Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

On my Mithras pages, I've started a page "Mithras and Jesus", intended to deal with the crazy stuff. After all, most people who read that "Mithras had 12 disciples" and repeat it do so in good faith. ... I feel I have to fully reject the notion that they have anything in common ...

The Gospels are not from witnesses. We have no writings from witnesses. The authorship traditions of the Gospels are 2nd Century attributions to originally anonymous, untitled, unprovenanced books which were written (at the earliest) 40-70 years after the crucifixion. The authors were not disciples...

This new hypothesis is interesting, but not generally accepted. What is certain is that nobody noticed this "extensive use" for two millennia. A little scepticism is in order here. This isn't much of an argument. ... You're welcome to disagree. I have no faith in revisionism as a form of ...

Thank you, Neil, for some obvious questions.

I don't know of any Mithraic monument that depicts the moon as the source of the zodiac.

You're welcome. Although I'm not saying anything that Niel and Diogenes don't already know, I'm sure: but it bears repetition. I'm quite interested in late antique chronicles myself, and the problem of their date comes up constantly; how close to the events are they? I don't think necessarily everyo...

This is apologetics, not scholarship. Acts doesn't mention the destruction of the Temple because it's a biopic about Paul, who died (at least by tradition) several years before the destruction of the Temple, and the book ends when the audience knows Paul is about to go off and die. It wants to end ...

Yes and Yes. Josephus probably says nothing about Christians at all. Acts is 2nd Century fiction. You're probably thinking of Tacitus and the alleged scapegoating of Christians for the fire of Rome. This is a possible example of a localized, one-off targeting of Christians. Richard Carrier actually...

Nothing in the evidence requires or justifies all this speculation, however.

Have you read Josephus? Have you read Acts of the Apostles?!! Yes and Yes. Josephus probably says nothing about Christians at all. Acts is 2nd Century fiction. You're probably thinking of Tacitus and the alleged scapegoating of Christians for the fire of Rome. This is a possible example of a locali...

People ... Possibly I am thick, but I am unable to find any coherent thread to all this posting. It seems to consist of people saying "I don't believe this is possible / of course it's possible" and the like. A lot of the posts appear to be little more than attempts at speculative fault-fi...