Chunk

I'm currently in the position where I'm trying to decide about Christianity and the part it should play in the rest of my life.

Discovering where The New Testament is from and how much it can be trusted is vital in making this decision.

I understand that there is no point in looking for proof and that I will only find evidence and arguments for and agaisnt The New Testament being true.

Its clear to see how Christians believe we have The New Testament and how Christianity was formed, just by reading it.

However, Ive read a great deal of evidence and arguements that make a strong case for the NT being a complete work of fiction.

My basic question is this, if the NT is fiction, what are the most widely accepted scenarios for explaining the fact that it was written and that people follow it and that we still have it today.

Ive read about the idea it was concocted by Paul after the death of Jesus and that the gospels were later written once the movement had been started. The possible motive being to create an uprising against the Romans.

Do people generally believe the whole thing was made up at once by one or a small group of people, or that something was started and a series of myths grew around it over time?

Im not looking for people to attack specific points ive made, no doubt its been done elsewhere here for the points I make. Instead I would like to hear overall theories explaining the creation of the Christian movement and the New Testament story.

Thanks.

Julian

The reason why you have not received a lot of replies is that your question is really huge. Innumerable scholars have spent lifetimes writing many volumes on those topics.

I would suggest that you get a good introduction to the new testament by some reputable scholar. Here is a recent thread with some of my recommendations: http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=149904

Julian