What Jesus existed?

[logician]

As I have pointed out before, I don't believe a Jesus existed that remotely fit the gospel description of such a man/god. If you do believe a Jesus existed, what and who was this Jesus? Was he a mad lunatic running around claiming to be god, (a supply of those people are always around), was he a Jewish rabbi that was somehow misinterpreted and a god myth rose around him? Was he exactly like the gospels describe(with all their contradictions)? Do you care if he existed?

I'm interested to see what people think.

 

[UnTheist]

Jesus............Christ?

 

[logician]

I'll go with Jesus was a myth, a story made up to gain believers in Christianity. Certainly inventing gods was a common practice throughout history.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

To my knowledge there is NO EVIDENCE that Jesus ("The Christ") existed. There were plenty of people in that day and time with the name Jesus (Yeshua). It was a fialy common name.

There was a documentary the History channel (I think it was the History, or discovery) that showed archeologist going into a tomb of the familty of Jesus..... but still nothing was discovered as to existance on earth. The supposed family tomb fit the biblical family but we have no way of knowing if it was actually that family that started the whole story.

We have to remember that the writings back then were all scattered about and later compiled into what is known as the bible. Not all of the writings were included. Bot to mention that A LOT of the stories in the bible are similar to stories that are regarded as myth from other countries.

Just my two cents.....

 

[Comprehend]

As I have pointed out before, I don't believe a Jesus existed that remotely fit the gospel description of such a man/god. If you do believe a Jesus existed, what and who was this Jesus? Was he a mad lunatic running around claiming to be god, (a supply of those people are always around), was he a Jewish rabbi that was somehow misinterpreted and a god myth rose around him? Was he exactly like the gospels describe(with all their contradictions)? Do you care if he existed?

I'm interested to see what people think.

call me crazy, but I believe that Jesus did exist and that he did and said the things that are recorded in the LDS scriptures and essentially what is recorded in the Bible.

 

[Super Universe]

Jesus is a being that upon creation by God is already a mature universal being. We, our souls, are immature beings.

Jesus purpose was to act as God's representative in this part of the universe and control the access to the higher dimensions and heaven. Before Jesus could assume that role He had to bestow upon the earth in human form to learn and experience humanity so He could then be more prepared to serve His function.

As to whether Jesus existed or not, really, it doesn't matter if you accept Him or not. It's more important that you adopt His teachings and understand the meaning behind them.

 

[love]

As I have pointed out before, I don't believe a Jesus existed that remotely fit the gospel description of such a man/god. If you do believe a Jesus existed, what and who was this Jesus? Was he a mad lunatic running around claiming to be god, (a supply of those people are always around), was he a Jewish rabbi that was somehow misinterpreted and a god myth rose around him? Was he exactly like the gospels describe(with all their contradictions)? Do you care if he existed?

I'm interested to see what people think.

Do you care if He existed? You say you don't believe He did. But to post this seems to show you may have doubts. Is it possible that someone could exist that had the power to heal, feed the hungry at will, show the powerful the errors of their ways up to the point they want to put Him to death?
In today's world would He be a rebel or a savior?

 

[Buttons*]

I dont think he existed in the typical way that people think, but that Yeshua was an incredible allegory perhaps based on a man that was an amazing teacher. Lots of the stories of the Biblical description of Yeshua are actually pulled from past myths... like Osiris-Dionysis.... but that's besides the point.

The allegory is incredibly beautiful and resonates if you let it in

Gnothi Suton

 

[arthra]

I think there was an historical Jesus... however the evidence of His existence is largely circumstancial... and what I believe is that Jesus ministry was largely among illiterate people in the Galilee and only briefly in Judea... The people of the Galilee for the most part were fishmen and farmers...simple people who went to synagogue and were devout but were Aramaic speakers...

A very few Aramaic words have been carried down to us in the Gospels...these indicate to me that there were overlays of the Gospels...They were composed over time by various people and that the earliest Gospel(s) were verbally passed down in Aramaic and later translated say into Koine Greek and Coptic and other languages.

One cannot find in my view any obvious forger or myth maker than spun the Gospels... too many hands and communities of early Christians have a similar story to tell which lends credence in my view to authenticity.

But the Galileans rarely possessed any books or literature and very few composed any writings...

Also one must consider that had there been any written records that say were preserved in Jerusalem which was probably the earliest center of Christianity they were more likely destroyed by the destruction of Jerusalem and lost in the ensuing diaspora..

Jesus never led an army or threatened Rome politically so was not of much interest to Josephus...who listed mostly rebel messiahs ...Jesus was the only Messiah figure Who did not advocate a military solution to Roman occupation of Judea.

Another aspect of this is that historically the Jews have never cast any doubt that the man Jesus existed... They may have regarded HIm as a false Messiah but they have never attacked His existence historically...

See:

JewishEncyclopedia.com - JESUS OF NAZARETH.

