Download or read book Jesus from Outer Space written by Richard Carrier and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The earliest Christians believed Jesus was an ancient celestial being who put on a bodysuit of flesh, died at the hands of dark forces, and then rose from the dead and ascended back into the heavens. But the writing we have today from that first generation of Christians never says where they thought he landed, where he lived, or where he died. The idea that Jesus toured Galilee and visited Jerusalem arose only a lifetime later, in unsourced legends written in a foreign land and language. Many sources repeat those legends, but none corroborate them. Why? What exactly was the original belief about Jesus, and how did this belief change over time? In Jesus from Outer Space, noted philosopher and historian Richard Carrier summarizes for a popular audience the scholarly research on these and related questions, revealing in turn how modern attempts to conceal, misrepresent, or avoid the actual evidence calls into question the entire field of Jesus studies--and present-day beliefs about how Christianity began.

Download or read book On the Historicity of Jesus written by Richard Carrier and published by . This book was released on 2023-05-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The assumption that Jesus existed as a historical person has occasionally been questioned in the course of the last hundred years or so, but any doubts that have been raised have usually been put to rest in favor of imagining a blend of the historical, the mythical and the theological in the surviving records of Jesus. Carrier re-examines the whole question and finds compelling reasons to suspect the more daring assumption is correct. He lays out extensive research on the evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity and poses the key questions that must now be answered if the historicity of Jesus is to survive as a dominant paradigm. Carrier contrasts the most credible reconstruction of a historical Jesus with the most credible theory of Christian origins if a historical Jesus did not exist. Such a theory would posit that the Jesus figure was originally conceived of as a celestial being known only through private revelations and hidden messages in scripture; then stories placing this being in earth history were crafted to communicate the claims of the gospel allegorically; such stories eventually came to be believed or promoted in the struggle for control of the Christian churches that survived the tribulations of the first century. Carrier finds the latter theory more credible than has been previously imagined. He explains why it offers a better explanation for all the disparate evidence surviving from the first two centuries of the Christian era. He argues that we need a more careful and robust theory of cultural syncretism between Jewish theology and politics of the second-temple period and the most popular features of pagan religion and philosophy of the time. For anyone intent on defending a historical Jesus, this is the book to challenge.

Download or read book Jesus in Space written by Mike Phoenix and published by . This book was released on 2012-03 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book One of the Jesus in Space Trilogy follows the adventures of Jesus in the wilderness from a truck stop in West Texas to the outer reaches of the solar system.

Download or read book Proving History written by Richard C. Carrier and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2012-04-03 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This in-depth discussion of New Testament scholarship and the challenges of history as a whole proposes Bayes’s Theorem, which deals with probabilities under conditions of uncertainty, as a solution to the problem of establishing reliable historical criteria. The author demonstrates that valid historical methods—not only in the study of Christian origins but in any historical study—can be described by, and reduced to, the logic of Bayes’s Theorem. Conversely, he argues that any method that cannot be reduced to this theorem is invalid and should be abandoned. Writing with thoroughness and clarity, the author explains Bayes’s Theorem in terms that are easily understandable to professional historians and laypeople alike, employing nothing more than well-known primary school math. He then explores precisely how the theorem can be applied to history and addresses numerous challenges to and criticisms of its use in testing or justifying the conclusions that historians make about the important persons and events of the past. The traditional and established methods of historians are analyzed using the theorem, as well as all the major "historicity criteria" employed in the latest quest to establish the historicity of Jesus. The author demonstrates not only the deficiencies of these approaches but also ways to rehabilitate them using Bayes’s Theorem. Anyone with an interest in historical methods, how historical knowledge can be justified, new applications of Bayes’s Theorem, or the study of the historical Jesus will find this book to be essential reading.

Download or read book Varieties of Jesus Mythicism written by John W. Loftus and published by Ockham Publishing Group. This book was released on 2022-06-29 with total page 1072 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To most people on the planet, the existence of Jesus is a given: “Of course he did!” They take it for granted that he existed simply because it reaffirms their faith. But to the rest of us who don't believe in a supernatural Jesus, the question of the historicity of Jesus is not simple. There are thousands of different ideas about to what extent the Jesus tales were based on a real man, or men, or woman... Did Jesus even exist, and if not, what best explains the rise of such a character in the New Testament? That is where John W. Loftus and Robert M. Price come in. Each with decades of experience in the fields of theology and Christian history, Loftus and Price have compiled essays from some of the top authorities on Jesus mythicism to establish the world's first academic catalogue of mythicist beliefs. Experts who provided chapters include David Fitzgerald, Joseph Atwill, Michael Lockwood, and more! The question is no longer simply, "Did Jesus even exist?" In this compilation, you'll find yourself questioning everything about the Christ story and how it truly began.

Download or read book The Last Supper on the Moon written by Levi Lusko and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2022-01-11 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If there are places in your heart and corners of your mind that feel just as deep and dark and inaccessible as outer space, this book is for you. Fight as you may, unearthing the happiness and fulfillment you long for can feel nearly impossible. In Psalm 8 David urges us to consider the heavens, to look up at the night sky. Doing so will help you discover fundamental truths about God. Namely, that—even though his love for you is as beyond comprehension as the farthest corners of the universe—through his Son, you can grab hold of it, and it has the power to transform your inner space. Bestselling author Levi Lusko shares how you can: learn that life is not about “finding yourself” but discovering who Jesus is believe that God’s love and forgiveness is grander than even your greatest failure buck the mundane of everyday life and start dreaming again Embark on an adventure tracing the words and wonders of Jesus on his trek to the cross. Let The Last Supper on the Moon compel you to live with a more profound sense of purpose and a grander view of Jesus, and set you on a trajectory to life, and life more abundantly.

