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It occurred to me that the Wickipedia is Free. Therefore they won't mind if I "lift" a portion of "The Jesus Myth" to more adequetly illustrate a point or two- -
Star of Bethlehem
Although many explanations have been offered for the Star of Bethlehem, no actual record of any such astronomical phenomenon can be found.
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As mentioned above, Matthew 2:16 claims that Herod ordered the slaughter of all the children "in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof," who were two years old or younger. Bethlehem is situated about fifteen miles from the coast of the Dead Sea, and about twice that distance to the coast of the Mediterranean, in the heart of Judea. No mention is made anywhere of any infanticide of any proportion anywhere near that time or region, let alone one of such a horrific magnitude.
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Flight to Egypt
Also as mentioned above, Matthew 2:13-16 records the holy family as having fled to Egypt. Though they may well have remained incognito while they lived there, the Bible says nothing on the matter one way or the other. If they did not keep their identities hidden, it is most likely that Philo, who was living in Alexandria at this time, would have recorded the presence of the prophesied and persecuted future King of the Jews.
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Public miracles
The Bible records Jesus as having performed some very public miracles, in front of crowds numbering, in some cases, in the thousands. He healed the sick, blind, and lame; he raised the dead; he walked on water; and he fed multitudes with table scraps. History is replete with people doing such deeds, but every other instance is universally assumed to be mythic fiction.
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Public ministry
Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount to a crowd of "multitudes," and the Sermon on the Plain to "great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases." This clearly indicates that Jesus must have been a popular figure known throughout the entire region; yet, no mention is made of any preacher giving such a sermon to such crowds.
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The trial
Jesus's trial is notable for what it describes as a great many of the most egregious possible violations of Jewish and Roman law and custom by all officials involved. The trial is said to have taken place during Pesach, one of the holiest holidays for Jews then and now, on which such activities are most strictly forbidden. There was no need for the Jews to appeal to Roman authority for assistance in the trial; they had full authority from the Romans to execute anybody for any reason sanctioned by their own laws. There was even less reason for the Romans to agree to intervene in what would have been to them internecine provincial politics. The behavior of the Sanhedrin, such as spitting on Jesus, would have been just as shocking to people then as would similar action by the members of the United States Supreme Court today. If Pilate had agreed to take the case, he would not have permitted an unruly mob to have remained present, let alone have a say in the trial. While the Romans courts, like all courts, surely freed the guilty and executed the innocent, they never would have publicly declared their intention to do so any more than would any modern court; Pilate's acquiescence in granting the mob Barabbas in exchange for Jesus is incomprehensible. Finally, had Pilate actually acted as described, Rome would have had his head on a platter, figuratively if not literally, for letting a mob dictate his actions as well as for general gross misconduct.
In short, if even one aspect of the trial happened as described, it would have caught the attention--and raised the ire--of a great many important people in the region and beyond. If all of it happened as described, it would have been the most scandalous trial of the millennium.
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The crucifixion
While there are undoubtedly many people who were crucified who remain unknown to history, various records of countless crucifixions survive. Romans saw crucifixion as a most ignominious way to die, and, as such, crucifixions often caught the attention of local historians. Sometimes Romans would crucify hundreds of people a day, but they also crucified people singly or in small groups. Josephus records many of these, including that of a Jesus who was the son of a man named Stada, but nobody recorded any crucifixion of a charismatic rebel preacher who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ.
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Portents at Jesus's death
The Gospels record ominous portents as having occurred at the time of Jesus's death. As recorded in Matthew 27:45-54 and similarly in the other synoptic Gospels, a three-hour darkness was "over all the land"; the veil of the temple was rent; there was an earthquake; and the graves opened and dead saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem.
No eclipse would have been astronomically possible at the time; Pesach, according to the lunar calendar, always is celebrated with the start of the full moon, and eclipses can only happen when the moon is new. Further, no eclipse ever lasts for more than a few minutes--let alone three hours. No account of this most remarkable event, visible from "all the land," can be found outside the Gospels.
Records of major earthquakes from the period are rather comprehensive, yet no recorded earthquake happened at a time when the crucifixion could have happened.
The rending of the veil of the temple would have been a most remarkable occurrence, yet it remained intact until the temple was destroyed in 70 CE.
Had presumably all the graves in the area been opened and a corresponding number of dead saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem, it is absolutely certain that those many would have reported the fact, yet none did.
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The Resurrected Jesus
Acts 1:3 says that, for forty days after his resurrection, Jesus continued his ministry, yet no extra-Biblical record can be found of the most remarkable fact of a man, very publicly executed, continuing to do for over a month that which got him executed in the first place.
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The Ascension
According to Acts 1:9, Jesus Ascended to Heaven from atop Mount Olivet, which would have been in full view of all of Jerusalem. Once more, no account of the Ascension can be found outside of the Bible.
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They're selling tickets to the crusifiction
They're painting the sign posts red
"This thing should never have happened"
Some Jewish Rabi said
Jesus looks out over the crouds
They're blank faces all to see
As he cries out to his god in anguish
"Hast Thow forsaken me?
And off in the distance
He hears the tolling of a bell
As Jesus closes his eyes to forget it all
And so descends to Hell
Observers of bestial habbit
Who pull sheep out of ruts
Pass the hours merrily
Doing things with each other's butts
The sky is suddenly a blaze
The shepherds are filled with fright
"You can have it all right now
If you just come to the light"
And the three wise men are homeward bound
The shepherds to not tell
Sad tales of genocide
With its origens in Hell
Mary Magdolane is very "easy"
"Seek His salvation", she says
From a delapedated flop-house
Just outside Juarez
In comes the rich young man he's moaning
About the loss of his property
She says, "You must surrender your soul
if you ever want to be free"
I forget the rest of the words. This is from "See You In Hell", which I wrote in August of 1979, nine verses worth, to the tune of "Desolation Row" by Bob Dylan.
"It Takes One To Know One"
If Sixty Minutes is right the "Pierre de Sion" or whatever it's called is a complete fraud that was formed in 1952 or something by a man a "legond in his own mind", who died in 1990 or something. I guess his son, "Jesus" is still around. It would seem there is no real secret to Renes Le Chateau. Biship Soonierre really didn't discover any "treasure" or any secret at all about Jesus to blackmail the church with. It seems he was just guilty of the crime of "selling masses" or "Simony", as it is called. I am not ready to abandon all yet. Perhaps the Di Vinci Code is less than factual, but "The Jesus Story" is less than that, as you can see for yourself reading above. Of course there are still those mysterious "stations of the cross" paintings in that Chapel. One showed Jesus in a Scottish kilt, whereas another showed some desciples taking the body of Jesus out of the tomb under a full moon. As you know Jewish burial custom demands that bodies be burried the same day, and before sun down to avoid ritual uncleanness. This would be particularly important for celebrating a Jewishy holiday. I think the Di Vinci Code still has enough facts to make seeing it worth-while. Christrianity is like a floating ice burg. It's massive; it's dangerous, but it has no roots. When the heat is on people seem to keep sliding off of it finding it harder to maintain their "grip of faith" than they used to. One of these days after a bout of turning up the heat of truth, the ice berg will break up entirely. (Selah)