Arcadia Discussion Zone

Here is the main source on the internet that argues the historical existence of Jesus.

Here are four youtube arguments. Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

My answer will follow.

Josephus is reported as the only one to mention the name Jesus, others merely mention Christus which means "The Annointed One".

The only person to physically annoint Jesus was Mary Magdalene.

With regard to Josephus here's the current thought. Josephus is the only commentator worth discussing here, although some Roman sources mention Jehosoah The Nazorean which could be Jesus.

According to Professor Paul Maier Scholars fall into three main camps regarding the writings of Josephus. On the first and longer paragraph on Jesus (18:63) which occurs amid events during Pilate's administration: 1) it is entirely authentic; 2) it is entirely a Christian forgery; or 3) it contains Christian interpolations in what was Josephus' authentic material about Jesus.

The first option, held by very few, would seem hopeless: no Jew (Josephus was a Jew) could have claimed Jesus as the Messiah who rose from the dead without himself converting to Christianity, and Josephus did not convert to Christianity. The second position, popular in late nineteenth-century skeptical scholarship, has some minor current support. A large majority of scholars today, however, share the third position, particularly in view of the newly-discovered Agapian text which shows no signs of interpolation.

75% of current scholars feel that Josephus did actually write something about the historical Jesus, even though the text of Agapius do in fact show two versions of the Jewish Antiquities.

All other commentators are merely responding to the Christian faith in their own way.

Where are the Talmud references? What about Roman decrees that forced St Peter and his converts to use the catacombs of Rome? St .Paul's epistles would also be in tis category.

What Talmud references to JESUS?

If I recall Roscoe, Jesus was considered a bastard son of a hairdresser called Miryam, for starters.

Roscoe. is this what ya require?...

The following is a summary of references to Jesus in the Talmud:

Abhodah Zarah II:
Abhodah Zarah (6a):
Abhodah Zarah 21a
Abhodah Zarah (25b)T:
Hilkoth Melakhim:
Kallah 1b. (18b):
Kerithuth (6b p. 78):
Iore Dea 150, 2:
Orach Chaiim 113:
Makkoth (7b):
Sanhedrin (58b):
Sanhedrin 67a:
Sanhedrin 103a:
Schabbath XIV:
Schabbath 104b:
Schabbath (116a):
Toldath Jeschu:

Zohar III (282):
Schulhan 'Aruch

Roscoe. I am not a Hebraic scholar. Theses ref's are cryptic in that they don't out right use the name of Jesus, for obvious reasons, yes? The meaning is there due to subject matter, otherwise, why is it brought up in the Talmud at all?

The compiler of the Talmud is not doin' it to gain approbation with Christians. To avoid a pogrom, its easier to use indirect ref's which are in abundance. For those who demand the name Jesus be printed in all caps every time in the Talmud are seriously in need of psychiatric care. They have a real problem with life, yes?

Here is a link for ya Roscoe...
http://www.revisionisthistory.org/talmudtruth.html