Download or read book Not the Impossible Faith written by Richard Carrier and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2009-01-27 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. Richard Carrier is an expert in the history of the ancient world and a critic of Christian attempts to distort history in defense of their faith. Not the Impossible Faith is a tour de force in that genre, dissecting and refuting the oft-repeated claim that Christianity could not have succeeded in the ancient world unless it was true. Though framed as a detailed rebuttal to Christian apologist J.P. Holding (author of The Impossible Faith), Carrier takes a general approach that educates the reader on the history and sociology of the ancient world, answering many questions like: How did Christians approach evidence? Was there a widespread prejudice against the testimony of women? Was resurrection such a radical idea? Who would worship a crucified criminal? And much more. Written with occasional humor and an easy style, and thoroughly referenced, with many entertaining "gotcha!" moments, Not the Impossible Faith is a must-read for anyone interested in the origins of Christianity.

Download or read book Story in the Stars written by Joe Amaral and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the powerful story and symbolism behind God's unique design of our universe. Thousands of words have been written about the first ten words in the Bible: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," a simple and profound statement that has ignited a firestorm of debate and controversy. People often only focus on the "how" and "when" of creation, but Story in the Stars explores the "why." Why did God create such a vast universe? Why did He choose the sun and moon to light our paths? Why did He design images with stars in the night sky? The Bible is very clear when it states that God created, named, and positioned all of the stars of the universe in their place in a very specific way-a way that tells us the greatest story ever to be told. In Luke 21:25 Jesus says, "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars." Signs are meant to point us towards something: Jesus. Story in the Stars takes an in-depth look at the Bible and all the signs God mapped out through constellations, planets, and even the way the Earth is tilted. We are uniquely designed by God, and He loves us so much that He ensured a way for all inhabitants of the earth, through all of time, to see the messages of salvation and redemption that He painted in the stars.

Download or read book Jesus written by Lambert T. Dolphin and published by New Leaf Press (AR). This book was released on 1988 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Jesus Outside the New Testament written by Robert Van Voorst and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2000-04-13 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents evidence and information, aside from the Christian scriptures, on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Features excerpts in Roman correspondence and the early Christian writings known as the "New Testament Apocrypha.".

Download or read book Gods from Outer Space written by Erich von Daniken and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book God and the Cosmos written by Harry Lee Poe and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2012-02-16 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theologian Harry Lee Poe and chemist Jimmy H. Davis argue that God's interaction with our world is a possibility affirmed equally by the Bible and the contemporary scientific record. Rather than confirming that the cosmos is closed to the actions of the divine, advancing scientific knowledge seems to indicate that the nature of the universe is actually open to the unique type of divine activity portrayed in the Bible.

Download or read book Bart Ehrman and the Quest of the Historical Jesus of Nazareth written by Frank R. Zindler and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 567 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Did Jesus Exist written by G. A. Wells and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2010-11-02 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professor Wells argues that there was no historical Jesus, and in thus arguing he deals with the many recent writers who have interpreted the historical Jesus as some kind of political figure in the struggle against Rome, and calls in evidence the many contemporary theologians who agree with some of his arguments about early Christianity. The question at issue is what all the evidence adds up to. Does it establish that Jesus did or did not exist? Professor Wells concludes that the latter is the more likely hypothesis. This challenge to received thinking by both Christians and non-Christians is supported by much documentary evidence, and Professor Wells carefully examines all the relevant problems and answers all the relevant questions. He deliberately avoids polemic and speculation, and sticks so far as possible to the known facts and to rational inferences from the facts.

Download or read book Sense and Goodness Without God written by Richard Carrier and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2005-02-23 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If God does not exist, then what does? Is there good and evil, and should we care? How do we know what’s true anyway? And can we make any sense of this universe, or our own lives? Sense and Goodness answers all these questions in lavish detail, without complex jargon. A complete worldview is presented and defended, covering every subject from knowledge to art, from metaphysics to morality, from theology to politics. Topics include free will, the nature of the universe, the meaning of life, and much more, arguing from scientific evidence that there is only a physical, natural world without gods or spirits, but that we can still live a life of love, meaning, and joy.

Download or read book Hitler Homer Bible Christ written by Richard Carrier and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014-01-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Carrier, Ph.D., philosopher, historian, blogger, has published a number of papers in the field of ancient history and biblical studies. He has also written several books and chapters on diverse subjects, and has been blogging and speaking since 2006. He is known the world over for all the above. But here, together for the first time, are all of Dr. Carrier's peer reviewed academic journal articles in history through the year 2013, collected with his best magazine articles, research papers and blog posts on the same subjects. Many have been uniquely revised for this publication. Others are inaccessible except through libraries or paywalls. Twenty chapters include his seminal papers on the scandal of Hitler's Table Talk, the Jerry Vardaman microletter farce, and the testimonies to Christ in Josephus, Tacitus, and Thallus, as well as Carrier's journalistic foray into ancient pyramid quackery, his work on the historical & textual errancy of the bible, and more.

Download or read book The Seeing Eye written by C. S. Lewis and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 1986-02-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: C.S. Lewis presents an eloquent and colorful defense of Christianity for both devotees and critics . . . in a collection of essays composed over the last twenty years of his life. * On Christianity and culture * On religion -- is it reality or substitute? * On ethics * On the Psalms * On the language of religion * On petitionary prayer * And more! "An excellent introduction to the thought and personality of this engaging Christian writer." -- Christianity Today