This Tumblr website has launched a Birther movement regarding Jesus. It’s actually a challenge to present proof for an historical Jesus.
Please provide ONE single person, along with their authentic writing, that can prove the simple living-human, historical existence of the claimed, christian New Testament jesus the christ of Nazareth, that meets both (A & B) of our 2 simple requirements listed below:
A.) A contemporary 1st century person that lived between the years of 1-36 CE, who was a first-hand eye-witness, who actually saw, met, spoke to, and knew jesus personally.
B.) Provide this person’s original and authentic: secular, non-christian, non-religious, unbiased, non-bible, non-gospel, and non-scripture writing, that is directly about jesus (with references/citations to prove that this person actually wrote the work in question), officially dated by science, between the years of 1-53 CE. Additional religious or christian writings that can’t be used: papyri, uncials, minuscules, lectionaries, didache, apocrypha, gnostic, catechism, and pseudepigrapha.
In case some folks are tempted to reach for some of the classic “proofs,” the site offers this scorecard:
The site also offers links to many other sites that challenge the existence (not merely the divinity) of Jesus, including:
Bible Scholar: Robert M Price – Extrabiblical evidence for Jesus ► 8:44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3zuMeNPgDQ
Debunking the Fraudulent christian Apologist List of Extra-biblical but non-contemporary, claimed “sources” used as jesus “evidence.” (Jewish, “Pagan,” Non-christian, “Secular”)
The jesus Birther Movement (jBM) Research Database Directory
Research Articles, Evidence and Videos that Prove a Historical jesus, NEVER Existed
66 Famous Historians and Writers From The 1st and 2nd Century, Who Never Mentioned Fictional jesus – The Screaming Silence of Real History
Just watched RT’s Abby Martin interview with Reza Aslan where he differentiates between the heavily mythologized Christ and the real life preacher, Jesus of Nazareth who in his opinion (and mine) actually existed. Once you see these as two different entities, it seems somewhat more likely than not that a real person inspired all that mythologizing. But until I invent that time machine, we’ll probably never know for sure.
Also, it’s great poetic justice for actual Obama birthers to get wind of this movement, though the irony may be lost on them.
Michael: I’ve read Bart Ehrman’s staunch defense of the idea that there was a person named Jesus (the name of the book is “Did Jesus Exist?”). Same thing as you suggested: Totally different thing to say A) someone named Jesus existed, versus B) he was the heavily mythologized Christ.
Then again, I’m tantalized by the total absence of Jesus of Nazareth in the epistles, the only Christian writings for 40 years after the alleged death of the alleged Jesus. Earl Dougherty has written extensively on this. So has Robert Price.
Too bad there isn’t a time machine. I could just take a photo of brown skinned Jesus, and a lot of so-called Christians would be SOOO disappointed. Sorry, but Jesus was not white skinned with blue eyes.
Could this test be passed for either Muhammed, the Buddha, or Moses? To exclude the testimony of Matthew and John, who spent years in the close physical presence of Jesus is special pleading. The reason that their writings are considered “Christian” is because they were so impressed by Jesus that they came to believe that He is God incarnate.
I think, though, that this challenge is not really genuine. These people probably know in their heart of hearts that there is good evidence that Jesus lived among us and was raised from the dead. They just don’t want to face the consequences of this for their own lives. Yet God is patient, not willing that any of His elect should perish.