Crossposted at Conceptual Guerilla
It is at this time of the year that Christians await the celebration of the mystery that gives meaning to their beliefs. According to tradition, a man walked the earth and died to redeem us all from our sins. He then returned to life and went to Heaven.
Some weeks back John Cameron released a documentary that claims Jesus' tomb and mortal remains have been discovered. It would seem, if Cameron's story is to be believed, that Jesus was a mere mortal and that his death was a mere death.
When asked about Cameron's documentary by a friend, I replied, "You'll never find a unicorn's bones.""What?" he asked. "There never was a historical Jesus. He could not have married and sired a son. End of story." Then I got to thinking that maybe my bald assertion was not ready for prime time, and that maybe a bit of research would strengthen the case. I have long been a fan of Earl Doherty and have read "The Jesus Puzzle". I highly recommend it as a good introduction to scholarly research about the non-historical Jesus.