Johnny Skeptic

http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/chri...narrative.html

Mostly derived from pagan myths, Jesus' birth stories are very dubious, and it very likely that all such beliefs were written retrospectively by the Roman gospel writers, or were assumed from the outset. There is no evidence or reason to believe that they actually occurred. Events such as King Herod's killing of every male child simply could not have gone unnoticed, these pagan myths were however assumed of all god-man saviours. Jesus' existence remains a mystery, we cannot validate even the most simple facts about his birth.

jgibson000

Could you tell me, please, from what pagan myths Jesus' birth stories were derived and provide some evidence that supports this claim?

With thanks in advance.

JG

Johnny Skeptic

I am not an expert on the pagan myths issue. Please note the recommended reading reference sources at the end of the article.

jgibson000

So .. you admit you have no competency to judge whether claims about derivation from pagan myths have any merit?

And which ones contain and argue the claim that the birth stories in Matthew and Luke are derived from pagan myths?

JG

Malachi151

I wouldn't put too much stock in the "pagan parallels". From everything I have seen most of these claims are bogus. While the birth stories in the Gospels don't comply with most of what we see in the Old Testament or so-called "mainstream Judaism" of the time, there are Jewish precedents in some of the writings from the 2nd century BCE to the 1 century.

Solo

Precedents of what ? Virgin birth(s) ? Please, do share your information !

Jiri

Chili

That is because Christ was born. So are you maybe reading it wrong? . . . and if Jesus was never born why are you looking for him?

Can't you just read the story and let it speak to you instead of calling it a lie?

Roland

Read a story about a man born of a virgin and NOT call it a lie? What, pray tell, would one call it (apart from sheer fiction, of course)? The truth?

jgibson000

How about anti-imperial polemic?

JG

Ben C Smith

I think that is exactly what it is. No need to go traipsing off hunting for distant parallels to Buddha or what have you when Augustus and his progeny are sitting right there, ruling Palestine from Rome.

Ben.