do you believe there was a historical figure the Jesus story was built on?

[nadinbrzezinski]

132. Among people who study this as an academic pursuit, not a religious one, they

can tell you that the parables in the new testament are very close in flavor to the parables told by Rabi Akibah, for example, a contemporary. He just did not create a new religion. (And for the record, I don't believe either the Jesus or the many Joshua, the name is as popular as smith these days, wanted to create one either)

In fact, the opinion among scholars is that the real life jesus lived, anywhere in the first 150 years, perhaps even all the way to 200. Why the Gospels are "so late" and feel like second and third sources. They are stories told of stories.

The Gospels are not the only stories that mention Jesus, I am sure you have heard of the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of the Wife of Christ. I am sure you have read of the Agnostic as well. All these happened and were written by people who knew A JESUS. It could be one of many.

The era is one that is fascinating in Jewish History. It is a time of great suppression and repression and Jews have always had that messianic feeling, especially since the last of the prophets, Daniel and Isaiah. But experts also believe this messianic story, one of many by the way, was about Rome. And going to this feeling of the messiah will come, in the passover table one setting is left open for Isaiah, and of course if a passer by decides to join you for the seder, that is fine as well. Isaiah will bring forth the son of the house of David. Why the last supper, is a Seder.

Regardless if you happen to be Christian, Jesus Christ as savior is a matter of article of faith. You either believe it or not, and to be Christian you need to believe it. It's like Moses, he is an article of faith in Judaism. Many of us secular Jews get in real trouble with the orthodox (our fundies) because we simply do not buy into some of this crap.

They cannot accept that the ethics and values portrayed in many of these stories. some much older than the bible, are valid even today. I just do not need a law giver to validate them. Or for that matter, the values of community and taking care of others in the NT (with a direct connection to the old one) are just as valid.