The Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the Historical Jesus Christ
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The Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the Historical Jesus Christ
Around the world over the centuries, much has been written about religion, its meaning, its relevance and contribution to humanity. In the West particularly, sizable tomes have been composed speculating upon the nature and historical background of one of the main characters of Western religions, Jesus Christ. Many have tried to dig into the precious few clues as to Jesus's identity and come up with a biographical sketch that either bolsters faith or reveals a more human side of this godman to which we can all relate. Obviously, considering the time and energy spent on them, the subjects of Christianity and its legendary founder are very important to the Western mind and culture, and increasingly to the rest of the world as well.
Despite all of this literature continuously being cranked out and the significance of the issue, in the public at large there remains a serious lack of formal and broad education regarding religion and mythology, and most individuals are highly uninformed in this area. Concerning the issue of Christianity, for example, the majority of people are taught in most schools and churches that Jesus Christ was an actual historical figure and that the only controversy regarding him is that some people accept him as the Son of God and the Messiah, while others do not. However, whereas this is the raging debate most evident in this field today, it is not the most important. Shocking as it may seem to the general populace, the most enduring and profound controversy in this subject is whether or not a person named Jesus Christ ever really existed.
Contents
Introduction The Controversy History and Positions of the Debate "Pious Fraud" The Proof The Gnostics Biblical Sources Non-Biblical Sources The Characters The Major Players Buddha Buddha's Birth Buddhist Crucifixion Horus of Egypt Mithra, Sun God of Persia Mithra's "Virgin" Birth? Mithra and the Twelve Krishna of India Krishna's "Virgin" Birth? The Names of Krishna and Christ Krishna's Solar Nature Prometheus of Greece The Creation of a Myth The "Son" of God is the "Sun" of God Etymology Tells the Story The Book of Revelation is Egyptian and Zoroastrian The "Patriarchs" and "Saints" are the Gods of Other Cultures The "Disciples" are the Signs of the Zodiac Was Jesus an Essene Master? Qumran is Not an Essene Community Was the New Testament Composed by Therapeuts? Conclusion Bibliography Endnotes
