The origin of the Rebel Jesus Theory in anti-marcionism
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2022 9:27 am
My point is that the Rebel Jesus Theory was born as part and parcel of the anti-marcionite polemic.
Note that Celsus's Jew is the principal exponent, in Antiquity, of the Rebel Jesus Theory, and it was based on two accusations:
Not even Skanderberg was really a Turkish.
The real point of the Rebel Jesus Theory, as found in Celsus, is the anti-historical contradiction that a not-Jew was the leader of Jewish rebels.
My point is that this contradiction is found in the invention of the Barabbas episode: it was designed to address only a Roman audience. The Romans had to understand that the Jesus Son of (Unknown) Father preached by Marcion (and by proto-John, too) was really a mere Bar-Abbas, a Jewish brigand of which the father was unknown (hence, not really a Jew, therefore even a Roman soldier!).
The true Jesus was the Jesus called Christ/king "of (genitive possessive) the Jews" and Messiah of YHWH, not the Jesus of Marcion, not Barabbas.
Note that Celsus's Jew is the principal exponent, in Antiquity, of the Rebel Jesus Theory, and it was based on two accusations:
- the accusation that Jesus was son of a Roman soldier;
- the accusation that Jesus was a brigand.
Not even Skanderberg was really a Turkish.
The real point of the Rebel Jesus Theory, as found in Celsus, is the anti-historical contradiction that a not-Jew was the leader of Jewish rebels.
My point is that this contradiction is found in the invention of the Barabbas episode: it was designed to address only a Roman audience. The Romans had to understand that the Jesus Son of (Unknown) Father preached by Marcion (and by proto-John, too) was really a mere Bar-Abbas, a Jewish brigand of which the father was unknown (hence, not really a Jew, therefore even a Roman soldier!).
The true Jesus was the Jesus called Christ/king "of (genitive possessive) the Jews" and Messiah of YHWH, not the Jesus of Marcion, not Barabbas.