Did Rasputin not exist because a lot of stories about him are embellished? What about the various Catholic saints, whose stories are almost certainly largely fabricated?
The point is, the hard and fast rules of Jesus’ life have consensus by scholars. He lived, taught, was baptized, and crucified, and a lot of people listened to him. How much of the rest was embellished is certainly up for debate, but those stories existing don’t change whether he existed.
The most important claims about him are obviously the supernatural ones. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” and all. Everything about the religion hinges on them being true.
We’re not talking about the religion though, we’re talking about the man, Jesus. He existed, and the historically verifiable facts stand.
And I’m not sure what you mean by “the religion.” Christianity is a broad category, and we have everything from “Jesus was literally God” (Catholics go as far as revering his mom as divine) to “Jesus was mortal” (e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses). And his impact isn’t limited to Christianity, he’s referred as a prophet in Islam, and even some Jews consider him a teacher worth listening to.
What you accept from his teachings and whatnot (as recorded by others) is up to you. But his historicity is well established.
How do you figure?
Did Rasputin not exist because a lot of stories about him are embellished? What about the various Catholic saints, whose stories are almost certainly largely fabricated?
The point is, the hard and fast rules of Jesus’ life have consensus by scholars. He lived, taught, was baptized, and crucified, and a lot of people listened to him. How much of the rest was embellished is certainly up for debate, but those stories existing don’t change whether he existed.
The most important claims about him are obviously the supernatural ones. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” and all. Everything about the religion hinges on them being true.
We’re not talking about the religion though, we’re talking about the man, Jesus. He existed, and the historically verifiable facts stand.
And I’m not sure what you mean by “the religion.” Christianity is a broad category, and we have everything from “Jesus was literally God” (Catholics go as far as revering his mom as divine) to “Jesus was mortal” (e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses). And his impact isn’t limited to Christianity, he’s referred as a prophet in Islam, and even some Jews consider him a teacher worth listening to.
What you accept from his teachings and whatnot (as recorded by others) is up to you. But his historicity is well established.