by Albert Schweitzer.
I have come to the end of this book. It was a great read. In his last chapter he writes
There is nothing more negative than the result of the critical study of the Life of Jesus.
The Jesus of Nazareth who came forward publicly as the messiah, who preached the ethic of the Kingdom of God, who founded the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth, and died to give his work its final consecration never had any existence. He is a figure designed by rationalism, endowed with life by liberalism and clothed by modern theology in an historical garb.
I am yet to read Bert Erhman’s book where he argues for a historical Jesus. I hope I will. I am interested in knowing his Jesus, how he clothes him and makes him real to walk in Jerusalem and beyond that how he has gotten people to believe his story.
After documenting in a thorough way the impossibility of a historical Jesus, he has words of hope for the believer. He writes
But the truth is, it is not Jesus as historically known, but Jesus as spiritually arisen within men, who is significant for our time and can help it. Not the historical Jesus, but the spirit which goes forth from him and in the spirits of men strives for new influence and rule, is that which overcomes the world.
As for me, it is enough to that there is no historical Jesus, as for his spirit, that is for believers.
Random thoughts 
I look forward to the day (should that ever happen) when men (as they tend to create these gods) see the humanity in humanity, and stop giving our dignity away.
Here’s a preview of Bart’s book:
LikeLike
Thanks for the links.
Maybe that day will happen sooner if men became more reasonable
LikeLiked by 1 person
In an interview I watched, Christopher Hitchens said one the main reasons why men created the Abrahamic god was so that they could own women. He said that if men told women that they should obey them, women would tell them to take a hike (I’m paraphrasing 😉 ) but if “God” told them they might be more incline to submit. He further stated that the gods benefit men which is why I doubt we will be seeing “reasonable” any time soon.
LikeLike
Sorry for my late response.
That makes a lot of sense. The bible is mainly useful for a few men to control other men and most if not all women
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries my friend. I know I’ve shared that before. It’s just that I really wished people would step back and take time to really think about how and why they believe when there is zero evidence. They won’t take our word for it but will take the word of ancients, most who were not even willing to put their name on what they wrote/copied.
Hey Noel — you were created from a deity — a Goddess. Now please tell me why you don’t believe that and what exactly is the difference between the thousands of goddesses worshiped in the past and this Jesus who has boobs and milk?
LikeLike
When we were small boys, we would mould stuff from clay, some with no discernible form and without any forethought, maybe that is what happened in the case of the universe, god- whichever it is- had no idea how it would come out.
That is what shocks me. Why are people willing to die for words of people they never met and they are incapable of judging how reliable and honest they were as men!
LikeLike
It truly is shocking. As I thawed from my belief, I was stunned at how gullible I’d been to take the word of others based on other people’s opinions where were based on other people’s opinions, which were based on other people’s opinions, which were based on other people’s opinions and perception of reality.
LikeLike
It is infuriating, Victoria. I couldn’t agree with you more. And the smugness that radiates out of some of the “Faithful” sickens me. Like that pompous ass “colorstorm” dude who just assumes we’re idiots because we don’t see the undeniable truth of his particular opinion on shit. An opinion that is utterly ridiculous. Hope your turkey was was splendid, by the way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just got through telling CS on Violet’s blog that there is nothing more arrogant than to think that man is the center of the universe.
He thinks that all death is due to man’s sin, and I told him how self-centered it was for him to believe that stars/suns die because some dude and dudette on planet earth was tempted by a talking serpent.
Thanksgiving was enjoyable. After we feasted, we played Cards Against Humanity. That was hilarious. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.
I hope you had a nice day, too. 🙂
LikeLike
I did, thanks. You might like the poem I just posted on my blog. Check it out when you’ve time. It sums up a lot of my life’s philosophy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great poem.
Silly human beings
LikeLike
Indeed. We are very self centered and silly. Thanks for reading it. Sorry for the gratuitous plug on your site, but, hey, we two are the last prophets, after all.
