| Christ Myth Theory | |
|---|---|
 The Resurrection of Christ by Noel Coypel (1700)—Some myth theorists see this as a case of a dying-and-rising god. |
|
| Description | Jesus of Nazareth never existed as a flesh and blood historical figure, but is a mythical or fictional character created by the early Christian community. |
| Early proponents | Charles François Dupuis (1742–1809) Constantin-François Volney (1757–1820) Bruno Bauer (1809–1882) Edwin Johnson (1842-1901) Dutch Radical School (1880-1950) Albert Kalthoff (1850–1906) W. B. Smith (1850–1934) J. M. Robertson (1856–1933) Thomas Whittaker (1856-1935) Arthur Drews (1865–1935) Paul-Louis Couchoud (1879-1959) Alvin Boyd Kuhn (1880–1963) |
| Modern proponents | G. A. Wells, Christopher Hitchens, Tom Harpur, Michael Martin, Alvar Ellegård, Thomas L. Thompson, Thomas L. Brodie, Robert M. Price, Richard Carrier, Earl Doherty, D.M. Murdock, |
| Subjects | Historical Jesus, Early Christianity, Ancient history |
The Christ myth theory (also known as the Jesus myth theory, Jesus mythicism or simply mythicism) is the proposition that Jesus of Nazareth never existed, or if he did, he had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity and the accounts in the gospels.[1] Many proponents use a three-fold argument first developed in the 19th century that the New Testament
has no historical value, there are no non-Christian references to Jesus
Christ from the first century, and that Christianity had pagan and
mythical roots.[2]
In recent years, there have been a number of books and documentaries
on this controversial subject. Some "mythicists" concede the
possibility that Jesus may have been a real person, but that the
biblical accounts of him are almost entirely fictional.[3][4][5] Others believe in a spiritual Christ, but that he never lived.[6] Still others, including some atheist proponents, believe Jesus was neither historical nor divine.
Despite arguments put forward by authors who have questioned the existence of a historical Jesus, there remains a strong consensus agreement among historical-critical biblical scholarship that Jesus lived,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
but they differ about the accuracy of the accounts of his life. The
only two events subject to almost universal assent among biblical
scholars are that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.[14][15][16][17]
However, certain scholars, particularly in Europe, have recently made
the case for "agnosticism" on the Jesus question as it is impossible to
prove or disprove his existence, but that there should also be more
scholarly research and debate on this topic.[18][19]
