On The Historicity Of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason For Doubt

On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt

As recently as the last hundred years or so, the assumption that Jesus existed as a historical person has been challenged, but any doubts that have been raised have generally been put to rest in favor of imagining a blend of the historical, mythical, and religious elements contained within the surviving records of Jesus. Carrier re-examines the entire subject and discovers convincing grounds to believe that the more daring assumption is true in his conclusion. He presents substantial study on the evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity, as well as the important concerns that must be solved if the historicity of Jesus is to continue to be a dominant paradigm in the future.

A similar theory would propose that the Jesus figure was originally conceived of as a celestial being known only through private revelations and hidden messages in scripture; then stories placing this being in earth history were crafted to communicate the claims of the gospel allegorically; and eventually, such stories came to be believed or promoted in the struggle for control of the Christian churches that survived the tribulations of the first century.

Carrier considers the latter notion to be more plausible than had been previously thought by others.

A more rigorous and strong explanation of cultural syncretism between Jewish theology and politics during the second temple era, he believes, is required in order to account for the most popular characteristics of pagan religion and philosophy during this time period.

On the Historicity of Jesus : Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt by Richard Carrier (2014, Trade Paperback) for sale online

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• As recently as the last hundred years or so, the assumption that Jesus existed as a historical person has been challenged, but any doubts that have been raised have generally been put to rest in favor of imagining a blend of the historical, mythical, and religious elements contained within the surviving records of Jesus. Carrier re-examines the entire subject and discovers convincing grounds to believe that the more daring assumption is true in his conclusion. He presents substantial study on the evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity, as well as the important concerns that must be solved if the historicity of Jesus is to continue to be a dominant paradigm in the future. A comparison is made between the most believable reconstruction of a historical Jesus and the most credible explanation of Christian beginnings, in the event that a historical Jesus did not occur. A similar theory would propose that the Jesus figure was originally conceived of as a celestial being known only through private revelations and hidden messages in scripture
• Then stories placing this being in earth history were crafted to communicate the claims of the gospel allegorically
• And eventually, such stories came to be believed or promoted in the struggle for control of the Christian churches that survived the tribulations of the first century. Carrier considers the latter notion to be more plausible than had been previously thought by others. The author argues why this theory provides a more satisfactory explanation for all of the varied data that has survived from the first two centuries of Christianity. A more rigorous and strong explanation of cultural syncretism between Jewish theology and politics during the second temple era, he believes, is required in order to account for the most popular characteristics of pagan religion and philosophy during this time period. This is the book to read if you want to defend the historical Jesus
• Else, stay away.

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• PublisherSheffield Phonix Press
• ISBN-101909697494
• ISBN-139781909697492
• EBay Product ID (ePID)220750138

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• ISBN-101909697494
• ISBN-139781909697492
• EBay Product ID (ePID) 220750138
• PublisherSheffield Phonix Press

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• Item Dimensions: 9.2 inches in length, 1.4 inches in height, 6.1 inches in width, 34.6 ounces in weight

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• It measures 9.2 inches in length, 1.4 inches in height, 6.1 inches in width, and 34.6 ounces in total weight.

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• The existence of Christ marks the beginning of Christianity. Even if Christ did not exist, this would provide significant difficulties. Despite the fact that this book delves into tremendous length into the historicity of the claim based on all of the currently available “evidence,” it makes one question the validity of the historical claim, let alone the legendary claim. It is beneficial to examine widely accepted opinions, even those held by historians. This book is an absolute must-read for everyone who considers Christ to be a significant person. It is highly recommended that you view one of the Author’s numerous films, particularly those on this subject, if the sheer volume of material is overwhelming to you. Richard Carried is a very well-spoken individual, and this is shown in his work as well. It’s a pretty interesting read. Yes, the purchase has been verified. Condition:New

I was deeply religious until an atheist teacher forced me to read Gilgamesh in High School

• The majority of people are born into a religion and begin to doubt their beliefs when they are teenagers. I rejected the notion of miracles when I was six years old, which explains why Jesus didn’t want to share his fiery Popsicles with me when I was six years old. Using ‘Times Evidence Rules,’ Dr. Carrier attempts to examine the Bible, but his claims are found to be completely untrue. Take, for example, the biblical EXODUS. Dr. Cline is a physician who practices in the United States. Dr Finklestein and his colleagues are world-renowned Copper-Bronze Age archaeologists. Since the Jews never left Caanon, it was ruled that they were not slaves, did not travel to Egypt, and did not get any of the lands that were granted to them. In today’s world, only the most hard-core Bible Thumpers and Jihadists believe the EXODUS legends. If you read this book, you will not only lose your religion, but you will also toss it away. Warning: you have been forewarned! Yes, the purchase has been verified. Condition:Pre-owned

Thorough, thorough, thorough!

