Peter Kirby

Somebody asked for a replacement for the "Big Bang Jesus" idiom. I am happy to oblige, with terms that have less rhetorical freight, as well as more precision.

Supernatural Model--this model includes miracles and the Resurrection of Jesus.

Founder Model--this model includes a Jesus who is recognizably the founder of early Christianity (as seen from AD 100).

Germinal Model--this model includes a Jesus who set things in motion for Christianity to develop (as seen up to AD 100).

Eponymous Model--this model includes a "Jesus" who just lends his name and one dimension of the story to the figure we know in the Gospels. (Think of the loony "Jesus son of Ananias" as a candidate.)

The definitions are the phrases, but if you'd like to think of things in terms of maximum Gospel historicity, where Gospel historicity means that the event or saying traces back to the life of the one we call Jesus:

Supernatural: 100% maximum
Founder: 80% maximum
Germinal: 30% maximum
Eponymous: 5% maximum

Note that the minimums are undefined: for example, a Jesus who does nothing much but the resurrection is still a "Supernatural Jesus."

Note that the last two may be compatible with some Jesus-as-a-fiction ideas.

best wishes,
Peter Kirby

Amaleq13

Where would the theories of folks like Ellegard or Wells fit? IIUC, they suggest an executed historical figure but no direct connection to Christianity except/until he appeared in a risen form or his death was reinterpreted many decades later. This notion seems somewhat between Germinal and Eponymous.