Re: THE PROBLEM WITH THE HISTORICITY OF JESUS

On 2008-05-14 12:54:23 +0100, Roger Pearse <roger.pearse@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
said:

> On 6 May, 23:32, Andrew <thecr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> On 2008-05-06 16:23:11 +0100, "Bill M" <wm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> said:
>> 
>>> More evidence that sup****ts the fact that Jesus the Christ
>>> is pure myth and fable.
>> 
>>> "The_Sage" <The_S...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>> news:j2bv14t46lm2b3r3t3a032qqmcd6ts0rsn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>> For being considered the most influential person in all of history,
it is
>>>> strange that of the 29 first century historians who existed at the
time of
>>>> Jesus, none of them mention Jesus at all...
>> 
>>>> 1. Philo Judaeus
> 
> A philosopher, not a historian.
> 
>>>> 2. Apollonius of Tyana
>> 
>> Virtually no writings survive
>> 
>>>> 3. Valerius Maximus
>> 
>> Not a historian - wrote a manual on "historical tales for rhetoricians"
>> based largely on Roman history
>> 
>>>> 4. Marcus Manilius
>> 
>> Not a historian - a poet and astrologer
>> 
>>>> 5. Velleius Paterculus
>> 
>> A historian, but dead before the crucifixion (19 BC - 31 AD)
>> 
>>>> 6. Quintus Curtius Rufus
>> 
>> Only surviving work is an autobiography of Alexander the Great. Oddly,
>> Jesus doesn't appear.
>> 
>>>> 7. Pomponius Mela
>> 
>> Not a historian - a geographer
>> 
>>>> 8. Lucius Annaeus Seneca
>> 
>> Not a historian - a very bright man, but not a historian
>> 
>>>> 9. Petronius Arbiter
>> 
>> Not a historian - a satirist
>> 
>>>> 10. C. Musonius Rufus
> 
> Not a historian -- a philosopher, none of whose works now exist.
> 
>>>> 11. Aulus Persius Flaccus
>> 
>> Not a historian - a poet and satirist
>> 
>>>> 12. Marcus Annaeus Lucanus
>> 
>> Only surviving historical work concerns the Roman Civil War. Oddly,
>> does not mention Jesus
>> 
>>>> 13. Hero(n) of Alexandria
>> 
>> Not a historian - a mathematician and engineer
>> 
>>>> 14. Geminus
>> 
>> Not a historian - a mathematician and astronomer
>> 
>>>> 15. Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella
> 
> Not a historian -- a writer on agriculture.
> 
>>>> 16. Cleomedes
>> 
>> Not a historian - an astronomer
>> 
>>>> 17. Phaedrus
>> 
>> Not a historian - a writer of fables in imitation of Aesop
>> 
>>>> 18. Dioscorides
>> 
>> Not a historian - a physician and pharmacologist
>> 
>>>> 19. Plutarch of Chaeronea
>> 
>> A historian whose only extant works in this field focus on Alexander,
>> Pliny and Herodotus. Oddly, does not mention Jesus
>> 
>>>> 20.Justus of Tiberias
> 
> A historian whose work is lost and is anyway described by Photius as
> very brief and largely fictitious.
> 
>>>> 21. Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus)
> 
> His history is lost; the surviving work is a National History,
> discussing drugs etc.
> 
>>>> 22. Dio Chrysostom (Cocceianus Dio)
>> 
>> Regarded as a historian by his contem****aries but no historical works
survive
>> 
>>>> 23. Marcus Fabius Quintilianus
>> 
>> Only extant work is a textbook on rhetoric
>> 
>>>> 24. Publius Papinius
> 
> Publius Papinius **Statius**, you mean?  A poet, not a historian.
> 
>>>> 25. Dio of Prusa
>> 
>> Same person as Dio Chrysostom!!!
>> 
>>>> 26. Silius Italicus
>> 
>> Not a historian - a poet. Only surviving work an epic based on the
Punic wars
>> 
>>>> 27. ***tus Julius Frontinus
>> 
>> Not a historian - a soldier and administrator
>> 
>>>> 28. Marcus Valerius Martialus
>> 
>> Not a historian - read his "Epigrams".
>> 
>>>> 29. Hierocles of Alexandria
>> 
>> Writing in the 5th Century AD by which time Christianity was the
>> official religion of the Empire!!!
> 
>> You see Bill? You'll accept any old piffle if it fits in with your
>> prejudices. "The Sage" trawls anti-Christian websites and just accepts
>> everything he reads entirely uncritically. That's why I killfiled him -
>> he can't accept that there is a difference between 'fact' and his
>> prejudices.
> 
> Such people are very, very disreputable.  Atheism does not benefit
> from trying to misrepresent the past, and it injures the unwary.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Roger Pearse

Agreed Roger. I have a healthy respect for people who are honest and 
open-minded in their atheism. As with Christianity, uncritical 
dogmatism and dishonesty serve nobody.