The Origins Of Christianity: A Radical Hypothesis

[poliphilo]

If Jesus died c. AD. 30 how come his name doesn't start appearing in the archaeological record until 100 years later?

There were two Jewish revolts during the reign of Hadrian. Evidence for Jesus  (mostly in the form of fragments of gospels) starts appearing at just this time.

It wasn't that easy to get published in the Roman world. If lots of manuscripts of a given text are in circulation it argues official connivance or even sponsorship.

Christianity is a radically Hellenized version of Judaism- outward looking and friendly to the Empire. Jesus is a God-man on the Hellenic model- like Hercules, Dionysus, Alexander, Mithras, Antinous, etc. The early Christian texts show the Romans in a favourable light  and demonize the Jewish authorities. ("Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites."). 

All this fits with Christianity being a creation of the Hadrianic period- a state-sponsored religion designed to draw adherents away from Judaism.   Its leading personalities- Jesus, the Apostles, Paul- were all "invented" at this time- and placed (conveniently beyond the reach of living memory) in the golden age of the early Empire. The gospels and other early Christian writings are essentially  "black propaganda" aimed against the Jewish rebels and their separatist ideology 
 
This is the barest outline of the hypothesis. The detailed evidence and arguments are here.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The material needs systematizing, but it's all there. Perhaps there will eventually be a book.

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

There is dispute as to whether the mention of Jesus in the writings of Josephus are original or a later insert by a Christian scribe who was copying his Jewish Wars, but that seems to be the only mention I have ever heard of before about 100 c.e.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've looked at the arguments for and against and none of them are finally persuasive. The only way this could be solved would be if we dug up first century copies of the relevant texts.