Jesus. But I might be wrong; that's the purpose of this thread. Where are all the early Christian writings describing a Jesus that exists in another realm who dies only a spiritual death?

I'm not demanding a case. I'm simply requesting a list of early Christian writings.

Jon

Vorkosigan

Earl's website contains such a list with some discussion. Earl's book discusses it in great detail. Why don't you at least hop over to his website and grab the list and then explain what you don't like about it?

V

JonA

Care to give a link?

EmmaZunz

I gave a short list already. These texts all have MJ and lack HJ: Ascension of Isaiah, Revelation, Epistle to the Hebrews, Epistle to Diognetus.

JonA I take it you haven't read Earl's book (either edition)? If that's the case then you need to do so: it's brilliant.

JonA

Aren't there other writings earlier than these that describe an HJ?

Jon

EmmaZunz

HJ earlier than Hebrews or Revelation?

GMark maybe? Nothing else.

Anyway there are MJ texts later than some HJ texts because HJ was only slowly popularised and spread.

JonA

What does the Revelation describe?

It's an apocalyptic text. The events it describes are in the future. It doesn't really address the issue of Christian origins. Was Jesus crucified in another realm? Did he die there only a spiritual death?

Can Revelation answer these questions?

Jon