Was Jesus a Historical myth - a Philosophical myth or a Poetical myth?

Answer 1

Jesus Christ (Joshua Bar-Joseph) is an actual historical figure. His existence has been confirmed by the historian Josephus, although it is a very tenuous reference. You have to understand that at the time of his life, Jesus was a very minor figure, just another wandering mystic, and didn't make much of an impact on the politics of his day.

AnswerThere is no historical evidence that Jesus existed. Josephus' passages are disputed (they appear to have been inserted at a later date), and in any case, he is writing about heresay: not about his personal experiences. His books are dated at about the same time as the early Gospels, at a time when the stories were in wide circulation anyway.

There are no contemporary reports of Jesus: everything that has survived was written well after the events they document. They bear a startling resemblence to other myths of the time: of Horus, of Mithras, and of Krishna.

The stories concerning all four are certainly philosphical in nature, but it is doubtful that any have more than a grain of historical truth in them.

Since he was a historical figure, he was a historical fact, not any kind of myth.

Answer

I think we can safely elevate Jesus christ's status to that of a legend, at the very worst.