How could Christianity have survived if Jesus had not risen from the dead (3)?

Question

In Biblical times, people were identified by whom they descended, from where they came from, and which ethnicity they were (which is why names were listed like the following: Jesus of Nazareth, Lydia of Thyatira, etc.). This is because, in these times, others judged people according to these different aspects. Now let’s look at the second of three ‘strikes’ against Jesus: He was from Galilee.

Galilee was like the Iraq of yesteryear, and mentioning this land to the Romans would have much of the same effect. The Jewish historian Josephus said that Galileans “from childhood were trained for war” and “[Galilee] produced the most notorious leaders of the [Jewish] fight against Rome.” It would be safe to say that the Romans would be incredibly suspicious of anyone who came from this place, and would become hostile against any Jew from Galilee, knowing that these people were most likely trying to undermine and overthrow the Roman social order. Add to that trying to preach the crucifixion of Jesus, the punishment for rebels against Rome, and this would have greatly supported the already negative stereotype of the Galileans.

Why would a Roman follow some rebel who is thought to be trying to overthrow Roman rule? Supporting Jesus would have been like treason to the Roman Empire. By following Jesus, a Roman would have been cut off, mocked, or even killed along with the other rebels. Only something like the resurrection of Jesus, firmly backed up by evidence and eyewitnesses, would have explained the uncanny spread of Christianity into Rome.

(For those who want to object to Jesus’ existence and crucifixion, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aesLSOLuapM )

http://www.livingwaters.com/good/
http://www.tektonics.org/lp/nowayjose.html

Answer 1

Well, that's an interesting aspect of history I'd like to look into.
Punch, that's not even the framework for an argument. You basically just said "Nuh uh, that's stupid." Use some substance, man!

And Darke Angel, that argument doesn't hold water because his followers knew he was the Messiah, but thier expectations were that he would become a political leader, freeing Judea from Roman rule. Hence all the crowds on the first Palm Sunday shouting "Hosana" (Save now[from Rome]) as he rode up to the capital. In everyone's mind, it was a failed coup when he was crucified. In fact, the charge read, "King of the Jews." Why would these followers not go back to thier day jobs and try to keep a low profile for the rest of thier lives? They had nothing to gain. The greatest among them would be the lowest servant. They were poor and persecuted. If they knew what was best for them, they would lay low and forget about it. But they kept on and most of them did die horrible deaths. How illogical. Unless it were true.

Jane, a significant part of the New Testament was written before 70 AD, we know this by the fact that the destruction of Jerusulem and the burning of the Temple is not mentioned, even though it would be logical for the authors to boast of the fulfilment of a very significant prophesy by Jesus.

Bad Tim, if Jesus were invented as a convenience, why is there no record in the Bible or anywhere else of Jesus telling anyone to revolt. Yes, he insulted Herod for his conduct, but he also specifically told people to obey the authorities, and not undermine them. When asked if they should pay taxes to Herod, Jesus takes a coin and responds, "Whose image is this, and whose inscription does it bear?" "Ceasar's", they replied. Jesus:"Give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what is God's."

saywhat, you must be refering to the Catholic church, which puts an elected official in the place to judge the word of God, and has done most of what you are refering to. The "Church" also blends other religions (like they did in South America) by canonizing (making saints of) pagan gods and absorbing thier holidays. The "Church" is just an entity that absorbs power and generally likes to keep people ignorant. (Most of the greatest centers of learning for a long time in Europe were Catholic monastaries, but the church still insisted that no one should have the Bible, lest they "misinterpret" it[read it themselves and find out the whole upper level and many of the teachings of the Catholic church are a sham]. The "Church" insists that you must go through them to get to God, and makes idols out of saints. True Christians have and are kept suppressed by the "Church." The Hueguenots were slaughtered in France, and many early Protestant leaders were killed by the "Church" for reading the Bible and teaching what it actually says. So don't lump us Protestants and some Catholics in with all that.

Answer 2

Roman rule was cruel and they were just asking for a martyr to come along and cause uproar. Eye witness accounts are known to be poor evidence today. What makes you think it would be any better in a time when people were less educated, and more superstitious. What physical evidence do you have of Jesus or his crucifixion? Christianity has managed to survive so long, because it perfected what the Roman empire couldn't quite do. It has scared, tortured, murdered and brainwashed the people of the world into following it. If your country didn't believe in it they would invade and force you to. Today as people are being allowed to defy the church they are realizing theres more to the world. From what I have read you have allowed to much of the bible to interfere with your perspective on history.

Answer 3

your whole argument about galileans being rebels supports the theory that jesus was invented to undermine the divinity of the emperor. rome was a religious melting pot at that time, people were constantly searching new and exotic cults to try out. there was also a large underclass in rome that would relish the thought of going against the emperor's claim of divinity, so rome was the most likely place for peter to go to spread his new religion.

Answer 4

Most likely Christianity would still have evolved and survived whether or not Jesus was resurrected. He was already a holy man and martyr before His resurrection. The fact that He was crucified fed fuel to the religious fire.

Answer 5

Not only is there no evidence for Jesus, there is much against, including the fact that Nazareth did not exist as an inhabited settlement in the first century CE.

Constantine adopted it to control the people. It survived by the sword, and continues now by habituation.

Answer 6

you really get all your history lessons from the bible, don't you?

christianity didn't really begin until it was ordained the official religion by constantine, at which point it was forced onto the people.

all the godly attributes of jesus weren't added until the council of nicea. it began as a way to control the jews and as quickly as it began, all the old pagan ceremonies and traditions were imposed upon it. they wanted their cake and ate it, too.


"how could christianity survived if it wasn't forced on everyone?" should be your question.

Answer 7

All it takes for any religion to survive is to have a bunch of believers. It also helps to write down the story in a book that these believers take for absolute truth. If the book claims god has resurrected himself so that he may ascend to heaven to sit next to himself, the believers will believe it.

Answer 8

I'll be brief.

People THOUGHT Jesus rose from the dead. That's all that matters to the faithful.

Your argument is baseless.

Regarding your YouTube link: You think we should pay attention to a doofus wearing his cap backwards?

Answer 9

Yet there was NOT ONE person who wrote anything about Jesus' life, ministry, teachings, or death until @80CE....many years following his death....if it was so miraculous...if it was witnessed by so many....why wouldn't someone write it down? Then, when finally written down, the first mention of Jesus' death, is merely that he died, no resurrection at all. That was added far later.

Answer 10

With you're reasoning ALL mjor religions would have to be true. I mean they're all old right, and how could they survive if they weren't true.

But then you have the "my way or the highway" Christian path to heaven, so it's like a contridiction of your own beleif..