The Truth About Jesus : Is He a Myth?: IllustratedMangasarian, M. M. (Mangasar Mugurditch)
Religion
The Truth About Jesus : Is He a Myth?: Illustrated
Mangasarian, M. M. (Mangasar Mugurditch)
Jesus Christ -- Historicity; Rationalism
REV. DR. CRAPSEY: "We have of Jesus a very distinctly outlined
history. There is nothing vague about him." (p. 12, _Ibid_.)
ANSWER: But in the same sentence the doctor takes all this back by
adding: "There are a great many things in his history that are not
historical." If so, then we do not possess "a very distinctly outlined
history," but at best a mixture of fact and fiction.
REV. DR. CRAPSEY: "We can follow Jesus' history from the time that he
entered upon his public career until the time that career closed, just
as easily as we can follow Caesar, etc." (p. 12, _Ibid_.)
ANSWER: How long was "the time from the opening of Jesus' public
career until the time that it closed?"--One year!--according to the
three gospels. It sounds quite a period to speak of "following his
public career" from beginning to end, especially when compared with
Caesar's, until it is remembered that the entire public career of
Jesus covers the space of only one year. This is a most decisive
argument against the historicity of Jesus. With the exception of one
year, his whole life is hid in impenetrable darkness. We know nothing
of his childhood, nothing of his old age, if he lived to be old,
and of his youth, we know just enough to fill up a year. Under the
circumstances, there is no comparison between the public career of a
Caesar or a Socrates covering from fifty to seventy years of time, and
that of a Jesus of whose life only one brief year is thrown upon the
canvas.
An historical Jesus who lived only a year!
REV. DR. CRAPSEY: The Christ I admit to be purely mythological....the
word Christ, you know, means the anointed one....they (the Hebrews)
expected the coming of that Christ....But that is purely a mythical
title. (_The Debate_--p. 35.)
ANSWER: Did the Hebrews then expect the coming of a _title?_ Were they
looking forward to seeing the ancient throne of David restored by a
_title?_ By Messiah or Christ the Jews did not mean a _name,_ but a
man--a real flesh and bone savior, anointed or appointed by heaven.
But if the 'Christ' which the Hebrews expected was "purely mythical,"
what makes the same 'Christ' in the supposed Tacitus passage
historical? The New Testament Jesus is Jesus Christ, and the apostle
John speaks of those "who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh"--mark his words--not Christ, but _Jesus Christ._ The apostle
does not separate the two names. There were those, then, in the early
church who denied the historicity, not of a _title_,--for what meaning
would there be in denying that a _title_ "is come in the flesh,"--but
of a person, known as _Jesus Christ._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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