 

[lew0049]

As I have pointed out before, I don't believe a Jesus existed that remotely fit the gospel description of such a man/god. If you do believe a Jesus existed, what and who was this Jesus? Was he a mad lunatic running around claiming to be god, (a supply of those people are always around), was he a Jewish rabbi that was somehow misinterpreted and a god myth rose around him? Was he exactly like the gospels describe(with all their contradictions)? Do you care if he existed?

I'm interested to see what people think.

A few points on the topic - first the "contradictions" found in the Bible are not truly contradictions at all - maybe if you give some specific examples. But I definitely believe that He existed for many reasons, just as the Bible claims. Many people want an overwhelming amount of evidence regarding His existance, outside of the Bible, which I fully understand; however, one must realize that the events took place 2000 yrs ago (NT). Also, why people documented events during this time? If something did not have a significant impact on ones life then there was no reason to document. Still though, there are sources outside of the Bible and from non-christians that supply myself with enough evidence to be convinced.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Jesus is at least a very powerful myth that greatly affected history. Whether he existed--in whatever form--is almost irrelevant in the face of the myth.

He was also a student at my high school.

 

[Ever learning]

Do you care if He existed? You say you don't believe He did. But to post this seems to show you may have doubts. Is it possible that someone could exist that had the power to heal, feed the hungry at will, show the powerful the errors of their ways up to the point they want to put Him to death?
In today's world would He be a rebel or a savior?

I think in today's world he would be viewed by a lot of people as a rebel unfortunately.

 

[logician]

I don't believe most of you actually read this thread topic. The question is not "whether" Jesus existed, but "what"Jesus existed. Giving a general response that "yes Jesus existed" tells us nothing. Was he a normal man, lunatic, rabbi, god/man, or myth, and why do you think so? Did he actually do the miracles he was credited for, or is that just part of the mythology that was created later on?

Personally, I believe the Jesus story was myth, not based upon a real man, but upon prevailing religious myths of that era.

 

[michel]

If you do believe a Jesus existed, what and who was this Jesus?

The incarnate "son" of God.

Was he a mad lunatic running around claiming to be god, (a supply of those people are always around), was he a Jewish rabbi that was somehow misinterpreted and a god myth rose around him?

No, I don't think so.......

Was he exactly like the gospels describe(with all their contradictions)?

Probably not - I dare say some of the writings about him may have been innacurate

Do you care if he existed?

Yes I do, because if he hadn't existed, the new covenant of God would not have replaced the original one; Christ was sacrified so that our sins might be forgiven us.

 

[wizanda]

Jesus didn't exist your quite right...his name was Yeshua :angel2:

John is false and made up…..in other words "I (EGO) Am (I-Mee) this and that" is all rubbish x7….
So for someone to remove inheritance and grace in speech and action would be quite remarkable…..especially as the world doesn’t even notice and thinks the exact opposite of his purpose and meanings..

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Jesus is a being that upon creation by God is already a mature universal being. We, our souls, are immature beings.

Jesus purpose was to act as God's representative in this part of the universe and control the access to the higher dimensions and heaven. Before Jesus could assume that role He had to bestow upon the earth in human form to learn and experience humanity so He could then be more prepared to serve His function.

As to whether Jesus existed or not, really, it doesn't matter if you accept Him or not.

All of this is your opinion. As mentioned before, No one has come forth with conclusive evidence of his existance. All that exist are stories about him and to who he was and what he was reported to have said.

It's more important that you adopt His teachings and understand the meaning behind them.

Actually that's not what is important. There are plenty of cultures around the world that have never heard of Jesus and their society works just fine. Additionally, if you look at the jews that don't acknowledge Jesus as the messiah or follow his teachings they are living fine following the prophets of old (abraham, moses etc.)

 

[arthra]

To understand Jesus and His teachings I think we have to study the times in which He lived to appreciate it more... Jesus advised the people not to use force or armed struggle in dealing with the Romans... He urged passive nonresistance to the oppressors... Had the people followed His teachings I doubt very much Jerusalem would have been destroyed.

Also Jesus lived in an Aramaic culture which was semitic...so we have to appreciate that...

- Art

 

[storm2020]

I think that the whole bible is like a fairy tale. The old testement is like those dark Grimms fairy tales with a jealous, vengful, murderous god and don't your dare put a toe out of line. The new testement is like the down played fairy tales with all the dark endings removed and jesus is the fluffy puppy version more suitable for a wider audience. Look away when he dies, oh but it's ok, he's not really dead, he gets resurected. And they al lived happily ever after. As long as they believed...

 

[logician]

I believe that any religion (or philosophy) that touts belief in its own mythology as the "best" or "only" path to salvation or a supposed eternal life is at least very suspect.

 

[Halcyon]

"...a wandering ascetic/philosopher/wonderworker of a type common to the eastern part of the early empire".

That sums up what i think the actual man was. The myth he has become is so much more though.

John the Baptist, Apollonius of Tyana, Simon Magus, Jesus of Nazareth - all born of the same mold.