LikeLike
No problem mate. That can’t be a cause for alarm between the two last prophets. At least i got to read before going to bed
LikeLike
Rest well my fellow prophet of The Great Golden Boot!
LikeLike
Thanks buddy
LikeLike
Up until the age that our frontal lobes are fully developed (usually by mid-twenties) we primarily function from the limbic system. Religions, like Christianity, cause a retardation of the frontal lobes — literally a deactivation of neural circuity associated with critical assessment.
In other words, religions like Christianity prevent people from fully maturing. Put another way, they always remain attached to the tit.
LikeLike
The tit of Christ that is! Eat of my body he said, and start with the nipples.
LikeLike
Yep.
LikeLike
Why would the death of a buffalo in the wild be a result of man’s sin? Who punishes a beast for the sins they had no part in? Eirher the god believers are insane or their get should be admitted to an asylum.
LikeLike
That colorstorm dude just reeks of arrogance. To be that ignorant of reality and that arrogant about how correct you are in your arrogance is frightening. That this person may have influence on the developing minds of innocent children is child abuse and wrong. Scary these people are. But, they aren’t theists, because there are really no theists. Just people full of fear of dying.
LikeLike
Both? Phil Hellenes stated in his video “Through These Godless Eyes”
— http://youtu.be/Txp8LhL56rU —
LikeLike
Great video, Victoria, thanks.
LikeLike
Oh wow — thank you for taking the time to watch it. 🐻
LikeLike
I like the guy’s voice who narrates it. Very relaxing.
LikeLike
I agree Jeff. All his videos are awesome.
LikeLike
Christians and believers in general have redefined words to mean something other than what you and i would think they mean. It is for that reason they believe sending your son to commit suicide is tje greatest show of love imaginable
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just watched the video, very good and he has such a cool voice
LikeLike
I keep asking myself how i believed this opinions for so long.
LikeLike
Me too. I just assumed they must be true. I felt “wrong” inside when I finally realized I’d been had for decades. I got over it though. 🙂
LikeLike
I think that was true for me too. I all along assumed they were true and not once was there a reason to challenge these long held opinions.
LikeLike
Forgot to leave the link referencing the interview with Hitchens.
— http://youtu.be/rmJDAzgvp6o —
LikeLike
Good post, Mak. I agree here with Victoria. Goodness for mankind comes from mankind, not an invisible spirit. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion there was no historical Jesus. I wish humans would spend as much energy on coming up with practical, realistic ways to aid our species as they do fabricating deities to worship. I’ll have to add this book to my list and give it a read. Seems interesting.
LikeLike
You should and if you like it, let’s make it my holiday gift to you B-)
I arrived at that conclusion quite a while back. I will however grant Erhman an opportunity to convince me otherwise
LikeLike
“I wish humans would spend as much energy on coming up with practical, realistic ways to aid our species as they do fabricating deities to worship.”
Amen Brother Jeff.
LikeLike
And a Happy Turkey Day to you, Sister Victoria.
LikeLiked by 1 person
…and you, too, Jeff. Speaking of Thanksgiving, have you seen this quote by Jon Stewart?
Love that guy.
LikeLike
I did the same thing he did. Only I only killed half the neighborhood before taking the land. The rest I gave a bingo parlor to in the suburbs. Then I made them all alcoholics by introducing them to vodka.
LikeLike
Jeff really did sum it up well, Victoria.
LikeLike
Nice of you to say so. Mak and I are the last prophets of the great Golden Boot. The Boot both kicks the asses of idjits around me and inspires me, as he does Mak. We are lucky to be his last prophets. $Amen$
LikeLiked by 1 person
Erhman’s is another book I’d like to read. I’m quite certain TruChristians consider him an evil heathen. Makes me like him, even though I doubt I’ll agree with him.
LikeLike
The guy I so want to read, I know I am biased in my choices, is Robert Price.
