J-D

You didn't ask for a book from that time which could be shown never to have had its text altered, you asked for a book from that time which had 'more support' than the New Testament, and since you objected to the Book of Han on the grounds that it was from the wrong part of the world and not exactly from the right time, I have also mentioned Plutarch, Josephus, and Tacitus, all of which have more value as sources for the history of the first century than the New Testament does.

J-D

Why do you call me 'sir'? What makes you think that is appropriate?

'Inimical' means 'unfriendly'. You certainly seem to be unfriendly to Christianity. If you are in fact friendly to Christianity you have failed to make that clear. And whatever your attitude to Christianity, there is absolutely no justification for saying that only Christians are ever unfriendly.

J-D

First prize for what?

sschlichter

Earlierst copy of Tacitus is from the 9th century that has the first six books and one from later that has books 11 through 17. that nearly 800 years to the first copy.

Earliest copies of Josephus are from 10th century.

Every single word of the NT has much more support than either of these books. We have 1000's of copies of the NT that pre-date these.

If I am wrong about these then please point out any earlier copies that you are aware of.

Don't know anything about Plutarch but I will bet the farm it is something akin to Josephus and Tacitus (which 1/3 of is entirely lost).


~Steve

sschlichter

your view seems possible to me. (much more pleasant than my first guess)

~Steve

J-D

You asked about 'more support'. You didn't ask about 'having the oldest surviving manuscripts'. They're not the same thing. The fact of greater age, by itself, does not indicate a manuscript's historical reliability.

IamJoseph

Mass murders, genocides, holocausts, enforced conversions, deeming those who choose not to follow these belief systems as evil - and declared doctrines to do so again - should be deemed a crime against humanity. That Christianity, which is first in this category, and silent of these new doctrines, cannot be called innocent here. The climate has nothing to do with this pollution.

IamJoseph

What reasons are applicable that there is not even a single contemporary document, nor one in Hebrew, of any of the Gospel's claims? Is it a crime of sorts that Europeans never asked for absolute proof and went along with whatever was said, and their beliefs enforced to trust those documents? Can you prove there was a trial in Rome over Jesus - when a decree of heresy was hovering over Judea? :constern01:

J-D

I don't understand you. When you say 'What reasons are applicable', do you mean 'Why is it'?No, it isn't.No, I can't.

J-D

If Christianity is first in this category, who is second in this category, who is third, and who else is in the category? Who has Christianity beaten to win this first prize? Who makes up the category of candidates for the prize? With whom are you comparing Christianity? Are you only talking about religions? Or what?