The Quest for the Historical Jesus

  "...It is only in comparitively modern times that the possibility 
was
 considered that Jesus does not belong to history at all. Those who 
come across this idea for the first time are naturally startled by 
it. In fact the suspicion that Jesus might be as mythical as other 
ancient saviors as Osiris, Mithra and Krishna arose as a result of 
a serious effort to discover his real voice and actions. the most 
scrupulous of analysis of the texts failed to reveal a convincing 
picture of an authentic person."
_Pagan_Christs_, page 63

  Well such is what J.M. Robertson claims.

  "Modern biblical critics freely admit that some of the Gospel 
narritive
 must be fiction. We know now that much of it was composed well 
after the events it purports to describe. Comparitive religion has 
drawn attention to close pagan parallels--to the essential features 
of the story--the virgin birth, the sacrifical death and 
resurrection. The same is true of the rites of baptism and 
sacramental communion. Many critics still feel, however, that these 
are accretions which, together with, togehter with the miracles, 
can be safely shed without injury to a nucleus if historical fact. 
The argue that pagan Gods may have some of the attributes of Jesus, 
and although they may have been regarded as law givers and 
teachers, they did not leave behind a coherent and profound 
teaching. Apollo, Osiris and the rest seem, therefore, to be 
obviously mythical, whereas Buddha and Jesus are not. The teachings 
of each of the latter, it is felt, bear the unmistakable of a 
single, unique mind. Such a doctrine could not have formed itself 
spontaneously." _Pagan_Christs_, page 64.

 The rite of baptism has already been discussed in this topic. 
Robertson
 contends that the rite of baptism superceeded the rite of 
circumsicion. This makes sense to me. It is much less painful and 
physically safer to undergo ritual initiation through baptism by 
water than by ritual circumcision. The gentile Christists would 
contend for this; and as the Jewish Christists died baptism did 
replace circumcision as a physical sign of new spiritual being.

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1:128/23)

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