Dickson about our least favourite denialism

[ignorantianescia]

At an interesting time of the year 2012, John Dickson posted about a silly theory that got some profile in the same year:

It is time for the evangelists of unbelief to give up the nonsense that the figure at the heart of Christianity may have never even lived.

There are plenty of good arguments against the world's largest religion, but claiming Jesus never walked the roads of Galilee isn't one of them. To make such a claim is to turn what should be a world heavyweight contest into a lightweight sideshow.

www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/12/24/3660194.htm

[sandwiches]

It is time for the evangelists of unbelief to give up the nonsense that the figure at the heart of Christianity may have never even lived.

Don't think they are about to do that. Apparently this is on the way:

www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2013/07/finally-there-will-be-a-peer-reviewed-case-for-mythicism.html

Finally, There Will Be a Peer-Reviewed Case for Mythicism
July 18, 2013 By James F. McGrath

His (Carrier's) book provisionally titled On the Historicity of Jesus has passed peer review and so can be expected in print within the next half a year or so.

freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/4090

The bad news is that academic publishing houses have long production timelines, so even though the book is done, it still won’t be available to the public until maybe February 2014 (six months being a common production schedule for an academic press)....The good news is that I believe this will be the first comprehensive pro-Jesus myth book ever published by a respected academic press and under formal peer review.

Apparently it will be beaten to print by this:

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/jesus-evidence-and-argument-or-mythicist-myths-9780567447623/

Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths?
Maurice Casey
16 January 2014,

[ignorantianescia]

Aug 12, 2013 20:46:50 GMT sandwiches said:

Don't think they are about to do that. Apparently this is on the way:

www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2013/07/finally-there-will-be-a-peer-reviewed-case-for-mythicism.html

Finally, There Will Be a Peer-Reviewed Case for Mythicism
July 18, 2013 By James F. McGrath

His (Carrier's) book provisionally titled On the Historicity of Jesus has passed peer review and so can be expected in print within the next half a year or so.

freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/4090

The bad news is that academic publishing houses have long production timelines, so even though the book is done, it still won’t be available to the public until maybe February 2014 (six months being a common production schedule for an academic press)....The good news is that I believe this will be the first comprehensive pro-Jesus myth book ever published by a respected academic press and under formal peer review.

I heard about that. If it will contain things as dumb as his theory that Origen is responsible for "the brother of Jesus called Christ" in Josephus, it can go straight to the bin bag.

In any case, I have even better news for Carrier: there are academically published Jesus myth books from over a century ago. He's nowhere near the first.

[unkleE]

There's some interesting reading here, both now and in the future.

1. I know nothing about Jim Linville, but assuming he has accurately reported both sides, Salm shows himself to have a facility for misunderstanding or misrepresenting.

2. I was also interested to note that Salm reports that "Thomas L. Thompson, Niels P. Lemche, Philip Davies, Robert Eisenman, Hector Avalos ..... Robert Price, Earl Doherty, Frank Zindler, Richard Carrier, myself… Many of these scholars have come together to form a new “Section” in the SBL called “Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship.”That’s code for radically redefining the Bible according to a scientific, and not a theological agenda." This is in contrast to "many bible academics who, I believe, have dropped the ball in the field of early Christian studies and who sell out to the almighty paycheck."

It is interesting that most of the scholars named are vehement atheists, whereas the "sell outs" include evangelical and liberal christians, Jews, agnostics, atheists and some who don't seem to say. It would also be interesting if Salm named names, and one of them sued him for libel - I wonder what evidence he would put forward?

3. It will be interesting to compare Casey's forthcoming book with Carrier's, and also with Ehrman's recent book on the same topic, and to see if Casey gets mauled for it. Perhaps he will have done his research a little more thoroughly than Ehrman might have, and he probably has more of the taste for a fight that Bart, who seems generally a fairly gentle man.

Thanks for all the references.

[ignorantianescia]

Salm said:

"Thomas L. Thompson, Niels P. Lemche, Philip Davies, Robert Eisenman, Hector Avalos ..... Robert Price, Earl Doherty, Frank Zindler, Richard Carrier, myself… Many of these scholars have come together to form a new “Section” in the SBL called “Metacriticism of Biblical Scholarship.”That’s code for radically redefining the Bible according to a scientific, and not a theological agenda."

OT minimalists, three idiosyncratic scholars of the New Testament and Christian origins and a bunch of Mythicists amateurs. It is interesting to see that these minimalists are so happy to make common cause with cranks. Indicative of a similar methodology?