• I saw the talk on YouTube and was immediately compelled to purchase the book. Carrier doesn’t give any room for interpretation or conjecture. Footnotes account for more than half of the book! Because of the amount of detail, it might be difficult to read at first, but it becomes evident after a few readings. If you want to continue to be a blind follower, avoid reading this book. Purchase was verified: Yes|Condition: Brand new

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r/AskHistorians – “On the historicity of Jesus: Why we might have reason for doubt” by Richard Carrier

Among the scholarly biblical community, Richard Carrier has never been widely acknowledged as an authority. His reputation as a hyper-minimalist has not changed, and, in my opinion, he is more of a troll than anything else on the internet. Carrier has obvious shortcomings in his training, yet he pontificates on a wide range of problems on which he is ill-equipped to make a judgment. His study aims to defend his own agenda (minimalist, atheist, etc.) and does not do adequate due diligence on the data set that is made available to scientists.

If you quizzed him on some of the most fundamental pieces of solid evidence supporting the historical validity of things like King David, he demonstrated his inability to properly treat the facts, skirted major issues, invented straw men, and so on.

Carrier reacted to the book (in a non-peer reviewed fashion, which is worth noting) before it was ever published, according to my recollection.

As an example, Carrier’s folly about a “dying messiah” has been exposed in a few places, but my buddy Thom Stark did a reasonably good jobhere,here, andhere – pieces on which I provided consultation.

On the Historicity of Jesus

What makes the audio edition of On the Historicity of Jesus superior to the print edition, in your opinion? It is my job as an Information Technology Engineer to assess problems, determine their causes, develop and implement solutions to those problems, then conduct root-cause analyses, which usually results in the implementation of other changes that will prevent that type of problem from recurring in our current environment. When dealing with an incident, this process involves looking at anywhere from 10 to 100 details and variables at a time, taking into account the effect on any one system in our highly complicated environment when changing any one of those, and looking at the cause and effect of one variable on another.

It gets more and more challenging as the environment grows more complex, with several systems in place and the less you know about each of them.

Exactly this is what Richard Carrier has accomplished.

You don’t want me (an IT Engineer) to work on your automobile, and you don’t want a mechanic to work on your computer, either.

Using a systematic approach, each point of argument is dissected piece by piece, approached from every angle, and compared both individually and in conjunction with other arguments of consequence, and then assigned a percentage of probability “for” the historicity in a way that NO Christian apologist would ever allow to be assigned to the position of mysticism.

1. And even after everything, the very BEST possibility of Jesus being a real person has a likelihood of around 33 percent, which is not at all likely.
2. In the end, given our present understanding and all of the factors involved, the reasonable degree of chance that Jesus was a genuine person is less than one percent.
3. Sure.
4. However, this in no way suggests that the historical Jesus of Christianity was a mythical figure.” That is correct “Although Jesus was killed, he not only led an early cult, but he also performed miracles while loving and preaching, as well as rising from the dead after being crucified.
5. Furthermore, any Christian who has an apologetic response that does not rely on a supernatural event such as the resurrection from the dead.
6. After that, what argument do you have left to support your assertion that Christianity is true in the first place?

The Application of Bayes’ Theorem to the Search for the Historical Jesus – This book is highly recommended if you want to fully comprehend the meticulous procedure that Richard Carrier went through in order to provide the most precise likelihood possible for the existence of a historical Jesus.

I’m not sure which chapters these are, though.

Richard effectively demonstrates that this is an interpolation in light of all of the other information available regarding Josephus and his works.

Also noteworthy is Paul’s letter analysis, in which Jesus is only ever acknowledged as having come to be known “by revelation,” never being mentioned in any way that plainly identifies him as having been a genuine live human person (or, for you apologists, at least in human form on Earth).

This is the book to read if you want to come to terms with the fact that everything is based on myth, just like every other religion that has ever existed.

If you are still firmly committed to Christianity, I wish you the best of luck on your journey through life.

There is so much more to our natural world than religion allows us to see, so more to be fascinated by, than religion allows us to see. Breaking free from the mental shackles of religion is the first step, and education is the key to achieving that freedom.