re: #225 Expand Your Ground

Reality is, as usual, much more complicated than that.

For example, you use the term “The Evangelists”, and I assume you are using that as a synonym for “The Gospels” writers. However, it is not clear how many writers were involved in the 4 gospels that were canonized, to say nothing of the numerous gospels that were not canonized.

And, even in the western orthodox canon, the 4 gospels present different claims. For example, you mentioned “Son of God”, but not all of the 4 gospels aim at this. John for example emphasizes miracle working to prove Divinity, but Mark is a story whose structure looks more like a dramatic presentation (e.g., a play), with ignorant protagonists (the Twelve) and antagonists (the authorities) who are persecuting an innocent prophet.

And, most of the NT canon is not composed of the 4 gospels but of the epistlary, the authors of whom are mostly unknown except for the 5 which seem to come from the middle of the first century from one Jewish author we call (after the common use) “Paul”, and these letters are about interpretations/applications of Jewish writings, laws, and customs in light of the Hellenized world.

The one thing I liked about that Carrier video is that he does stress how Christianity is a syncretization of the common beliefs throughout that region in that time.