This is a book that will impact academia. Here's a description of its content:
QuoteThe assumption that Jesus existed as a historical person has occasionally been questioned in the course of the last hundred years or so, but any doubts that have been raised have usually been put to rest in favor of imagining a blend of the historical, the mythical and the theological in the surviving records of Jesus. Carrier re-examines the whole question and finds compelling reasons to suspect the more daring assumption is correct. He lays out extensive research on the evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity and poses the key questions that must now be answered if the historicity of Jesus is to survive as a dominant paradigm. Carrier contrasts the most credible reconstruction of a historical Jesus with the most credible theory of Christian origins if a historical Jesus did not exist. Such a theory would posit that the Jesus figure was originally conceived of as a celestial being known only through private revelations and hidden messages in scripture; then stories placing this being in earth history were crafted to communicate the claims of the gospel allegorically; such stories eventually came to be believed or promoted in the struggle for control of the Christian churches that survived the tribulations of the first century. Carrier finds the latter theory more credible than has been previously imagined. He explains why it offers a better explanation for all the disparate evidence surviving from the first two centuries of the Christian era. He argues that we need a more careful and robust theory of cultural syncretism between Jewish theology and politics of the second-temple period and the most popular features of pagan religion and philosophy of the time. For anyone intent on defending a historical Jesus, this is the book to challenge.
http://astore.amazon.com/supportcarrier-20/detail/1909697494
Carrier also has a website on which he answers those who are critizing his book: http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/5730
Excellent. I ordered the book. Thx, JP.
Once you get it, let me know what you think of it.
Quote from: josephpalazzo on July 04, 2014, 08:13:23 AM
Once you get it, let me know what you think of it.
Will do. I'll have it in a few days. Carrier is a respected historian, though now controversial because of his views.
I didn't see an ebook version yet.
Got the book. I expected it would be dense, and I was right. 618 pages, and an additional 78 pages of bibliography and indexes. Get back to you in about a fortnight..........
Thanks JP! It looks like a good read. Solitary
I'm reading the book now. For starters it is the second book on the same theme, examining historicity vs mythicism of Jesus. Carrier is in the mythicism camp. A lot of the book involves theoretical/mathematical constructs about determining the validity of evidence vs fabrication. Very dense reading. I've read less than 100 pages over days, I can usually absorb an entire book in a day or so. I'm taking my time with this one. there are footnotes on every page, and to do a proper job requires studying every aspect of it.
this is definitely not a "weekend at the beach" book.
Hi Strom, I wanted to make your day after reading such a stressful book to study, so here is the latest news: http://empirenews.net/netflix-pulls-plug-on-orange-is-the-new-black-the-reason-why-may-shock-you/
Quote
New Law Will Make Practicing The Mormon Religion Illegal
Religion has always been a touchy subject any way one chooses to look at it, causing wars, hatred, and feuds that may or may not have happened if it wasn’t for the beliefs held by any number of people.
Regardless of the issues it may cause, one thing in life is certain, and that is that you are free to choose to believe in whatever you want, and the government cannot stop you.
Apparently, things are about to change for those wishing to practice at least one major religion. A new law being voted on in congress could pass, effectively making it illegal to follow the Mormon religion.
:pai:Solitary
Lol. Empire news is like the Onion, a satire website.