By Richard Carrier
Dr. Richard provider is knowledgeable within the historical past of the traditional global and a critic of Christian makes an attempt to distort background in safety in their religion. no longer the most unlikely religion is a travel de strength in that style, dissecting and refuting the oft-repeated declare that Christianity couldn't have succeeded within the historical international except it was once real. although framed as a close rebuttal to Christian apologist J.P. conserving (author of The very unlikely Faith), service takes a basic process that educates the reader at the heritage and sociology of the traditional international, answering many questions like: How did Christians process proof? was once there a frequent prejudice opposed to the testimony of ladies? was once resurrection the sort of radical inspiration? Who could worship a crucified felony? and masses extra. Written with occasional humor and a simple sort, and carefully referenced, with many exciting "gotcha!" moments, now not the most unlikely religion is a must-read for an individual drawn to the origins of Christianity.
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Extra resources for Not the Impossible Faith: Why Christianity Didn't Need a Miracle to Succeed
Sample text
The Jews clearly anticipated such a person, regardless of what formal title they cared to bestow on him. Either way, it’s unreasonable to believe that no Jews understood these texts to refer to such a man, especially since it says God intends to send out a messenger to deliver the “Gospel” that brings “Salvation,” and that this man will be humiliated with a shameful but undeserved death, and then exalted thereafter. But even in general, Isaiah 52-53 still clearly preaches that a man like Jesus should be revered, and that even a man despised, shamed, and buried a criminal could and should be praised and exalted—so long as he was wise and innocent, as Jesus was.
And this is enough to destroy Holding’s premise that no Jew would see Jesus as worthy of reverence because of his ignoble fate. Quite the con- 40 Crucified God? trary: the Jew’s own sacred text says we should revere such a man (so, too, Isaiah 50:4-9). And that is exactly my point. The same teaching is clearly conveyed in the Wisdom of Solomon, which presents the very same lesson: that a “righteous man” whose “soul is blameless,” yet is mistreated “with insult and torture” and wrongly condemned to a “shameful death” (2:19-22; compare Mark 15:29-32), is in fact a “Son of God” (2:13, 2:16, 2:18, 5:5) who will be resurrected (3) and crowned by God (5), while those who despise him will be condemned.
Indeed, his complete declaration is more revealing: “Love work. Hate authority. ”8 This expresses the attitude of exactly those for whom Christianity was most attractive. ”9 The Christian tale of the woman who bled for twelve years reveals a similar criticism of doctors (in Luke 8:43). We might even see this attitude in the prominent disdain held for “the scribes” as a group throughout the Gospels: this may have been a jab at men who claimed authority in the Law yet didn’t hold what was considered a real working-class job.