A Christian Response by Stephen J. Bedard
CNN recently republished a 2012 article Decoding Jesus: Separating man from myth, written by John Blake. It is another rehashing of the Jesus myth, the theory that Jesus never existed. There is nothing much new in this article but it is worth responding to because these questions keep coming up. I’m not going to answer every … Read More “Decoding the Jesus Myth” »
One of the aspects of the Jesus story that Mythicists target is that of the virgin birth. They spend a lot of time looking for pagan parallels. But what do we mean by the virgin birth? For Christians, a more accurate term would be virginal conception. The point is that Mary became pregnant without any … Read More “What Do We Mean By the Virgin Birth?” »
The Jesus Myth Theory is kind of specialized area, that many of my friend weren’t aware even existed until I started writing about it. How did I get interested in the Jesus Myth? In this first episode of the Unmasking the Jesus Myth podcast, I share my story. Links mentioned in this episode: Paul and … Read More “How Did I Get Interested in the Jesus Myth?” »
Not only do Mythicists find their parallels by looking over a wide chronological range, they also cross cultures and even religions. So for example, there may not be enough material to support the parallels just in the myths about Dionysus, there may be if we throw in the myths about Osiris. Now, to be fair, … Read More “The Problem With Identifying Gods With Each Other” »
There is an attraction about ancient Egypt for many people. I know that visiting Egypt and seeing the pyramids and tombs is on my bucket list. There is something very mysterious about ancient Egypt and so it is natural that Jesus Mythicists to look there for parallels. They claim to find those parallels, suggesting that … Read More “The Problem With Finding Egyptian Parallels to Christianity” »
I have dedicated an entire website to responding to the Jesus Myth. But why bother? Will it even make a difference? It is unlikely that we will ever change the mind of a diehard Jesus Mythicist. I have debated some Mythicists online, but would never consider a live debate. They are so entrenched that it … Read More “Is There a Point to Responding to the Jesus Myth?” »
There are different ways we can understand Jesus Mythicists and their distinctions. Some are scholars and some are not. Some are atheists and some are not. What I want to do here is to look at four motivations for people to become Mythicists. There are probably more. Some are hostile to Christianity. Some of the … Read More “4 Kinds of Jesus Mythicists” »
A small dwelling in Jerusalem, some time in the mid-30s AD. Saul: Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I have been watching you for a while and I think you are exactly what I need for a very special project. Simon: What is this all about? What does a pharisee based … Read More “How the Jesus Myth Really Started” »
One of my favourite podcasts is Unbelievable? with Justin Brierley. He brings on a wide range of guests looking all sorts of topics. Unbelievable? is one of the few podcasts that has been willing to respond to the Jesus Myth. Here is an episode that includes a debate between Richard Carrier and David Marshall.
There are many different types of Jesus Mythicists with varying qualities of research in their works. Reading a book by a Jesus Mythicist requires some special reading skills. Here are some questions to be asking when you are reading a Jesus Mythicist. This would work for both books and blogs. What is their motivation? Do … Read More “Questions to Ask When Reading a Jesus Mythicist” »
