OK, I admit it, a better title would be ‘”Did Jesus Exist?” on YouTube’. Be that as it may, I decided to upload a video addressing some of the points that I’ve been trying to make in recent discussions on this blog and elsewhere about the historical evidence for the existence of Jesus. Here’s the video:
Two points are perhaps worth emphasizing in writing here as well. First, claiming that Jesus existed does not mean, from a historian’s perspective, claiming that Jesus who existed was precisely as described in the New Testament. The specific evidence relating to specific details has to be treated on a case by case scenario.
Second, I am getting the impression that there are interesting parallels between the “Jesus was a myth” approach and Young Earth Creationism. Both turn to pseudoscholars as sources for their claims while ignoring the mainstream of scholarship. Both seem to reflect the views of people who are less than fully familiar with the relevant evidence. And both seem to think that showing that something could theoretically have been the case is enough, without showing why their proposed scenario does better justice to the evidence than competing explanations.
I look forward to your comments and feedback!
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