TedM

I don't think people would worship and put their very lives on the line for a Jesus they never tried to find out more about. To suggest that they had no curiousity about this 'Christ in the sky' concept is not credible IMO. They just happily lapped up what Paul was giving them, blissfully uninterested in where he was crucified and when he lived and what else he did in the skies, and then when someone else presented a flesh and blood man with all these answers they just lapped that up to--showing no allegience at all to the original religion they embraced. Paul's letters reveal a community that was torn apart by different teachings than Pauls, but they were over such things as Gentile circumcision and temple priviliges and acceptable foods--not over whether Jesus had lived on earth or in the sky. I think Paul since Paul addressed those other things, he surely would have addressed something so much more basic. If you want to believe that his followers were not interested in knowing more about Jesus than a very vague presentation of a heavenly being by Paul, and Paul wasn't interested in addressing different teachings regarding Jesus' life, feel free. I don't.

You can have the last word, as I must attend to other things. I'm sticking with it this time. Thanks for engaging and being patient with my contrary approach.

ted

Johann_Kaspar

Quite funny way of thinking indeed, but... it is quite the reverse. The message of Yeshua was on the contrary so well understood and so successfull that the war was on until 888 auc.

Clivedurdle

There is of course another group around at the time who enjoyed playing with threes and cutting off heads.

http://www.geocities.com/mysteriesofwales/horrible.html

http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/headcult.htm

Might the author of Mark been writing in Latin from Rome and using some stories from other cultures?