Did Jesus of Nazareth Actually Exist?

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

This is not a poll about Christianity's virtues or transgressions. This is not a poll about whether Jesus was the "son of God" or whether he was a delusional telekinetic hippie. This is about cold, hard evidence: plain and simple, did the man exist?

[Kuja]

you should have a third choice: don't know.

I really have no idea.

[Master of Ossus]

I think that there likely was a person upon whom Jesus of Nazareth was based, but that he likely did not do many of the things that were attributed to him. Instead, his feats were likely just a series of unrelated events from existing legends and myths that were compiled into the Bible by various authors.

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

My impression is that Jesus Christ was some bizarre allegory of various depraved lunatics, not least among them Julius Caesar. (Same initials, same name format, -- First=Given, Last=Title -- both seen as Really Cool Guys by their followers, both betrayed to death by somebody they were supposed to trust...) Why do you think Religion and Politics bring the shit flying with equal ease?

[Evil Jerk]

I believe there was a man called Jesus who claimed to be a Messiah.
However, back then he was one among many, and nobody missed him when he was killed.

[VF5SS]

I think he did exist, and that there was also a guy named... Brian.

[Utsanomiko]

Poor ol' Jesus Q. Christ. He was just a Jewish prophet who wanted to reform the religion by getting rid of all the institutionalization of the religion and the 'eye for an eye' crap. Sure, he had to mess it up by playing the 'Messiah' card, but what can you say 'bout a guy who said only fools and hypocrites pray in public, casted out the merchants from that one Synagogue, and had one hell of an agenda against organized religion?

Except, of course, that he and that damn Paul were more or less responsible for Christianity; the most institutionalized, hypocritical, money grubbing Jewish cult of them all. Poor Jesus, just wanted us to stop hating eachother and putting pricetags on everything.

[Kuja]

he made a small oops there

[Sea Skimmer]

There may have been a person walking around spewing bull around that time, but I believe it’s a fictional character.

[lgot]

My impression is that Jesus Christ was some bizarre allegory of various depraved lunatics, not least among them Julius Caesar. (Same initials, same name format, -- First=Given, Last=Title -- both seen as Really Cool Guys by their followers, both betrayed to death by somebody they were supposed to trust...) Why do you think Religion and Politics bring the shit flying with equal ease?

this is silly, not only the title christ was not present in the early texts about Jesus since it is a greek adaptation but also the title of characters all come in this way, after the name. Since ever (Or do you think Charles Magne or Genghis Kanh are Jesus too ? )

The first texts about him have come about 15, 20 years after his death, too close to make possible the creation of such character over someone totally fictional and too be frankly, if you take off the religous imagery, the sittuation portraited in the gospels - the religious factions and their philosophy, the roman domination and the hard sittuation in the Palestine about that year, the expectation of the new prophets or messiah - are very logical and plausible. So the existence of such prophet is not that hard to believe.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Did Jesus really exist? And what's with the Shroud of Turin?
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_275.html
(You only need to concern yourself with the first part.)

And:

What was Jesus' real name?
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_035a.html

[C.S.Strowbridge]

I recently read a site where a guy in Italy claims to have proven Jesus never existed. I'll try to find it again.

In my opinion, there's just no independant evidence. For a person who suposidly rasied such a stink the Romans never wrote of him during his life time. Personally, I think the myth of Jesus is a composition of many people. One of them might have been named Jesus, but that's all.

[Singular Quartet]

In my opinion, he was a regular guy that did a lot of stuff, but it all got blown out of proportion over the years.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

This is not a poll about Christianity's virtues or transgressions. This is not a poll about whether Jesus was the "son of God" or whether he was a delusional telekinetic hippie. This is about cold, hard evidence: plain and simple, did the man exist?

Well, it is likely that somebody named Jehusa bin-Yosef or Joshua bar-Joseph existed. It is also likely that he was a very charismatic leader of a Jewish messianic doomsday cult. (These gained a measure of popularity after the Roman conquest of of the Palestine area.)

Did he perform miracles, such as the healing of the sick, the transformation of water to wine, or the raising of the dead? Short answer, no. If he had really done such things, (and if such things weren't impossible,) they'd have made it into the Roman history texts. As it is, there's only one mention of somebody who was referred to as "Christ" who was executed by Pilate.

Did he give sermons, stir up trouble, and perform minor "miracles." Short answer is yes. Now sure, he may have wandered about and gave various sermons, and sure he may have done the feast thing where there was an abundance of fish and bread. (Several of his apostles were experienced fishermen. The bread was probably donated by cult members.) And it's likely he did things like assault the money-changers. However, doomsday cult leaders, tend to be known for their odd behavior (Think Koresh, and the leader of Heaven's Gate.)

Honestly, most of the things attributed to him were likely to be total fabrications. The first of the gospels did not appear until more than four decades after his encounter with the Roman justice system.

