TRANSPONDER wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 12:10 pm
I know. I've been there myself. I was pretty convinced that the raising of Lazarus was a real thing because of all the incidental details. The note sent to Jesus in peraea - a tip off that it was time for Jesus to come to 'Save' Lazarus. After he's hung around two days before setting out. The set lines for Martha and Mary before Jesus says: 'Come on out' and Lazarus hops (or walks) out) with the Amazed crowd gawping.
Yes, I was convinced it was true. How did Martha know where to send the note? Because she'd known that Jesus would be at Peraea. And why did only John mention this amazing miracle? Because they saw how fishy it looked (even if nobody else did). And even Luke's apparently unrelated reference to Lazarus could fit as the resurrected Lazarus bringing a message from the beyond.
Ah...... so there are 'incidental details' that are total deceptions, and others that ring true (to me). The reason why I take notice of Jesus dismissing 'blood family' for 'follower family' is:-
1. Because that's what I have found for myself
2. It's not an incident much favoured by Christianity. The only reason that it's not been redacted is very interesting.
3. It's not a key Christian message.
But Lazarus? If there was any truth in the Lazarus story then it would have been mentioned in G-Mark; as it is, Jesus didn't even cure Lazarus of a cold.
And it still could be true. I can't rule it out. But I just have more reasons to doubt. But not all of it. I think Paul was real, thus Peter and James were real, and so maybe Jesus was real. But whether failed messiah or reforming Rabbi, it isn't the Christian Jesus, which was reformed to fit Post Pauline Greek Christianity, damning Judaism and swooning over the Faith of gentiles.
I'll go with that..... although I don't build my findings on the claims of a contract busting Jew, but rather the deposition within G-Mark (less the fiddles and stuff).
By the way....... just a question 'on the side'....you mention James. Do you think that James was the brother of Jesus (which I mistrust) or the disciple? I often ask this, and often get 'wooly' answers.