Scholar Touts Oldest Link to Jesus

by Double Edge 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  gumby

  Ginosko,

  The article also mentioned there was a couple of Pagan writers who wrote of him. Who were they?

  Josephus has been the ONE (recognized) writer who spoke of Jesus with one of his writings being discounted as forgery.

  Are you speaking of Tacitus, or Pliny the Younger? They mentioned a man of this nature who had a following and some rumours about him. Sounds like this could apply to any man named Jesus as they said nothing extraordinary about him.

  Anyway.....it is an intresting find, and perhaps something will materialize one day that's a bit more solid.
• 

  Yerusalyim

  Well, I for one think it would be interesting to examine the bones, assuming they are in the box, to see if they show indications of a stoning. My biggest concern with this is that it's in the hands of a private citizen and not scholars who could study it to death. Interesting find, sure! Proof? Only if you're willing to accept it as such. Those who aren't wouldn't accept it even if the bones showed signs of facturing and bruising from being stoned.
• 

  crownboy

  Yerusalyim, don't you think that if this find is true, it could further complicate the whole "perpetual virgin Mary" thing from your Catholic religion, seeing how Joseph is James' father? Or am I totally clueless as to how you guys have rationalized this?
• 

  SixofNine

  nah crownboy, as I understand it, they rationalized this problem long ago. They say that Jesus brothers were half-brothers, sons of Joseph by a wife previous to Mary. Or is that someone besides Catholics? One religion claims that "brothers" aren't really brothers at all, but just close relatives.

  In any case, they have an built in doctrine for it.
• 

  Yerusalyim

  Crownboy,

  What Six said, besides, my faith in Jesus isn't rooted in the whole perpetual virginity thing anyhow, which I view as a spiritual truth if not historical.
• 

  Ginosko

  Hi Gumbi,

  The article talk about three writers. I don't have any clue about which are they, but if you have the time, this may be a good place to start searching:

  http://torreys.org/bible/biblia02.html#histjesus