Erhmans claim of hallucination

[FransJVermeiren]

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A fish-eating spirit?

I don’t see any hallucinations, only a successful attempt to mislead and outclass the Romans. Misleading by forging the chronology, and outclassing by making things even more spectacular than they already were.

Surviving a certain death on the cross is quite spectacular, but changing the succession of a) mortally wounded and b) recovering to a’) mortally wounded, b’) dead and c’) rising makes it even more spectacular (and quite implausible). There were tales about Vespasian performing miracles in Alexandria, well, this was some other level miracle!

Mark, the fabricator of the whole story, misled the Roman enemy by antedating the real events from the war to the time of Pilate. The anonymous story of three men on the cross, one of whom survived, at the end of Josephus’s Life, is the story of Jesus’ rising/recovery/resurrection. The post-resurrection apparitions are down-to-earth accounts of real events. Jesus counters the astonishment of his friends by saying that he really is alive, and his remarkable appetite on different occasions is in agreement with his starving during the siege of Jerusalem.

Luke 24:39-41: See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.