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Is Christianity based on myth?: Difference between revisions
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{{Apologetics}} | {{Apologetics}} | ||
Some ex-message followers come to the conclusion (in our view, incorrectly) that, since William Branham has been largely shown to have been a fraud, | Some ex-message followers come to the conclusion (in our view, incorrectly) that, since William Branham has been largely shown to have been a fraud, the same verdict would apply to Jesus - the New Testament is not factual but simply a myth based on even more ancient myths. | ||
=Did Jesus exist?= | =Did Jesus exist?= | ||
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According to Bart Ehrman, an agnostic scholar who wrote a book entitled "''Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth''", there are so many independent attestations of Jesus' existence, that it is actually "astounding for an ancient figure of any kind". Ehrman dismisses the idea that the story of Jesus was an invention based on pagan myths of dying-and-rising gods, maintaining that the early Christians were primarily influenced by Jewish ideas, not Greek or Roman ones. Ehrman repeatedly insists that the idea that there was never such a person as Jesus is not seriously considered by historians or experts in the field at all.<ref>Ehrman, Bart D. (2012). Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth.</ref> | According to Bart Ehrman, an agnostic scholar who wrote a book entitled "''Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth''", there are so many independent attestations of Jesus' existence, that it is actually "astounding for an ancient figure of any kind". Ehrman dismisses the idea that the story of Jesus was an invention based on pagan myths of dying-and-rising gods, maintaining that the early Christians were primarily influenced by Jewish ideas, not Greek or Roman ones. Ehrman repeatedly insists that the idea that there was never such a person as Jesus is not seriously considered by historians or experts in the field at all.<ref>Ehrman, Bart D. (2012). Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth.</ref> | ||
= | =Similarities to ancient mythical figures= | ||
Numerous examples can be given of Krishna, Attis, Dionysus, and other mythological gods having clear similarities to the story of Jesus, but the result is always the same. In the end, the historical Jesus portrayed in the Bible is unique. The alleged similarities of Jesus’ story to pagan myths are wildly exaggerated. | Numerous examples can be given of Krishna, Attis, Dionysus, and other mythological gods having clear similarities to the story of Jesus, but the result is always the same. In the end, the historical Jesus portrayed in the Bible is unique. The alleged similarities of Jesus’ story to pagan myths are wildly exaggerated. | ||
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*There is no mention of his being a great teacher. | *There is no mention of his being a great teacher. | ||
*There is no mention of Mithras having 12 disciples. The idea that Mithras had 12 disciples may have come from a mural in which Mithras is surrounded by the twelve signs of the zodiac. | *There is no mention of Mithras having 12 disciples. The idea that Mithras had 12 disciples may have come from a mural in which Mithras is surrounded by the twelve signs of the zodiac. | ||
*Mithras had no bodily resurrection. Rather, when Mithras completed his earthly mission, he was taken to paradise in a chariot, alive and well. The early Christian writer Tertullian did write about Mithraic cultists re-enacting resurrection scenes, but this occurred well after New Testament times, so if any copycatting was done, it was Mithraism copying Christianity | *Mithras had no bodily resurrection. Rather, when Mithras completed his earthly mission, he was taken to paradise in a chariot, alive and well. The early Christian writer Tertullian did write about Mithraic cultists re-enacting resurrection scenes, but this occurred well after New Testament times, so if any copycatting was done, it was Mithraism copying Christianity.<ref>Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2002–2013).</ref> | ||
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[[Category: Unfinished articles]] | [[Category: Unfinished articles]] | ||