Laura wrote: I am no bible scholar, nor any other religious texts, but I do believe that Jesus, the man, existed, as well as John the Baptist. The records are dubious, but clearly do agree that the man existed, whether or not he was the holy of holys or not.



I don’t know how children stories start in other cultures, but in my culture children stories starts always with “if it hadn’t existed, this story would be untold”. I do believe that a Jesus existed, and not only one but several. “Jesus” name was relatively common name, it was actually Yeshua or Joshua, and you can ask anyone who lives in those places where the story stared.

Later on, Latin form of Greek “Iesous” became “Jesus” of English language. In my language it is “Isus”. Also *later on*, the Greek and Latin composers of disparate books describing what they heard from others about one of many Jesii, added something to “personalize” their Jesus. In the time of “Jesus”, there were a lot of others celebrity Jesus:

-           Jesus ben Sirach. This Jesus was reputedly the author of the Book of Sirach (aka 'Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach'), part of Old Testament Apocrypha. Ben Sirach, writing in Greek about 180 BC, brought together Jewish 'wisdom' and Homeric-style heroes.

-          Jesus ben Pandira. A wonder-worker during the reign of Alexander Jannaeus (106-79 BC), one of the most ruthless of the Maccabean kings. Imprudently, this Jesus launched into a career of end-time prophecy and agitation which upset the king. He met his own premature end-time by being hung on a tree – and on the eve of a Passover. Scholars have speculated this Jesus founded the Essene sect.

-          Jesus ben Ananias. Beginning in 62AD, this Jesus had caused disquiet in Jerusalem with a non-stop doom-laden mantra of ‘Woe to the city’. He prophesied rather vaguely:

"A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against the whole people."– Josephus, Wars 6.3.
Arrested and flogged by the Romans, Jesus ben Ananias was released as nothing more dangerous than a mad man. He died during the siege of Jerusalem from a rock hurled by a Roman catapult.

-          Jesus ben Saphat. In the insurrection of 68AD that wrought havoc in Galilee, this Jesus had led the rebels in Tiberias ("the leader of a seditious tumult of mariners and poor people" – Josephus, Life 12.66). When the city was about to fall to Vespasian’s legionaries he fled north to Tarichea on the Sea of Galilee.

-          Jesus ben Gamala. During 68/69 AD this Jesus was a leader of the ‘peace party’ in the civil war wrecking Judaea. From the walls of Jerusalem he had remonstrated with the besieging Idumeans (led by ‘James and John, sons of Susa’). It did him no good. When the Idumeans breached the walls he was put to death and his body thrown to the dogs and carrion birds.

         -    Jesus ben Thebuth. A priest who, in the final capitulation of the upper city in 69AD, saved his own skin by surrendering the treasures of the Temple, which included two holy candlesticks, goblets of pure gold, sacred curtains and robes of the high priests. The booty figured prominently in the Triumph held for Vespasian and his son Titus.

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Our “Jesus” is Christ… therefore we celebrate Christmas. Our Jesus is true because his followers were persecuted… Well, not a solid proof to believe that “he is true”… after all an idea is not necessarily true because someone died for it. Some “true” Muslims are blowing themselves up making other Muslims to believe that Allah is true… hmm…

About the fact that documents that were written well after the Jesus event happened, were destroyed… maybe that is a solid proof of Jesus Christ existence.

Anyway, the point is that Christmas is beautiful. Lights, Music, food, children getting gifts, adults getting to shop… Merry Christmas! God bless you all and everyone!

Let’s see the good parts of it, you skeptical skeptics… After all that, we go back to our “normal” lives until next Christmas! We have something to hope for.