Christianity 'fabricated to pacify the poor'

[turoldus]

A controversial American biblical scholar is set to make his first appearance in London next week to present a discovery that he claims proves the story of Jesus Christ was invented as a system of mind control to enslave the poor.

Joseph Atwill, who is the author of a book entitled 'Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus', asserts that Christianity did not begin as a religion, but was actually a sophisticated government propaganda exercise used to pacify the subjects of the Roman Empire.

At the 'Covert Messiah' conference, to be held at the Conway Hall in Holborn a week on Saturday, Mr Atwill will present his theory that the New Testament was written by first-century Roman aristocrats and that they entirely fabricated the story of Jesus Christ.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/story-of-jesus-christ-was-fabricated-to-pacify-the-poor-claims-controversial-biblical-scholar-8870879.html

[merkavah12]

Oct 10, 2013 15:38:44 GMT turoldus said:

A controversial American biblical scholar is set to make his first appearance in London next week to present a discovery that he claims proves the story of Jesus Christ was invented as a system of mind control to enslave the poor.

Joseph Atwill, who is the author of a book entitled 'Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus', asserts that Christianity did not begin as a religion, but was actually a sophisticated government propaganda exercise used to pacify the subjects of the Roman Empire.

At the 'Covert Messiah' conference, to be held at the Conway Hall in Holborn a week on Saturday, Mr Atwill will present his theory that the New Testament was written by first-century Roman aristocrats and that they entirely fabricated the story of Jesus Christ.

Atwill tried this before:

www.tektonics.org/books/csmessrvw.html

[unkleE]

For what it's worth Larry Hurtado has commented briefly on this. He's not very impressed.

[timoneill]

Oct 11, 2013 11:01:56 GMT unkleE said:

For what it's worth Larry Hurtado has commented briefly on this. He's not very impressed.

More importantly, the Great Historian himself, Artie Ziff, hath declared that Atwill is WRONG. So it is so, for the Great One hath spoken! All peons will now fall silent!

[noons]

Don't mean to get off topic, but Tim, have you seen the Artie Ziff Treehouse of Horror episode?

[timoneill]

Oct 12, 2013 14:10:06 GMT noons said:

Don't mean to get off topic, but Tim, have you seen the Artie Ziff Treehouse of Horror episode?

Was that the Back to the Future spoof, where Bart returns to the future and finds Artie was his father? Truly horrific.

In other news, even Archarya S/Dotty Murdock thinks Atwill is wrong.

[metacrock]

Oct 10, 2013 15:38:44 GMT turoldus said:

A controversial American biblical scholar is set to make his first appearance in London next week to present a discovery that he claims proves the story of Jesus Christ was invented as a system of mind control to enslave the poor.

Joseph Atwill, who is the author of a book entitled 'Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus', asserts that Christianity did not begin as a religion, but was actually a sophisticated government propaganda exercise used to pacify the subjects of the Roman Empire.

At the 'Covert Messiah' conference, to be held at the Conway Hall in Holborn a week on Saturday, Mr Atwill will present his theory that the New Testament was written by first-century Roman aristocrats and that they entirely fabricated the story of Jesus Christ.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/story-of-jesus-christ-was-fabricated-to-pacify-the-poor-claims-controversial-biblical-scholar-8870879.html

Atwill is no Bible schoalr. He misses very basic things. He doesn't understand the nature of the Gospels or the time frame or their writing.

tomverenna.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/no-joe-atwill-rome-did-not-invent-jesus/here's a good Criticique

[timoneill]

Oct 12, 2013 18:14:05 GMT metacrock said:

Oct 10, 2013 15:38:44 GMT turoldus said:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/story-of-jesus-christ-was-fabricated-to-pacify-the-poor-claims-controversial-biblical-scholar-8870879.html

Atwill is no Bible schoalr. He misses very basic things. He doesn't understand the nature of the Gospels or the time frame or their writing.

tomverenna.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/no-joe-atwill-rome-did-not-invent-jesus/here's a good Criticique

Tom Verenna aka "Thomas L. Verenna" aka "Rook Hawkins - Ancient Text Expert" is no Bible scholar either. But with Verenna, Carrier and Archaya all against him, I'm almost starting to like Atwill.