[Mr Bean]

Aye, Consider the Myths that spread up around Buddah who we KNOW to exist, much of it is fokelore(Inculding a King sending Assasins after him and he converting them with but a word) but we know the man HIMSELF existed and did what he says he did, and not what others say he did

[2000AD]

It seems to me that he might have just been:

A) a magician of some sort. We look at people like David Blaine today and wonder how they do it, to trick us and our vast knowledge of science, etc., etc. . Think what a basic magician could have done back then.

B) a con artist. One of his mates staggers around, "i'm blind, i'm blind", and bumps into him, "i'm cured", result: "It's a miricle!"

C) a good doctor for the time. Given the current conditions in isreal back then someone who knew a little about how the body worked could probably go a long way.

[Priesto]

Yes.I will not list the obvious, but you can find ancient artifacts that prove this.You can prove his existence through the existence of other historical figures such as king Herod,John the baptist, and pontius pilot.An imaginary being would not have so much influence in the wolrd as jesus has.

[Priesto]

C) a good doctor for the time. Given the current conditions in isreal back then someone who knew a little about how the body worked could probably go a long way.

If this were true, Nostradamus would've been seen as a messiah also.If you don't know who nostradamus is, I suggest you find out.Just for the fun of exploring the unknown.

[lgot]

if those Artifacts you mean by things like the shroud or pieces of the patibullum, i must tell you that the Catholic Church reckon more than 100 shrouds to be the one used by Jesus. The onme in Turim is the most famous due his odd image, but still. For example, there is two different places in Jerusalem that was supposed to be his tomb. There is no artifact that proves it. Even ST. Thomas of Aquine back in the XIII century teached that is a matter of faith not of proofs in his teachings.
Aas for the hystorical names in the book...well, could you get the 3 Mosqueteurs. Have a hystorical setting (the Richelieu's Rochella campaingn), have real hystorical characters (Richelieu for example, Lui XIII, and even the mosqueteurs, all of them basead upon real characters ) but the book tell us a fiction, since the writer changed the personality and added more characters. Of Course, Milady of Winter is pure fiction. Is she real because the author use real characters ? Of course not. A writter can use such stuff to cause the impression of reality very easily.

[Priesto]

if those Artifacts you mean by things like the shroud or pieces of the patibullum, i must tell you that the Catholic Church reckon more than 100 shrouds to be the one used by Jesus. The onme in Turim is the most famous due his odd image, but still. For example, there is two different places in Jerusalem that was supposed to be his tomb. There is no artifact that proves it. Even ST. Thomas of Aquine back in the XIII century teached that is a matter of faith not of proofs in his teachings.
Aas for the hystorical names in the book...well, could you get the 3 Mosqueteurs. Have a hystorical setting (the Richelieu's Rochella campaingn), have real hystorical characters (Richelieu for example, Lui XIII, and even the mosqueteurs, all of them basead upon real characters ) but the book tell us a fiction, since the writer changed the personality and added more characters. Of Course, Milady of Winter is pure fiction. Is she real because the author use real characters ? Of course not. A writter can use such stuff to cause the impression of reality very easily.

In artifacts, I meant documents,DIdn't mean to be unclear.I just know Historians recognize Jesus as a true historical figure.

[Mr Bean]

In artifacts, I meant documents,DIdn't mean to be unclear.I just know Historians recognize Jesus as a true historical figure.

Not quite as usual Priesto,
CHRISITAN Historians LOOKING for evidance of his existance have found it, Howver no one else can seem to find the stuff that they are finding nor verify what they've found

[2000AD]

Did he exist - yes
Was he the son of God / Messiah/ etc. - HELL NO!

[irishmick79]

I think there was a Jesus Christ, I think he probably was just an ordinary man who might have been a little crazy. I think down the road some clever and crafty politicians used his name, attributed great deeds to him, in order to further their own objectives.

Maybe it's kind of similar to the way some people refer to Abraham Lincoln in the US. If you did'nt know any better, you would think he's some kind of God because he's been idolized so much by people furthering their own agendas.

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

Yes.I will not list the obvious, but you can find ancient artifacts that prove this.You can prove his existence through the existence of other historical figures such as king Herod,John the baptist, and pontius pilot.An imaginary being would not have so much influence in the wolrd as jesus has.

Well, I wouldn't go that far. King Arthur, fictional or not, seems to have spawned legions of effeminate dipshits in this century...

[lgot]

In artifacts, I meant documents,DIdn't mean to be unclear.I just know Historians recognize Jesus as a true historical figure.

There is no documents that prove him. No document made when he was to be alive or by him. All the texts come a long time after him.

And some historians do and some do not. There would not be a whole debate about this if there isnt historians with different teories. And the lack of better proves made hard to end this.