Resurrection (Alward rebuts Carter)
Ed Tyler etyler@truman.edu
Mon, 01 Feb 1999 09:15:41 -0600 (00917903741, 4.1.19990201090723.00a378d0@pop.truman.edu)
At 03:58 PM 1/31/99 -0500, Jason Carter wrote:
>
>>Matthew Bell
>>Your implication is clear, the evidence is typically lacking!
>>
>>POOBAH
>>A large portion of biblical scholars would probably disagree with you on
>>that. Since I am not an expert, I will not recommend any books or make any
>>claims, but I am sure others here can point you in the right direction.
>
>CARTER
>Mythological tendancies overriding/replacing a historical event takes long
>periods of time. The earliest Christian references to the crucifxion,
>death, and resurrection of Christian can be dated as early as the A.D. 30's.
>
Ed
As I've mentioned on this list many times (before you came, Jason) this is
simply not true. FOr instance:
The tale of G. Washington throwing his dollar across the Potomac was
circulating before the War of 1812.
Legends about Marshall Tito's exploits in WWII were recorded in the Neretva
VAlley in the mid-1950s--during Tito's life.
The tale of Mohammed moving the mountain was circulating during his lifetime.
Tales of Empedocles calming storms were circulating less than a generation
after his death, as was the claim that he was resurrected after sacrificing
himself in a volcano. Likewise, his ascension.
There are literally hundreds of other such tales I can trot out, but you
get the picture. In fact, what happens is this: Either the mythic tales
get begin within living memory of an event or a person's life, or they tend
not to begin at all. For instance, no one is going to start claiming that
Lincoln survived his assassination, but may crackpots have claimed that
Kennedy did.