Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Peter Kirby wrote: ↑Sun Aug 20, 2017 8:50 pm Fun fact: a young Napoleon Bonaparte wrote an essay (supposedly in the style of Voltaire) comparing the parallels of Apollonius of Tyana and Jesus Christ, uncharitably for the latter.

Whately argued against the existence of Napoleon.

Andrew Criddle

We don't need to use the lowest standards of historical research as the base line for investigating Christian origins. Rather, I like to think we are more impressed by the most serious and professional of historians and how they work. We have had plenty of historians who don't question their source...

As for Pythagoras, we do have serious evidence for his existence. Technically I agree. There is IMO no real doubt about the existence of a religious guru called Pythagoras in the 6th century BCE who founded a political association in Greek speaking Italy and Sicily. However we have very little soli...

Can someone point me to serious discussions addressing the question of the historicity of Apollonius of Tyana - apart from the one on the Livius site? Would be most grateful. Maria Dzielska writes about him: http://aemos.blogspot.com/2009/09/apollonius-of-tyana-and-his-historicity.html . See alo he...

[Not sure about the timeline here (most put these texts in the 2nd-3rd century AD), but the Hermetic tradition has certain ties to the Gnostics.] http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/herm/hermes1.htm God: But All-Father Mind, being Life and Light, did bring forth Man co-equal to Himself, with whom He fe...

Chapter 4: Voices from Below: Aspiring Humans and “Hierarchies of Beings” in Gene Wolfe’s Short Sun and Wizard Knight. RC has a big list of characters that want to become human. Characters like robots and holograms and magically-animated toys and statues and assembled and otherwise aberrant human b...

Philostratus wrote his Life of Apollonius c 220 CE Cassius Dio wrote his history c 230 CE. It is technically possible but most unlikely that Cassius Dio was influenced by Philostratus. The accounts by Porphyry If, however, it is requisite to believe in the ancients, and also in those who have lived ...

Lord does seem to be used in the Odes as a title of Christ Ode 7 For there is a Helper for me, the Lord. He has generously shown Himself to me in His simplicity, because His kindness has diminished His dreadfulness. He became like me, that I might receive Him. In form He was considered like me, tha...

Apollonius of Tyana: To elaborate on the reasons for questioning the historicity of Apollonius would take far too much time and space here. I will try to prepare some full length posts. Suffice to say that there are numerous clues throughout Philostratus's Life to indicate fabrication, including, o...

If both the Qumran community and the Pharisees had significant messianic expectations then this does imply that such ideas were reasonably widespread. One possible problem with this thread is that it maybe blurred two rather different ideas of widespread messianic expectation. a/ Did most 1st centur...