Search Results for: couchoud

Jesus Potter Harry Christ ch.2: The mythicist controversy ancient and modern

So what has kept the mythicist controversy alive despite frustrated assertions among biblical scholars that the debate was settled long ago? Derek Murphy demonstrates in chapter two of Jesus Potter Harry Christ that the modern controversy over the historicity of Jesus “has a long and substantial history, and that, in effect, the jury is still … Continue reading “Jesus Potter Harry Christ ch.2: The mythicist controversy ancient and modern”

Interview with Earl Doherty

I asked Earl Doherty a few questions about his background and what led him to his Christ myth views; his understanding of the relationship between atheism and mythicism, and atheism in genera; influences leading to his own distinctive views and public/scholarly reactions to the mythicism, and towards him personally; his place in the history of … Continue reading “Interview with Earl Doherty”

Qumran and Paul: Echoes of Mystical-Vision Salvation

One of the reasons I have been looking at the visionary ascent experiences of Jewish and Christian devotees is to expand my understanding of the nature and place of the vision of Isaiah’s ascent and all that he saw and heard in the Ascension of Isaiah. I began to look at the Ascension of Isaiah … Continue reading “Qumran and Paul: Echoes of Mystical-Vision Salvation”

Do Mark’s Primitive Language, Aramaicisms and Theology Really Argue for Markan Priority?

This series of posts (previous one here) on Dungan’s summary of arguments for the Gospel of Mark being the last of the canonical Gospels to have been composed is contrarily working backwards. My first post (the one previous to this) outlined Dungan’s final points in his chapter. I am saving his “first points” for last. … Continue reading “Do Mark’s Primitive Language, Aramaicisms and Theology Really Argue for Markan Priority?”

Jesus Came Again: A Parable — Vardis Fisher

Who/What is Jesus? The Author’s Forward from the novel published 1956: “It is a serious fact,” wrote Professor Archibald Duff some years ago, “that virtually all men are wondering just what Jesus was.” It is a curious fact that they should wonder, for the truth of it was given by a great Jew nineteen hundred … Continue reading “Jesus Came Again: A Parable — Vardis Fisher”

Goguel’s critique of the Christ Myth. Hoffmann’s response. And Doherty

I discuss here Goguel’s critique of the Christ Myth as seen through the eyes of two biblical scholars, mainly R. Joseph Hoffmann, and very briefly Christopher Price. I conclude with my own understanding of the reason (bias) underlying Hoffmann’s perspective of Goguel in his anti-mythicist arguments, and an alternative perspective from Earl Doherty. Hoffmann compares … Continue reading “Goguel’s critique of the Christ Myth. Hoffmann’s response. And Doherty”

Jesus Christ: Maybe BOTH names are titular? (Dunn on Price, again, too)

Christ, meaning Messiah, is, of course, not a proper name but a title, like King or High Priest. Yet Paul’s letters use Christ as if it is a proper name for Jesus. Dunn writes in response to Price (The Historical Jesus: Five Views) what is well known to all scholars: As often noted, the fact … Continue reading “Jesus Christ: Maybe BOTH names are titular? (Dunn on Price, again, too)”

Weaknesses of traditional anti-mythicist arguments

This post addresses R. Joseph Hoffmann’s discussion of Maurice Goguel’s 1926 defence of the historicity of Jesus in response to the early mythicist arguments, initially launched by Bruno Bauer in 1939, and developed in particular by Reinach, Drews and Couchoud. Hoffmann divides Goguel’s defence (Jesus the Nazarene: Myth or History?) into the following six sections. … Continue reading “Weaknesses of traditional anti-mythicist arguments”