Who was Jesus?

[naomi24]

Any idea?

[Mosaic]

Rumours don't prove squat.
The same level of information will have you believe Elvis works at Walmart.
In 500 years time, given persistent rumours and political upheaval, Elvis will be deified. That's, even more deified than he is at present.

[Khandro]

@Mosaic. That's the kind of post which makes me think I might be better off somewhere else.

[naomi24]

Mosaic, //The same level of information will have you believe Elvis works at Walmart. //

Rest assured, I will never believe that Elvis works at Walmart. I agree with Khandro.

[jomifl]

I beg to differ with all of you, it will be Robin Hood who will be deified, he has much better symbols than Elvis.

[Khandro]

"Mind like parachute; only work when open". - Charlie Chan.

[cupid04]

Dont you mean who is Jesus, Naomi, not who was? He is your saviour and
he could turn your life around this easter if you'd let him into your life.

[naomi24]

^^Nice to see you're taking this question seriously, Jom. ;o)

[naomi24]

Cupid, no, I mean what I say. Jesus is long dead - but I'd like to know who people think he might have been.

[naomi24]

Oh, and Cupid. Why would you think I want my life turned around? It's fine just as it is.

[Mosaic]

Oh pish, us 'scientists' with our 'evidence' fixation. What are we like?

[naomi24]

Mosaic, whether talking about science, history, or anything else, in my opinion it’s an enormous mistake to dismiss a possibility through lack of hard evidence. We dismissed all Greek mythology as ‘myth’ – until Troy was discovered.

[jomifl]

Jesus is dead cupid, buried in India didn't arise to heaven on a pillar of fire. Christianity was all a dreadful mistake.,

[Zeuhl]

With apologies to cupid:


Don't you mean who is Elvis, Naomi, not who was? He is your saviour and
he could turn your life around this easter if you'd let him into your life.

And unlike jesus, Elvis has a wide range of DVDs and CDs widely available.

[naomi24]

Wouldn't mind letting him into my life, Zeuhl. I'd make him sing to me all day. :o)

[Mosaic]

It is indeed dangerous to dismiss myths as having no grounding in fact.
In this instance, a group of charismatic and persuasive young Jews synthesised contemporary religious ideas to produce more new ideas. Good example of ideas evolving.
On of the ideas they were exposed to was the passionately-followed and widespread cult of Osiris, the good son, who was killed but revived in spirit through the devotion of his wife Isis, and whose son Horus then ruled justly.
Curiously paralleled in later myths.

[naomi24]

Mosaic, personally, I would have said the cult was more likely to have been influenced by Mithras, but the possible identity of the man Jesus is the issue – not the foundation of Christianity.

[Mosaic]

Mithras; Sol Invictus; Osiris; Apollo - all demonstrably added to the myth-making.

[naomi24]

Mosaic, possibly - but who was Jesus? Do you think he didn't exist at all and the whole thing was founded on myths and other religions?

[Mosaic]

For what it's worth, I think it's impossible to retro-fit the existence of an anonymous individual at that distance of time, especially in the absence of any forensic archaeology.
I think that good christians are a force for good, as are good atheists, good pagans, and good anyones.
And as I understand the new testament (which is probably not much), it is the intention to be a good person that is paramount.
Having just returned from Jerusalem and seen close up the nonsense and cruelty inflicted by the believers of various cults, I'm even more convinced that if there was a real Joshua Ben Joseph with a message he would be bitterly disappointed at how it's all been worked on.

[jomifl]

Naomi, I take most questions seriously, I just haven't come up with a serious answer yet. I am working on it though. ;-)