Jesus who? Myth vs Reality

To understand Paul’s message and its problematic nature, one needs to learn about Jesus and his mission on earth.

According to James Gardner who wrote the book “Jesus who? Myth vs Reality” there is the religious Jesus and the historical Jesus. The historical Jesus is invisible, hiding as he does in the shadow of the religious Jesus who is all around us. What are the myths, and what is the reality?

Although many have questioned the very existence of Jesus, most authorities these days agree that such an individual existed. What is questioned is the information that is passed down as ‘gospel truths’ sourced from the New Testament. When weighed against historical evidence, they do not often tally with the findings of history. Some pieces of information come into existence out of ignorance but many are woven deliberately into the narrative to fit certain agenda.

I would like to discuss a few such inaccuracies and myths surrounding Jesus the man and Jesus the savior based on my readings of Tabor and Gardner.

(Hereafter, for reference, I will use ‘T’ for Tabor and ‘G’ for Gardner followed by the relevant page/s)

What was Jesus’ name?

Yeshua (Joshua) ben Yoseph, Jesus son of Joseph. When the Greeks translated his name, it became Jesus and it stuck. He was regarded as the messiah, meaning the anointed one. Since in Greek the word for the oil used for anointment was khrisma and the person anointed khristos, Yeshua ben Yoseph became Jesus Christ! (G; p 51, 52)

When was Jesus born?

Jesus was not born in 0 A.D. His probable date could be somewhere between 6 B.C. and 3 B.C.

Was Jesus conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary? Who was Jesus’ biological father?

Christians and in particular, Catholics, are very sensitive about the questions of Jesus’ virgin birth and the legitimacy or otherwise of his birth.

That Mary became pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit is physically impossible. It was added much later to the gospel narrative to elevate Mary to a position far above the normal woman. This was to suit a specific agenda. With the coming of monastic life, virginity and celibacy became holier and more pleasing in the sight of God as compared to married life. (More about this later). 

Prophet Isaiah had foretold that a “virgin will conceive and give birth to a son”. Unfortunately there was a mistranslation. The original Hebrew word almah (young girl or young woman) had been mistakenly translated into the Greek parthenos (virgin). (G; p 69. T; p 46)

Regarding Jesus’ father, two possibilities, one charitable and the other rather scandalous, emerge.

To understand both, one needs to look at the Jewish world of the time. Jews were divided into four sects based on their way of life and beliefs: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the Zealots.

The Pharisees believed that God was in control of everything, there is an afterlife, and that there will be the eternal judgement of the departed souls. They were more integrated with the common folk.

The Sadducees denied the afterlife and put their emphasis on life in this world. They did not believe that God controls everything. Humans freely choose either good or evil and they are rewarded accordingly. The Sadducees were elite and aristocratic and belonged to the priestly class.

The Essenes consisted of a brotherhood of holy men and women, living together in a community. They practiced initiation rites involving baptism and sacred meals. They were anti-Roman and detested both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They expected the end of the world to happen soon and were awaiting the arrival of two messiahs – a Priestly figure and a Davidic King. (They later turned out to be John the Baptist and Jesus respectively).

The Zealots were the followers of Judas the Galilean. Judas was a fiery figure who preached that God was the only master and that they should throw off the yoke of Roman rule.

According to Gardner, Mary and Joseph, are believed to have belonged to the ultra-orthodox Essenes sect. Mary became pregnant following the first marriage ceremony of the Essenes. As unorthodox as this was, they received the blessings of the Essenes leadership and proceeded to the second marriage ceremony before which Jesus was born.

However, Tabor (p 40-46; 64-69) has a different version of Mary’s pregnancy. Mary lived with her parents Ana and Joachim in the town of Sepphoris, close to Nazareth. 

             Herod the Great

In 4 B.C, when she would have been about 14/15, Herod the Great died. Shortly after, a certain Judas, son of Ezekias, led a revolt against Rome. The Romans reacted quickly and harshly. They burned Sepphoris to the ground, put the inhabitants to slavery and crucified 2000 men. At the time of revolt, Mary was considered a woman and pledged in marriage to a local artisan named Joseph. However, Mary became pregnant. Joseph still accepted Mary and adopted her son. According to Mathew (1: 25) the couple had sexual relations only after the child was born, implying that Jesus was an illegitimate child. 

So who is the biological father of Jesus?

    Celsus

Tabor quotes the historian/philosopher Celsus who in an anti-Christian work titled “On the true doctrine” (178 A.D.) claims that Mary was pregnant by a Roman soldier by name Tiberius Iulius Abdes  Pantera. During times of war, pillage and rape by the victorious soldiers is a common phenomenon. Perhaps Joseph continued to accept Mary since he realized that she was not at fault.

   Tomb of Panthera