The Origins of Christianity and
the Quest for the Historical Jesus Christ
by Acharya S
Was Jesus a man, myth or God?
The answers may surprise you.
Introduction
Around the world over the centuries, much has been written
about religion, its meaning, its relevance and contribution to
humanity. In the West particularly, sizable tomes have been
composed speculating upon the nature and historical background
of one of the main characters of Western religions, Jesus
Christ. Many have tried to dig into the precious few clues as
to Jesus's identity and come up with a biographical sketch that
either bolsters faith or reveals a more human side of this
godman to which we can all relate. Obviously, considering the
time and energy spent on them, the subjects of Christianity and
its legendary founder are very important to the Western mind
and culture, and increasingly to the rest of the world as
well.
The Controversy
Despite all of this literature continuously being cranked
out and the significance of the issue, in the public at large
there remains a serious lack of formal and broad education
regarding religion and mythology, and most individuals are
highly uninformed in this area. Concerning the issue of
Christianity, for example, the majority of people are taught in
most schools and churches that Jesus Christ was an actual
historical figure and that the only controversy regarding him
is that some people accept him as the Son of God and the
Messiah, while others do not. However, whereas this is the
raging debate most evident in this field today, it is not the
most important. Shocking as it may seem to the general
populace, the most enduring and profound controversy in
this subject is whether or not a person named Jesus Christ ever
really existed.
Although this debate may not be evident from publications
readily found in popular bookstores, when one examines this
issue closely, one will find a tremendous volume of literature
that demonstrates, logically and intelligently, time and again
that Jesus Christ is a mythological character along the same
lines as the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Sumerian, Phoenician,
Indian or other godmen, who are all presently accepted as myths
rather than historical figures. Delving deeply into this large
body of work, one uncovers evidence that the Jesus character is
based upon much older myths and heroes from around the globe.
One discovers that this story is not, therefore, a historical
representation of a Jewish rebel carpenter who had physical
incarnation in the Levant 2,000 years ago. In other words, it
has been demonstrated continually for centuries that this
character, Jesus Christ, was invented and did not depict a real
person who was either the "son of God" or was "evemeristically"
made into a superhuman by enthusiastic followers.
History and Positions of the Debate
This controversy has existed from the very beginning, and
the writings of the Church fathers themselves reveal that they
were constantly forced by the Pagan intelligentsia to defend
what the non-Christians and other Christians ("heretics") alike
saw as a preposterous and fabricated yarn with absolutely no
evidence of it ever having taken place in history.
As Rev. Dr. Robert Taylor says, "And from the apostolic age
downwards, in a never interrupted succession, but never so
strongly and emphatically as in the most primitive times, was
the existence of Christ as a man most strenuously denied."
According to these learned dissenters, the New Testament could
rightly be called, "Gospel Fictions."
For the rest, please see Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the
Historical Jesus Christ ebook.
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