stephan huller

With respect to Mary Helena's constant reference to a book I wrote over four years ago. Yes, I believe that it is likely that the Christian remembrance of saint Mark has something to do with the Jewish king Marcus Julius Agrippa. Please shoot me. I must be crazy. There can't be any reason whatsoever that I hold this position that I never mention at this forum other than I am trying to sell a book by never mentioning the theory.

The only reason that Mary Helena brings this up is that she has any even stupider theory about Herodian rulers and the gospel. I only hesitate to mention this because - and here is the worst thing about this forum - there are people here like Mary Helena who pick fights with people like myself, Earl Doherty and others - for the sole purpose of introducing her own ideas which no one wants to talk about.

I have not mentioned my own personal beliefs about the two Marks. I was asked to write about this subject. If you would like to have an intelligent discussion about this topic and why we should or shouldn't accept the idea that someone named Mark was responsible for the starting or restarting of the three oldest surviving monotheisms (Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity) by my guest - start a separate thread and I will take up that issue.

stephan huller

Theory I developed at this forum (in 2011) was actually to argue that Hegesippus's Outlines was the ancestor to the surviving texts of Josephus. I make reference to this in my first post. I never once mention Agrippa.

stephan huller

Why would I be denying that I wrote a book in 2008 when I am discussing whether or not it is likely that one man while governing Judea was married to two women named Drusilla or that the introduction of Simon Magus into Josephus's account is a good sign that it is from a Christian?

stephan huller

Really? It couldn't have just been that in 2008 I noticed something interesting and that now again in 2012 I discovered something interesting. Do you have any idea how being a published author works? I will not being get a royalty check by convincing every one of the thirty or thirty five people who actually comes to this forum, reads this stuff and somehow makes the connection that I am the author of the book and buys a book. Indeed even if they bought ten copies of my book.

Iskander

In the oxford world classics edition of, the histories, there is a note which tries to explain the problem and also to find a solution. The note in page 291 concludes as follows:

Did Tacitus make a mistake? I don't think so.

Tacitus, The histories,
Translated by, W.H.Fyfe,
Revised and edited by, D.S. Levene
Oxford world classics
ISBN 9780199540709
Note, page 291 [239]

stephan huller

I know. This is so fucking stupid. People act as if it is two sources (Acts and Josephus) against one - a respected Roman historian. It is really their own prejudice in favor of the sanctity of their inherited religious truth taking over their mind.

Duke Leto

No, I think at this point it has more to do with your ego, which is really just as sad.

stephan huller

My ego? There isn't an issue with Simon Magus being brought into the discussion in Josephus. It really happened that Felix was married to one Drusilla and then got a magician to help him get another. This isn't a sign that the author was a Christian. It is more likely that a first century Jew really believed this happened.

maryhelena

The Josephan story of a daughter of Agrippa I being married to Felix is most probably not historical. So? That does not mean that Agrippa I did not exist historically or that he did not have a daughter - by whatever name.

The gospel pseudo-history re JC is no different. Pilate and the high priests existed as historical figures - but the gospel stories about them are literary creations, fiction. Now, if we allow that the gospel writers can do this with historical figures i.e. write fancy stories about them - then we cannot deny that the Josephan writer can do exactly the same thing. Yes, one can question the Josephan writer re his historical statements - but, as the two Josephan studies I have previously referenced indicate - Josephus is not just a historian - the Josephan writer is a prophetic historian - and is thus able to write pseudo-history as well as any gospel writer...

Duke Leto

Even acknowledging that the Simon Magus story is nonsense, that still doesn't prove that Drusilla daughter of Herod Agrippa I didn't exist.

There's an outrageous story that Clinton had Vince Foster murdered, just because it's false doesn't mean Vince Foster didn't exist.