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I'm saying we don't even know if he existed. There are no non Christian sources for his existence. Very strange considering that this was God's most important message to mankind. You would have thought it would have had a mega impact as God declared it with all his power.
"We don't even know if he existed"? So you are a conspiracy theory man then.
We do have Tacitus who wrote of him, probably Suetonius too. Don't forget Pliny the Younger writing of him or Josephus.
So why do you think we have no non-Christian sources for his existence? We don't know where they got their information from; it might have been Christians, but what sources would you expect which would tell us about an itinerant Jewish preacher who you were either for (and became a Christian, some of whom wrote about him) or were against him (and, if in your power, had him crucified and wanted the whole thing to cease)?
If it was so bloody obvious that Jesus had existed it would all be done and dusted by now. The fact people are arguing about this like historians shows that it is far from clear cut.
1) It is obvious that Jesus existed, but there is much more to becoming a Christian than just believing he existed.
The fact is none of those were eyewitnesses.
2) Are you sure about that? And I ask again, how come only his followers saw him afterwards?
3) Are you sure about that as well? James, his half-brother, does not seem to have been a follower until he met the risen Jesus. Wouldn't it have served God's plan to have Jesus show himself to his antagonists?
4) Why? They had already seen he had done miracles before he was crucified. If he had done this with hundreds of them they all couldn't have closed the rumours down and having a dead man alive in front of you would be most impressive beyond belief.
5) They saw him killed, they saw the empty tomb, they saw lots of witnesses. Why should they not already believe?
When you say those against him in your last line who do you mean who were contemporaries of Jesus? Not the Romans as he didn't cause that much of a fuss for them and there were others kicking up similar dust so it was just the norm of the times?
6) I was thinking of the Jewish authorities.
1) That's your assertion. You have no proof for this. What would help would be some indifferent observers such as the Roman authorities.
2) As sure as you are about psychoanalysis!!!
3) That's just speculation that this event occurred. As I have said the only fact you have about the NT documents is that they were written, everything else, that is their content, is speculation on your part.
4) Here's your lack of understanding of human nature again. People are good at denying or selectively remembering what suits them, but as I have said before seeing a dead man walking up to you sure is guaranteed to loosen those bowels, and that's something nobody is going to forget. Also, if it is done to a group of people who were trying to suppress your activities before your resurrection the pressure of the group i.e. group denial, is much harder.
Didn't Jesus say don't hide your light under a bowl? This was his best trick yet so why be shy about it?
5) Who's they? We are talking about Jesus' antagonists here, not his followers.
6) Didn't the Jewish authorities write logs and reports etc. about what was going on around them, just general stuff?