LikeLike
He is a very good scholar and presents THE most powerful, credible evidence for the non-existence of an historical Jesus I’ve read. You’ll like him.
LikeLike
I don’t know if there was or was not an actual living, breathing human being that was Jesus. If there was, I believe he was a mere mortal who may have been a preacher or a teacher, but in either case, a very charismatic man. But Jesus may also be an amalgam of historical people, sort of a King Arthur type of figure, given attributes that go well beyond what the actual Jesus, if he existed, possessed.
But I do agree with what inspired wrote, “I wish humans would spend as much energy on coming up with practical, realistic ways to aid our species as they do fabricating deities to worship.”
LikeLike
Thanks for agreeing. I was inspired to write that by…,well, by….myself! 🙂
LikeLike
I may leverage your inspiration into a post of my own at some point. But if I do, I will definitely give you credit for that piece of inspiration.
LikeLike
May The Great Golden Boot bless you and keep sore all the asses of all the idjits around you. $Amen$
LikeLiked by 1 person
Or he may have just been a narrative construct like Harry Potter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The ‘spirit’ of which Schweitzer writes in the later paragraph, is closer to Hegel’s ‘Geist’ than the ‘Holy Ghost’ – that is, what was widely referred to as the ‘Spirit of Man,’ a phrase that went out of usage around 1970, and which actually refers to whatever the writer considered the noblest idea of humanity.
Judging by this book (and little Schweitzer said or wrote afterward – that I know of – seems to alter this), Schweitzer was that odd character, a ‘Christian agnostic’ – he could no longer believe, but he saw Christianity as a force for good in the world, and tried to live accordingly.
A fascinating character. Thanks for drawing attention to his book. Although Schweitzer may never have pulled himself completely free of his religion, his book can still be used as a possible stepping stone for some reader’s path to doing so.
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment and you are right about Schweitzer’s book, it can be a stepping stone for one who is on their way out.
LikeLike
[…] Source: The quest of the historical Jesus […]
LikeLike
Interesting post Mak. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Welcome Sonel
LikeLike
😀
LikeLike
There never was a ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and the evidence against this character has been there all along, but very few were willing to poke this particular hornets’ nest for fear of committing professional suicide and social ostracization.
Bart Ehrman has always come across as a pretty erudite scholar but on this issue he’s a damn fence sitter and I have said so before.
His responses to the historicity of the character always seem to have a slight ambiguous edge to them.
The way he talks about the gospels might lead you to believe that ( the story behind them) is all pretty much fiction and yet here’s this prophet bloke, striding around 1st century Galilee? And no one noticed him outside of the fictitious gospel story? Hmm, pull the other leg.
I reckon Ehrman cherry picks his ‘facts’ on this issue because he cannot be sure one way or another – for now – ( even though he probably doesn’t believe in the Jesus character either) so he’s hedging until he can produce enough evidence to cement a case and then see what type of book he publishes!
At least Schweitzer had the balls to be totally up front and honest.
LikeLike
And what you say here is the problem I have with Ehrman. A scholar he is, but on this issue on historicity, he is skirting the real issue.
I enjoyed Schweitzer’s book.
LikeLike
Refresh me, all, where did he come forth publicly as the messiah?
LikeLike
It was after a breakfast at Denny’s one morning when he fed a restaurant full of people with one piece of dry toast and a cup of cold black coffee. After he did that he just figured, “Hell, I must be some kinda messiah or somthin’ “.
LikeLike
Am not sure he ever said he was, at least not directly. There is the time John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask if he is the one who was to come and he tells them to go and tell him what they have seen. On a different occasion, he asks of the disciples who he is, Peter says he is the messiah and he tells him to stfu kind of thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha excellent answer to my question, mak. I think youve found the key problem with the bible–not enough stfu in it! Lol
LikeLike
:-P. They are few and far between like the time Job asks god why he is suffering, the answer he gets comes close to stfu, I created this shit, I do what I want with it.
LikeLiked by 1 person