Some Reflections on “Controversial Reflections on the Historical Jesus Problem”
The question of the historical Jesus is something that has interested scholars for hundreds of years ever since critical approaches to New Testament writings started after 1778. With this, naturally, comes also a raft of conspiracy theories and mad ideas about the figure at the heart of Christianity, ranging from the ‘everything is pagan fertility rights’ that come from the late nineteenth century and Golden Bough era to 70s ideas that Jesus was a magic mushroom and the apostles were all using elaborate euphemisms for psychedelics.
Graham Pemberton has offered me a challenge to the historical Jesus question in the form of some speculative theories, and perhaps less than a question of the religious implications of the events of the first century it’s important to clarify how we should even approach such a subject.
Part of the historical critical approach to the person of Jesus involves stripping back the religious claims of the New Testament texts to the facts that we can sufficiently accept as in probability likely to be true. These events may be the source of religious belief for some, but it is also a serious historical discipline for scholars who hold a range of serious non religious…
