I just supplied some evidence. None of the extraordinary events at the crucifixion happened. Josephus was the Jewish historian and wrote in minutia about daily living. He was a contemporary and wouldn't have mentioned anything? Philo was prolific as well, knew many of the characters, like Herod. No mention either.There's no evidence the supernatural events happened, at all. Just because someone wrote something down and it was copied doesn't make it true. If the rabbi or person Jesus was based on was crucified it didn't happen the biblical way.But he refers to correspondence with and meetings with various of Jesus' disciples even if he wasn't always completely theologically aligned with them, especially Peter. Remember it was only roughly 40 years between Jesus' death and 70 A.D. And many of the people who were alive at the time of the crucifixion were still alive in 70 A.D. The chances of there being a great deal of embellishment or for any mythology to develop just isn't all that plausible for me.
The later writings, most especially the authoritarian "gospels' were, IMO, obviously edited together to be theological statements of what the writers perceived to be important to know and understand about the historical Jesus and what he taught. Essentially every bit of Mark can be found in Matthew and Luke so they both obviously copied from that manuscript. John is entirely different from all the others and is its own work. And none make much effort to provide a historical documentary and it is obvious, to me anyway, they did not intend those manuscripts to serve that purpose.
There's no mention anywhere that many were raised from the dead and walked around, no evidence of day into night. No mention of the Temple drapes being rendered in half. No earthquake. Nobody alive in 70 AD could have confirmed what didn't happen.
And there is no evidence that they DIDN'T happen either. Where is the evidence that Julius Caesar lived? He was a generation or two ahead of Jesus , but otherwise contemporaries. All we know about him is that there are symbolic expressions of his existence throughout the Roman Empire and otherwise all we know is what we read in the history books. How reliable are they? Certainly there is probably exaggeration for effect, some embellishment, some theory, some mythology included in all that.
All we know about Jesus and that there are symbolic expressions of his existence throughout the Roman Empire and otherwise all we know is what we read in the Biblical texts and history books. How reliable are they? Here too there is probably exaggeration for effect, some embellishment, some theory, some literary license included in all that.
What we now about either we take on faith. I believe in Julius Caesar because there is no good reason not to. I believe in the historical Jesus because there is no good reason not to. I believe in the risen Christ because he is real and has changed me and billions of others.
If it was said Caesar died and these supernatural events happened, we could believe a Caesar lived but with no mention anywhere else of the events we should dismiss them. Belief doesn't prove anything. Many believe in the Allah of the Koran andd it changed their lives too. I was a Christian for 20 plus years so I know how it works. You believe because it's true, it's true because you believe it....
No you didn't provide any evidence. You weren't there. None of us were. You are providing a source that says what you choose to believe. But that is not evidence. It is only an indication of or support for what might have or probably happened. But to believe it you have to take it on faith that what you read is what happened.
I can point to other sources that tell a different story and draw different conclusions.
And neither you nor I can show how our source is more credible or authoritarian than the other.
It is a matter of faith developed via our own sense of logic, reason, deductiion, or what just seems most plausible to me. If you don't believe in miracles, then you are likely to believe Jesus didn't perform any, etc. But it is a matter of faith just the same.
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