An Atheist Defends the Historical Jesus (Take 2)
Channel: Kristi Winters
Date: 05/08/2017

Hi all! Welcome to part one, where I review a theory of the historical Jesus and examine some textual evidence. 

What I am using as my 'theory of the historical Jesus' in this series.

A man named Jesus (Yeshua in Aramaic) lived in the Galilee early in the 1st century CE. He was a Jew who came from the lower economic class, and a few years before his death he began preaching an apocalyptic form of Judaism in vogue at the time. This man Jesus traveled around the Galilee preaching this Pharisee form of Judaism to Jews in the area and he gathered a small following.  Shortly before his death he traveled to Jerusalem to take part in the Passover rituals. While there he created disturbances that brought him to the attention of the Sadducees - Jewish religious men who collaborated with the Romans to run Jerusalem. A member of Jesus inner circle told these authorities that Jesus had been preaching he was the Jewish messiah - a Jewish king - and on this basis the Romans arrested Jesus and executed him for treason because he claimed messiahship.  After his death Jesus' followers, including his brother James and closest disciple Peter, thought they saw him in visions or appearances, and began preaching stories about his life and the idea that he had been resurrected. Over time these stories became exaggerated and mythicized until by the early 2nd century most followers of Jesus believed he was some sort of divine being.

Check out Bart Ehrman's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/bartdehrman) for the source material for this series. 

Bart Ehrman & Robert Price Debate - Did Jesus Exist
https://youtu.be/GzjYmpwbHEA

New Testament History and Literature with Dale B. Martin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtQ2TS1CiDY&list=PL279CFA55C51E75E0

Introduction to the Old Testament With Christine Hayes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo-YL-lv3RY&list=PLh9mgdi4rNeyuvTEbD-Ei0JdMUujXfyWi