hobbit-humanist

Jesus, Fact Or Fiction (Part Two)

I ended part one of this series by saying I’d look at and examine ‘Messiah’ type characters of the period. There’s no historical shortage of exalted madmen, fantastical prophets and mystical pretenders from that area of the world. When you look back at the Roman occupation of the region we notice the old world and traditions crumbling away to be replaced by a new order, a highly efficient one at that. Much was at stake and there was no lack of gnostic fervour.

On the banks of the Jordan, an area associated with Jesus and his followers in around 45 CE (CE = common era replacing AD in some respects) we have Theudas who claimed to be Joshua the prophet of salvation. Joshua is also an etymon or earlier form for the name of Jesus. He arrived from Egypt with around 400 followers he claimed to be able to divide water as was spoiling for a fight. He’s mentioned by the later pro-Roman historian Josephus and also in Acts. This poor man’s Moses was soon despatched by Roman soldiery.

On another occasion again in 45 CE we have Jacob and Simon, sons of Judas the Galilean (another place name associated with Jesus). Their uprising ended as badly as their fathers in the year 6, all were slain or crucified.

Then there’s Menahem heralding from a family of freedom fighters who rebelled in 66 which instigated the Jewish War that ended in 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem, an event also well documented.

Next we have an unnamed Egyptian visionary who between 52-58 with 40,000 followers wandered in the desert and then occupied the Garden of Olives. He claimed his voice alone could shatter the walls of Jerusalem and his men would be able to enter and occupy it. Flavius Josephus wrote in the Jewish War 2.259 regarding this and many other such men during the governorship of Festus;

‘Men who deceived and deluded the people under pretence of divine inspiration, but were in fact for procuring innovations and changes of the government. These men prevailed with the multitude to act like madmen, and went before them into the wilderness, pretending that God would there show them the signals of liberty.’

Once again the Roman soldiery put down the uprising. There’s another anonymous prophet mentioned by Josephus in 59 that led his followers into the desert (yep, the desert again) with plans on rebelling and promised them deliverance from the misery they were under. Josephus tells us Festus sent men on horse and foot to kill them.

There are many other figures such as the Samaritan prophet (36 CE), Athronges, Simon of Peraea (both 4 BCE), Lukuas (115 CE) and the list goes on all mentioned by credible sources.

Lastly we come to Jesus. Yes, Josephus does mention him in Jewish Antiquities 18.63-64 but not in any more detail than the others he writes about but yes, Christians still make a big deal of it. Historians argue about the interpolations within the later translation of his work, no translators are named and such translations probably came in the later Roman/Christian era but I want to look into who wrote what with a later blog and not delve into that just yet. What I find ironic though before moving on is the fact that some of the people Josephus wrote about claim to have ‘powers’ of some description, Jesus however isn’t seemingly credited with any. The simple argument again here is if someone was performing genuine miracles it would have surely have been mentioned in his chronicles of the time because it would undeniably have drawn huge attention and news would have spread like wildfire.

The point of part two is to show how many people were challenging Roman authority with Messiah like traits, personalities or links. We can argue in their favour that the legitimacy of their actions was justified. They were trying to expel an occupying force from their lands which was imposing its laws and culture and beliefs though we know the Romans generally tolerated other belief systems, even embrace some of them to varying degrees as long as they didn’t oppose them. If you did, then you came to a sticky end, take the British druids on Anglesey for one brutal example. Back to the sphere of the world in question, every rebellion or opposing action was utterly defeated because the people of the region were up against the most battle hardened, organised and experienced troops in the world. Brandishing their gods and culture whilst believing the impossible they challenged the might of Rome – and lost.

God was outmatched.

Stories wrote later regarding Jesus point towards someone being created and inserted later (Euhemerized) we can say to counter the frustration of a colonial force occupying instead of someone trying to take military action as the above did we see a new approach and the gospels were wrote with conversion in mind, especially Marks. Etymology supports the claim “Jesus” means “God saves, has saved, will save”. There’s no clearer expression of the symbolic weight it carried when wrote about later with the hope of winning over people. Jesus gave a name to Jewish rejection of Roman domination.

Next time I hope to look into Josephus, Tacitus and Pontius Pilate in more detail.