Jesus : God, man, or myth? : an examination of the evidence

In 1950, mythicist Herbert Cutner published his excellent work, "Jesus: God, Man or Myth?," which not only explores the mythical nature of Jesus Christ but also provides a rare and much-needed summarization of the debate between mythicists and historicizers over the past few centuries. Contrary to popular belief, the idea that Jesus Christ is a mythical character is not new: In fact, the questioning and doubting of the gospel tale started at the beginning of the Christian era and has been continued by thousands, if not millions, since then. The historicization and carnalization of the Christ character was fought by the Docetic Gnostics, and the disbelief was addressed by early orthodox Christians as well, including the writers of the canonical epistles of John. Indeed, 1 John 4 condemns as "antichrists" those "spirits" who do not confess that "Jesus Christ has come in the flesh," as does 2 John 7. Many, says 2 John, have contested the historicity of Jesus Christ, even by his day. The writings of early Christians also verify that Christ was perceived by the Pagans as a typical sun god, an idea that came to fruition in the works of French scholar Charles Dupuis at the end of the 18th century, when he wrote his multivolume "Origine de tous les cultes." Dupuis was followed by Count Volney, another brilliant French mythicist, and the floodgates opened, with the German School of biblical criticism kicking into full gear, the Dutch throwing their hats into the arena, and the British making a tremendous impact that is likely responsible for the extremely low rate of church An Examination of the Evidence, by Herbert Cutner. Did pagan mythologies represent Christs "miracles" in an effort to convince them to accept the Christian faith? Beyond these miracles is there enough evidence to prove there was a Jesus? Cutner says no. He also says that the Apostle Paul never portrayed Jesus as a man, but as a spiritual being. To Paul, Christ is found in a spiritual sense within oneself, as opposed to being an actual historical personage. When the Church accepted Paul, this inner reflection was outwardly projected by the Church into an actual mana savior, according to Cutner. This might be why Paul was almost rejected by the Churchhis views posed a "danger "to those who might rely on their own spiritual knowledge, rather than the authority of the Church. Whether Jesus lived or not, we still have a lot to learn about ourselves and our true place in the universe. This book, although critical, may be useful in that respect. Contents 6 I Some Preliminary Considerations 1 8 II Christian Evidences 9 16 III The Witness of Paul 30 37 IV The Cross 58 65 V The Mother of God 76 83 VI Jesus and the Witness of the Jews 86 93 VII The Pagan Witnesses 110 117 VIII Some Sources of the Jesus Myth 129 136 IX Pagan Saviors 165 172 X Christianity and Allegory 179 186 XI The Myth Theory and Its Critics 194 201 XII The Teachings of Jesus 223 230 XIII How Did the Gospels Originate? 229 236 XIV Conclusions 245 252 XV Various Works and the Conclusion 250 257 Bibliography 289 296 Index 293 300 Religion Christianity