Ancient Confession Found: 'We Invented Jesus Christ'

[One Above All]

Biblical scholars will be appearing at the 'Covert Messiah' Conference at Conway Hall in London on the 19th of October to present this controversial discovery to the British public.

http://uk.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11201273.htm

No surprise there, IMO.

Found over on AF.

[Jag]

Hopefully there will be a video of the talk after the conference. Would love to see it in person, but reality intrudes on that desire.  Thanks for the info.

[Foxy Freedom]

Early Christian symbols have recently been discovered in Jerusalem dating to before the time this guy is proposing for the Roman government fabrication. In any case, the Romans were not enthusiastic about Christianity. In Acts a Roman judge told Paul, that Paul was a lunatic.

[Traveler]

I don't know enough about this guy or the sources to judge its veracity, but it jives with a lot of my personal theories of the christian mythology.

[Mrjason]

Early Christian symbols have recently been discovered in Jerusalem dating to before the time this guy is proposing for the Roman government fabrication. In any case, the Romans were not enthusiastic about Christianity. In Acts a Roman judge told Paul, that Paul was a lunatic.

Are they christian symbols or symbols adopted by christianity at a later date?

If the Romans had made up christianity as a tool of oppression they wouldn't want to seem to keen on it or they would risk defeating its purpose

[jaimehlers]

Early Christian symbols have recently been discovered in Jerusalem dating to before the time this guy is proposing for the Roman government fabrication. In any case, the Romans were not enthusiastic about Christianity. In Acts a Roman judge told Paul, that Paul was a lunatic.

First off, even if these symbols are authentic, it doesn't mean a Roman fabrication couldn't have happened.  It would certainly not be the first time a government used propaganda to undercut or redirect a person or a movement that was opposed to them.

Second, where's your evidence on these symbols?

Third, claiming that Romans weren't enthusiastic about Christianity in order to contest a claim that the Christian story was fabricated, and then only citing a statement from Acts - which would be part of that fabrication - to support it is not convincing.  Do you have sources outside of the Bible to support this?

[Nam]

Early Christian symbols have recently been discovered in Jerusalem dating to before the time this guy is proposing for the Roman government fabrication. In any case, the Romans were not enthusiastic about Christianity. In Acts a Roman judge told Paul, that Paul was a lunatic.

Are they christian symbols or symbols adopted by christianity at a later date?

If the Romans had made up christianity as a tool of oppression they wouldn't want to seem to keen on it or they would risk defeating its purpose

Like the swastika, a symbol around for thousands of years adopted by the Nazis, and now everyone associates the swastika with Nazism.

Sad.

-Nam

[Foxy Freedom]

The symbols are from burials in an archaeological site in Jerusalem dating from before the Roman destruction.

If Christianity was just a government plot to tame the Jews of Israel, it did not work because Christianity quickly became dominated by non Jews in other parts of the Empire. All the writing in the NT was in Greek not in Hebrew. Christianity and Judaism quickly became hostile to each other. The Jews continued to rebel and Jerusalem was destroyed again in the next century. So the fabrication would have been a complete failure. It also meant that there were now a lot more people all over the empire who were hostile to it. Christiani ad leonem!  (Send the Christians to the lions)

[Nam]

The symbols are from burials in an archaeological site in Jerusalem dating from before the Roman destruction.

This isn't evidence. A link, or a source to a book, or something is evidence. Saying it is just your opinion.

If Christianity was just a government plot to tame the Jews of Israel, it did not work because Christianity quickly became dominated by non Jews in other parts of the Empire. All the writing in the NT was in Greek not in Hebrew. Christianity and Judaism quickly became hostile to each other. The Jews continued to rebel and Jerusalem was destroyed again in the next century. So the fabrication would have been a complete failure. It also meant that there were now a lot more people all over the empire who were hostile to it. Christiani ad leonem!  (Send the Christians to the lions)

Christianity only expanded the way it did, so quickly, because of the Roman Empire.

-Nam

[Foxy Freedom]

It is easy enough to search the internet about archaeology in Jerusalem. I found this for example.

http://publicrelations.uncc.edu/news-events/news-releases/cryptic-hebrew-inscription-appears-confirm-sign-jonah

[Foxy Freedom]

Christianity only expanded the way it did, so quickly, because of the Roman Empire.

-Nam

So it was the worst government fabrication ever, if it was a fabrication.

[Nam]

It is easy enough to search the internet about archaeology in Jerusalem. I found this for example.

http://publicrelations.uncc.edu/news-events/news-releases/cryptic-hebrew-inscription-appears-confirm-sign-jonah

You made the claim. We tell this to Christians all the time: if you state something as evidence then you YOU must provide the evidence. It isn't up to us to research your claims.

-Nam

[Nam]

I looked at your link, it's all speculation and "ifs". It's not evidence of anything until confirmed by separate sources.

-Nam

[Foxy Freedom]

Did you read to the end where the article says that the later discovered inscription "strongly supports" the original idea that this is a Christian symbol?

I don't see any " Strongly supports" for the ideas of the book. The article admits that most scholars disagree with the book.

What about the fact that the NT is so anti Jewish ? They took the blame for Jesus crucifixion in the NT. That is a bad way to convert Jews to Christianity and it certainly did not work.

[Nam]

Irrelevant. All opinions. Until the evidence is in, by non-biased agreement, it's all speculation.

-Nam

[Ron Jeremy]

This is from a UK paper, The Daily Mail. Usually takes the religious side, but has this article;

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2451087/American-Bible-scholar-claims-ancient-confessions-prove-story-Jesus-Christ-entirely-fabricated-Roman-aristocrats.html

Although don't treat everything The Mail says as truth!

[Jag]

There's already a thread on this topic over here: http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/forums/index.php/topic,25581.0.html

[Nick]

NT put together 200 years after the (imaginary event).  Made to fit the story.  Paul did not exist.  Just another figure to fit the narrative.

[Quesi]

Interesting theory.  It does seem odd, however, that a religion created as a political tool to pacify a distant occupied nation, would, in less than a couple of hundred years, become the dominant religion embraced by the same governmental power that created it.  It seems rather improbable. 

But I'd be interested in learning more about his evidence. 

[Nick]

The Roman Empire was in decline at the time.  A series of rulers that did nothing but take and an army that got lazy and farmed war out to others.  (Man, this is starting to sound familiar).  Anyhow, there were many religions floating around at the time.  Mirtha was one of many.  Christianity just took from all of them as it merged into what it became with Constantine and the rest is history...due to the Dark Ages and people becoming dumb as a rock.

[William]

We have to evaluate the possibility that the "confession" itself was invented
If one invention could happen to suite an agenda then why not duelling inventions?   

[Nam]

Because that would just be silly.



-Nam