Are the Gospels real history or myth? (page 3)

Bart Belteshassur

Designs- "The Gospels give different times for th birth of Jesus"

Please give the verses in the gospels that you mean. Many thanks Bart.

Dear Bart, I do not dismiss the N.T ,or indeed the O.T , as unworthy of study and investigation, rather the opposite. But what I meant by my comment is that we must realise the agenda that a writer may have, or the Genre he is writing in, and probably both, and more, to get a true appreciation of what the work is.

I do not see that any of the Bible books set out to be Historical authorities, relaying events etc in the way a modern work dealing with history would.

Hence when we look at pseudepigraphical books of the Bible, be it "Daniel" writing in the 2nd century BC , but making it appear that he wrote centuries earlier, or the works of the School of Paul, or the Revelation of John, we do not expect accurate history, any more than we expect true prophecy.

The same with the Books of Kings and Chronicles, the writers make it plain, by referring to a work that no longer exists in fact, that if we want accurate history, we go elsewhere.

Hence, nearly all the books of the Bible can be lumped under a heading of "Myth". As I said above, that does not preclude them from containing truth.

But if we want to take the Bible Literalist view, or claim the inerrancy of the Bible, we are on a very sticky wicket.

Bart Belteshassur

Totally agree.

EverApostate

If Jesus was the saviour of mankind, why didnt the whole world know about his arrival immediatley, while he walked the earth. Christianity(Gospels) Didnt really spread to the rest of the planet until the Printing press was invented. That was 1500 years after the supposed Jesus Lived and died.

So, God cannot deliver his message to the whole of mankind, until men could invent modern machinery. Doesn't this sound suspicious ?

Phizzy

You've got to remember that Big J did himself a lot of damage in that burning bush when he talked to Moses, recovery took a long time.

DeWandelaar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwUZOZN-9dc&feature=youtu.be

Interesting video about the histority of Christ, the Gospels AND the letters and books of the Apostles.

Witness My Fury

OMG at the turin shroud comment on that video link!! WTF? Magial thinking is just so sad.

transhuman68

John Shelby Spong clarifies the birth narrative in the Gopels in his book: Jesus For The Non-religious. A chapter is here:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/g7b7bysimii0f3r/Spong-_who_was_Jesus_father.pdf

designs

In Matthew the account places the birth at the end of King Herod (died 4BC), Luke says the birth was during the census (6BC).

Bart Belteshassur

Thanks Designs for that info. Luke also contridicts himself in 3:23 if the translation is correct and give date of birth as 1 BCE to1 CE. It is this verse that is used to diffine the zero year of the common eara. I come back with an exlpaination I think? Bart

Are the Gospels real history or myth?

Share this