5 reasons to suspect Jesus never existed...

[_Chap]

Do you have anything to say on the topic of the OP?

[_Ceeboo]

Do you have anything to say on the topic of the OP?

Yes!
I already posted it - it's in this thread - on this page - just above this recent bizarre exchange I am having with you.

You should go and read it!

Peace,
Ceboo

[_deacon blues]

Does Paul's reference to Jesus in 1st Corinthians count as a 1st century reference? Why or why not? Perhaps what I'm asking is- do we presume 1st Corinthians is a first century source?

[_Chap]

Do you have anything to say on the topic of the OP?

Yes!
I already posted it - it's in this thread - on this page - just above this recent bizarre exchange I am having with you.

You should go and read it!

Peace,
Ceboo

So far as I can see, the post you refer to contained your recommendations of your favorite posters. It is nice of you to share your views with us.

With respect, however, that does not seem to me to be a post that addresses the topic of the OP, which is (as I take it) whether the nature of the historical evidence is such as to suggest that there was no actual historical person behind the stories of Jesus in the New Testament. I realize of course that this topic has been discussed before - but then so has pretty well every other topic relevant to Mormonism, and to religion, philosophy and history in general in some kind of relation to Mormonism. Yet somehow we manage to carry on.

If you want to start a thread about the posters you admire most, I hope you will feel free to do so. I am sure many people will want to join in the fun!

[_Chap]

Does Paul's reference to Jesus in 1st Corinthians count as a 1st century reference? Why or why not? Perhaps what I'm asking is- do we presume 1st Corinthians is a first century source?

Good point. I have never yet encountered anybody who doubts that there was a historical Saul of Tarsus who was the author of at least some of the Pauline letters. And the author of those letters seems pretty convinced that Jesus was around some time in his own lifetime.

[_ludwigm]

Does Paul's reference to Jesus in 1st Corinthians count as a 1st century reference? Why or why not? Perhaps what I'm asking is- do we presume 1st Corinthians is a first century source?

Good point. I have never yet encountered anybody who doubts that there was a historical Saul of Tarsus who was the author of at least some of the Pauline letters. And the author of those letters seems pretty convinced that Jesus was around some time in his own lifetime.

Saul of Tarsus... ?
Read Live from Golgotha: The Gospel according to Gore Vidal!

Live from Golgotha: The Gospel according to Gore Vidal is a novel by Gore Vidal, an irreverent spoof of the New Testament. Told from the perspective of Saint Timothy as he travels with Saint Paul, the 1992 novel shifts in time as Timothy and Paul combat a mysterious hacker from the future who is deleting all traces of Christianity.

See viewtopic.php?p=750712#p750712
.

[_Ceeboo]

So far as I can see, the post you refer to contained your recommendations of your favorite posters.

My post contained my recommendations of my favorite posters?

Is everything okay with you today, Chap?
Seriously.

It is nice of you to share your views with us.

This is getting more and more bizarre with each post!

Chap - this entire board - every single post - every single thread - are the views of the poster.

Is that a foreign concept to you?

With respect, however, that does not seem to me to be a post that addresses the topic of the OP, which is (as I take it) whether the nature of the historical evidence is such as to suggest that there was no actual historical person behind the stories of Jesus in the New Testament.

Ohhh - if you wanted to read my post about the OP - you have to go back one entire page of this thread. Just look on page 4 (we are on page 5) for the poster named "Ceeboo" and you should see it. Once you have found it - you can even read it - or not?

If you want to start a thread about the posters you admire most, I hope you will feel free to do so. I am sure many people will want to join in the fun!

Odd!
Very odd!

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_SteelHead]

Does Paul's reference to Jesus in 1st Corinthians count as a 1st century reference? Why or why not? Perhaps what I'm asking is- do we presume 1st Corinthians is a first century source?

Good point. I have never yet encountered anybody who doubts that there was a historical Saul of Tarsus who was the author of at least some of the Pauline letters. And the author of those letters seems pretty convinced that Jesus was around some time in his own lifetime.

And yet Saul.... never met Jesus before his death.

Not a primary source, now is he?

[_Jersey Girl]

Does Paul's reference to Jesus in 1st Corinthians count as a 1st century reference? Why or why not? Perhaps what I'm asking is- do we presume 1st Corinthians is a first century source?

Yes, I think we presume 1 Corinthians as first century source and I haven't seen any material that argues against Pauline authorship for that series of writings.

What skeptics (basically skeptics) are looking for is a source that is external to the Bible that documents and references Jesus.

We also see that in the links in the OP, that Paul is being criticized for not including any biographical material in his writings. In my opinion, Paul's interest was addressing the risen Christ and growing the church to the Gentiles.

Not writing a testament/biography, if you will. Or more aptly put, his interest was on supplying testimony and planting churches.

(If you can make sense out of the last two sentences, please get back to me with an interpretation so I know what I just stated there. Thanks)

[_Fionn]

Are there any contemporary Jewish sources who wrote about Jesus? Seems to me that is where one might find some mention of him.