Jesus existed

Did Jesus exist?

There are a lot of people that leap at the idea that he was completely made up and never existed. The scholar Bart Ehrman who has written a number of critical books on modern christian ideas and biblical interpretations into a scholarly context of history says people who suggest that Jesus never existed "Just make themselves look silly." But then he also said he is the same guy who said “The Christians did not invent Jesus. They invented the idea that the messiah had to be crucified.”

He wrote the book "Did Jesus Exist?" in which he wrote:

“The problem then with Jesus is that he cannot be removed from his time and transplanted into our own without simply creating him anew.”

The real problem is the more doctrines Christians invent the less they seem to know about the real Jesus and the less they know about the real Jesus the more they give the real Jesus a bad name.

Religious movements with no grounding in reality whatsoever are almost none existent. Yet thousands of people are dying and being persecuted, having their property seize and their bodies dismembered and even set on fire. That is a lot to expect from followers who had no Bible, no Churches and a supposedly made up founder.

Did any independent historian talk about Jesus?

Of course Paul has two brief meetings with Jesus’ brother James. Since James’ existence could have been verified to the readers of Paul it would have been foolish to make him up.

Josephus was a Roman-Jewish historian who supposedly wrote the Testimonium Flavianum—an ‘early’ reference to Christ. Some however think it is fake. But Josephus’s works also include a much less known passage that is not disputed.

In Book 20 of his Antiquities of the Jews there is a clear reference to the execution of “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James”.

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Tacitus

Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The Great Fire of Rome was talked about extensively by Tacitus who reported suspicions that the fire was set and then blamed on others who were already not very popular with Romans. He wrote: “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.”

Was there archaeological evidence that Christ existed?

What is the meaning of archaeological evidence?

The archaeological record is the body of physical (i.e. not written) evidence about the past. It is one of the core concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record.

What we usually call archaeological record are usually found in the ground. What would you expect to find as an archaeological record of Jesus?

We know that James was Jesus brother and that he lived and we appear to have found his bone box. The Ossuary or bone box immediately came into question and the Israeli police arrested the collector who found Ossuary on suspicion of forgery. But the case was thrown because those experts who were making these accusations were evidently lying and the inscriptions appear to be authentic.

The Ossuary or bone box of Caiaphas the high priest was also found containing bones and for some unknown reason also contained three spikes that could have been used in a crucifixion.

There are discrepancies in the Bible but these do not affect the message of the Gospel. The ancient prophecy saying the messiah would be born in Bethlehem begs why was he from Nazareth in Mark and only later from Bethlehem in Luke and Matthew.

Jesus's Mom having stayed in Bethlehem during the birth may make Jesus a prophetic anchor baby but he would still be from Nazareth. Even Herod Antipas' Mom went to Bethlehem to give birth to little Herod just so he could improve his claim to the throne.

Piso and the Flavian Myth

Caesar's Messiah is a 2006 book of speculative non-fiction by Joseph Atwill, which argues that the New Testament Gospels were written as wartime propaganda by scholars connected to the Roman imperial court of the Flavian emperors: Vespasian, Titus and Domitian.

The Joseph Atwill's Piso/Flavian theory falls apart as soon as you find out what the character and mission of men like Moses and Jesus really were. They agreed with each other but the Pharisees did not agree with Jesus because they did not know Moses or what he actually was teaching the people.

Through false interpretation of the ancient manuscripts their meaning have become a lost to many people who image they know the truth so much so that people like Atwill are at a decided disadvantage to say nothing of their critics. If you begin with confusion more layers of confusion can easily add insult to injury.

What are they missing

Most of the early Church were actually Jews. Like the Church in the wilderness they were actually performing services for the people cast out of the Corban of Judea which Jesus had strongly objected to.

John the Baptist opposed Herod the Great's system of temple welfare which depended on forced offerings rather than the freewill offerings promoted by Moses.

If the Flavians wrote the Bible why would Jesus criticize the Corban of the Pharisees and Herod which was identical to the Qorban of Rome?

Richard Carrier

Did Richard Carrier prove that Jesus did not exist or that the image of Jesus and the role as Christ is distorted by the modern Church?

Jesus said their would be false Christs. What Richard Carrier is actually proving is that he does not understand history, the purpose of religions beyond the mythical parables used to carry the true meaning.

What is true worship?

What is the purpose of temples and altars?

What does superstition have to do with people that do not have the ears to hear nor eyes to see the true message of the kingdom of God and the intended nature of mankind?

Dr Maurice Casey's "Is John’s Gospel True", Joseph Hoffmann's “Controversy, Mythicism and the Historical Jesus”, Bart Erhman’s publications or comments by theologian Robert Price all go deeply in their own ideologies but none seem to grasp the actual message of the gospel about living by faith, hope, and charity while caring for the needy of society as opposed to the force, fear, and fealty practiced by the governments of the world who exercise authority and the different outcome that occurs when the masses follow the way of Christ as a doer of what he said and the the other which is the way of bondage, the cities of blood.

The appetite of those masses for the benefits and dainties of rulers at the expense of others is certainly a covetous practices that is a snare and a trap, the antithesis of the teaching of John the Baptist, Proverbs and all the Prophets, including Moses and the Ten Statements attributed to God by him.