[sandwiches]

Tom Verenna aka "Thomas L. Verenna" aka "Rook Hawkins - Ancient Text Expert" is no Bible scholar either. But with Verenna, Carrier and Archaya all against him, I'm almost starting to like Atwill.

A terrible comment. Atwill is causing embarrassment to true scholars:

freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/4664


Joseph Atwill is one of those crank mythers I often get conflated with. Mythicists like him make the job of serious scholars like me so much harder, because people see, hear, or read them and think their nonsense is what mythicism is. They make mythicism look ridiculous. So I have to waste time (oh by the gods, so much time) explaining how I am not arguing anything like their theories or using anything like their terrible methods, and unlike them I actually know what I am talking about, and have an actual Ph.D. in a relevant subject from a real university.

[metacrock]

Oct 12, 2013 20:13:35 GMT timoneill said:

Oct 12, 2013 18:14:05 GMT metacrock said:

Atwill is no Bible schoalr. He misses very basic things. He doesn't understand the nature of the Gospels or the time frame or their writing.

tomverenna.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/no-joe-atwill-rome-did-not-invent-jesus/here's a good Criticique

Tom Verenna aka "Thomas L. Verenna" aka "Rook Hawkins - Ancient Text Expert" is no Bible scholar either. But with Verenna, Carrier and Archaya all against him, I'm almost starting to like Atwill.

why are they agaisnt him? He's a myther. Are they really so campy that they have to support only their view. O silly question.

[metacrock]

Oct 13, 2013 11:57:23 GMT sandwiches said:

Tom Verenna aka "Thomas L. Verenna" aka "Rook Hawkins - Ancient Text Expert" is no Bible scholar either. But with Verenna, Carrier and Archaya all against him, I'm almost starting to like Atwill.

A terrible comment. Atwill is causing embarrassment to true scholars:

freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/4664


Joseph Atwill is one of those crank mythers I often get conflated with. Mythicists like him make the job of serious scholars like me so much harder, because people see, hear, or read them and think their nonsense is what mythicism is. They make mythicism look ridiculous. So I have to waste time (oh by the gods, so much time) explaining how I am not arguing anything like their theories or using anything like their terrible methods, and unlike them I actually know what I am talking about, and have an actual Ph.D. in a relevant subject from a real university.

True scholarship?

[ignorantianescia]

Metacrock, sandwiches is not that world-renowned Columbia graduate, the historian with grosses of eager minions and also the futuristic visionary for the digital salvation due within five decades, who goes by the name of Richard Carrier. Rather, he was making a facetious remark about Carrier's blog.

Actually, with respect to Verenna, it seems this silliness by Atwill is doing quite a lot of good to Verenna's e-reputation. He is being upheld as a scholar and historian at several blogs and a HuffPo opinion article.

[metacrock]

Oct 13, 2013 16:39:16 GMT ignorantianescia said:

Metacrock, sandwiches is not that world-renowned Columbia graduate, the historian with grosses of eager minions and also the futuristic visionary for the digital salvation due within five decades, who goes by the name of Richard Carrier. Rather, he was making a facetious remark about Carrier's blog.

Actually, with respect to Verenna, it seems this silliness by Atwill is doing quite a lot of good to Verenna's e-reputation. He is being upheld as a scholar and historian at several blogs and a HuffPo opinion article.

I realized that after a bit. I changed my post. In my view real mythicism is not that much less absurd than the outlandish versions.

[timoneill]

Oct 13, 2013 16:39:16 GMT ignorantianescia said:

Actually, with respect to Verenna, it seems this silliness by Atwill is doing quite a lot of good to Verenna's e-reputation. He is being upheld as a scholar and historian at several blogs and a HuffPo opinion article.

Yes but virtually any idiot can be an authority on history on HuffPo: *Cough cough*

[labarum]

Oct 12, 2013 20:13:35 GMT timoneill said:

But with Verenna, Carrier and Archaya all against him, I'm almost starting to like Atwill.

Apparently, Atwill and Acharya made a video last year of them having a "conversation" on Atwill's thesis. My guess is that Acharya realized this guy might outflank her in the lunatic fringe market and she needs to reject him firmly to re-establish herself as the "go to" source on Jesus with the tinfoil hat crowd.