Amaleq13

Nope and that is a significant factor in why I don't consider the Gospels a reliable source of history.

Like I said before, the things you mentioned seem to me to present good reasons for an author to fabricate a baptism scene. In addition to the general notions you indicated that I consider motivations to fabricate, I would suggest that the author of Mark believed that the Messiah would not be aware of his own identity until he was "anointed by Elijah".

We find a similar belief expressed in Justin's Dialogue with Trypho.

Amaleq13

Where, in Jewish Law, is it stated that claiming to be the Son of God was considered blasphemous?

I've seen this claim made quite often but I've never seen a specific source.

JoeWallack

JW:
I did use the word "possible" but I want to try and quantify "possible" here. In other words, even if you had a possible reason for Jewish rejection of Jesus being Historical if you had possible or especially probable reasons on the other side that Jewish rejection of Jesus was not historical (fiction) then the possiblility of Jewish rejection of Jesus being historical is reduced. Possibly to "not possible".

I can think of many reasons to doubt that "The Jewish" rejection of their own Messiah was historical but in order to emphasize it I'll identify the biggest problem:

1) What are the known Historical statistics regarding the frequency of the hero being rejected by his own People and denied hero status and being accepted by the enemies of his own people and given hero status? Has this ever happened in recorded History? Wouldn't this be the definition of a Traitor?

If we take the Christian Bible at its word that Jesus consistently used Supernatural powers to benefit "The Jews" and never used his power for self benefit, is it reasonable to believe that "The Jews" would reject him and even more, demand his death, thus ending their benefiting through his Supernatual power or would this go against how people generally behave based on known History?

Compare for instance to Bar Kochbah in the next century, who apparently had no Supernatural powers yet persuaded a sufficient portion of Israel to follow him thus allowing him to defeat the Romans and take over the country (a theological impossiblity according to Christianity).

Stories based on History do not have this type of Logical problem while stories based on Fiction often do.



Joseph

MYTHOLOGY, n.
The body of a primitive people's beliefs concerning its origin, early history, heroes, deities and so forth, as distinguished from the true accounts which it invents later.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Errors...yguid=68161660

http://hometown.aol.com/abdulreis/myhomepage/index.html

Magdlyn

Amaleq, of course you won't find this. All men and women are children of the Lord.

Jesus is made to say he is Son of Man, not God, anyway. Son of Man has 2 meanings. Human being, or Messiah.