No man father

Jesus also warned the people to call no man father. Yet, everyone at that time called the Roman emperors Father. One of His titles was Patronus, which is Our Father, and all the Senators of Rome were all called the conscripti patribecause they were the Conscripted fathers of Rome who saw to the funding of the Imperial Cult of Rome which provided the free bread of the Roman welfare state.

No idolatry

To take of that system was considered idolatry by Paul because it was a covetous system of Legal charity which is idolatry. The problem was the tables provided by their temples were systems of legal charity where their dainties were the wages of unrighteousness because they were provided by men who exercise authority one of the other which was covetous practices which made men merchandiseaccording to Peter.

No oaths

Why would Flavius write that Jesus was commanding his people to "Swear not"? And not apply to rulers of authority for benefits when those systems of legal charity gave Caesar more and more power of the people.

Or why would they write that James said "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." James 5:12

These prohibitions against oaths and swearing would not be a part of the Flavian policies since an "Oath of Fidelity" was required by Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, the entire judicial system and their gods many.

The Conflict

If people had been taught the truth about the Gospel of the Kingdom and the reason for the Christian conflict Atwill's suggestion that rebellious and violent Christians were persecuted would be seen as patently false.

The Christian conflict was because they would not sign up, usually requiring and oath, for their free bread offered at the tablse of the Roman welfare state. That persecution which began with Claudius and Marcus Aurelius continued with and the trial of the Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs who would not sign up for their welfare system.

Sons of God

There was an annual burning of incense at the temples of Rome where the faithful confirmed their allegiance and acceptance of Caesar as the Son of God.

But both Caesar and Jesus were called Savior and the Son of God. It was the difference in their means and methods which differentiated their Godhood. One called the people to repent, to think differently, to seek righteousness of the creator, while setting up a network of fervent charity to provide a social safety net for His people so they would have the courage and character to attend to the weightier matters of Law..

The other Son of God was the emperor of world of Rome who was also the Principas Civitas and Apotheos of that same world order bribed the people woth "treats and gratuities" and searing the conscience of the people with their "appetite for benefits and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others" degenerated the masses of the empire.

One operated by faith, hope, and charity setting the captive free and the other operated by force, fear , and fealty making the people more merchandise than citizens.

The Piso/Flavian Myth is a product the false religion of the Modern Church who no longer practice Pure Religion which has allowed the conscience of the people to be seared by the covetous practices of Legal charity through the welfare states of the world.

The same persecution and denial will come when the true gospel of the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is preached again to the world. It will be the Modern Christians who will be at the core of a Christian conflict with the modern New World Order of Rome which will come into conflict with Sound Doctrine which is the Doctrines of Jesus.

Other gods

During the Second Persecution, under Domitian, A.D. 81, persecutions among the Christians would bring death by order of their magistrates who commonly were addressed as gods required a "test oath" to prove innocents. Modern Christians do not know why they called these men gods. Likewise, modern Christians don't understand who their actual gods are today.

While those emperors took oaths themselves to be High-priests of their nation But Jesus was proclaimed high-priest and King. He was king because he was the highest son of David but high-priest because of his older cousin John the Baptist who declared that Jesus was to come after him.

It is only a lack of understanding of Jesus and The Way that allows anyone to accept Atwill's premise of a Flavian authorship. If Modern Christians would fully repent and seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness with their whole heart, mind and soul they could not be seduced by the falsehoods and misdirection of Atwill and others.

Parallels

Joseph Atwill also claims that there are dozens of parallels between the Gospels and the history of Titus and his military. This requires a huge stretch of imagination. They prove nothing but the desperate hope of selling more books.

Atwill and his followers mix facts and ignore others. They fail to explain the well-documented activities of early Christians who were well known Historical characters and what they were doing. They mislead people about the persecutions of Christians and seem ignorant of the court issue that got peaceful people executed by the tens of thousands.

The makers of the film Zeitgeist try to make comparisons with many other characters of ancient history to prove Jesus was a fictional character but the sources and information they present as fact are more often incorrect or entirely fictional.

Many people are quick to jump on board their thesis for a variety of reasons but the whole truth reveals they are confused and dependent upon speculation and leaps of logic.

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“Sometimes the best way to learn a lesson isn't just hearing the words, but putting it into practice by experimenting with it and finding its truth for yourself instead of taking someone else’s word for it.” ― A.J. Darkholme, Rise of the Morningstar

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They are right that pagan ideas crept into what began posing as Christianity after Flavius Salerus Constantinus's First Council of Nicaea that attracted only a small number of Bishops who convened in Nicaea in Bithynia.

The people advocating that the Flavians created Christianity are mixing the creation of the Church of Flavius Salerus Constantinus with real Christians.

A thousand years later during centuries of inquisitions the Church created by Constantinus would murder millions of real Christians who were a living Church practicing Pure Religion.

Rome had become a Welfare State. That had not only made the Caesar's gods but made the people subject to the Imperial Cult of Rome in much the same way as the modern image of Rome.

Early Christians were practicing Private welfare instead of Public religion. It was the Public religion which involves the Covetous Practices that made men Merchandise and curses their children with debt.

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"Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized." Benjamin Haydon

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"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

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