Good article. It pretty neatly sums up my own thoughts on the historical/mythical Jesus controversy. Regardless of whether not there was a historical Jesus, the Jesus that Christians worship & that Protestants in particular profess to have a personal relationship with is clearly mythical; no more historical that any of the pagan demigods that preceded him. This doesn't necessarily threaten faith; I think, if anything, it puts Christianity outside of history & thus beyond falsification -- which is where it belongs if it's really a religion rather than a monumental hoax.
Well, the problem is that Christians have gone so far down the rabbit hole, they can't free themselves without destroying themselves by humiliation. Monotheists in general can't see their religion as just one more in the scheme of things, since that would effectively make them polytheists.
So I think the Christ myth theory does threaten the traditional faith in "Jesus Christ," in the so-called historic godman. Liberal Christianity is less dogmatic, but whether it could survive as an independent religion, without the conservative Christian's hot air is questionable. Liberal Christians are practically secular humanists.
Isn't it true that most Jews have always seen the Torah as largely mythical & allegorical? And yet they certainly retain their sense of exclusivity. Given that Jesus biography in the gospels contains so many allusions to the Torah, it makes me wonder if the authors themselves originally meant it to be interpreted allegorically too. This would mean that the original Christians were closer to the Gnostics in this respect.
Incidentally, C.S. Lewis had an interesting explanation for all the pagan parallels in the gospel. He believed that God originated those myths so when Jesus finally arrived, all the heathens would immediately recognize him for who he was & convert to Christianity.
Richard Carrier makes that point about Mark, that his gospel (the primary one) was meant as a giant allegory. Jesus spoke in allegories, and Mark uses the sandwiching technique (intercalation) to hint that there are deeper meanings to his narrative too.
Lewis's point seems to be a twist on Justin Martyr's appeal to diabolical mimicry.
The bee was among the Egyptians the symbol of an obedient people, because, says Horapollo, "of all insects, the bee alone had a king. " Hence looking at the regulated labor of these insects when congregated in their hive, it is not surprising that a beehive should have been deemed an appropriate emblem of systematized industry.
Dominance hierarchies are far more prominent, though, in that they're found beyond the insect world. There are alpha males or females in dominance hierarchies in most social animal species, including birds, reptiles, and mammals.
I suspect that industrial labour has been compared to many things, including machines, as in Lewis Mumford's "megamachine" theory.
Good article. It pretty neatly sums up my own thoughts on the historical/mythical Jesus controversy. Regardless of whether not there was a historical Jesus, the Jesus that Christians worship & that Protestants in particular profess to have a personal relationship with is clearly mythical; no more historical that any of the pagan demigods that preceded him. This doesn't necessarily threaten faith; I think, if anything, it puts Christianity outside of history & thus beyond falsification -- which is where it belongs if it's really a religion rather than a monumental hoax.
ReplyDeleteWell, the problem is that Christians have gone so far down the rabbit hole, they can't free themselves without destroying themselves by humiliation. Monotheists in general can't see their religion as just one more in the scheme of things, since that would effectively make them polytheists.
DeleteSo I think the Christ myth theory does threaten the traditional faith in "Jesus Christ," in the so-called historic godman. Liberal Christianity is less dogmatic, but whether it could survive as an independent religion, without the conservative Christian's hot air is questionable. Liberal Christians are practically secular humanists.
Isn't it true that most Jews have always seen the Torah as largely mythical & allegorical? And yet they certainly retain their sense of exclusivity. Given that Jesus biography in the gospels contains so many allusions to the Torah, it makes me wonder if the authors themselves originally meant it to be interpreted allegorically too. This would mean that the original Christians were closer to the Gnostics in this respect.
DeleteIncidentally, C.S. Lewis had an interesting explanation for all the pagan parallels in the gospel. He believed that God originated those myths so when Jesus finally arrived, all the heathens would immediately recognize him for who he was & convert to Christianity.
Richard Carrier makes that point about Mark, that his gospel (the primary one) was meant as a giant allegory. Jesus spoke in allegories, and Mark uses the sandwiching technique (intercalation) to hint that there are deeper meanings to his narrative too.
DeleteLewis's point seems to be a twist on Justin Martyr's appeal to diabolical mimicry.
The bee was among the Egyptians the symbol of an obedient people, because, says Horapollo, "of all insects, the bee alone had a king. " Hence looking at the regulated labor of these insects when congregated in their hive, it is not surprising that a beehive should have been deemed an appropriate emblem of systematized industry.
ReplyDeleteDominance hierarchies are far more prominent, though, in that they're found beyond the insect world. There are alpha males or females in dominance hierarchies in most social animal species, including birds, reptiles, and mammals.
DeleteI suspect that industrial labour has been compared to many things, including machines, as in Lewis Mumford's "megamachine" theory.
Speaking of dominance hierarchies.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/trudeau-dictator_b_6314494