Quote:
Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus
It always amazed me with the wide variety of writings in the first century that every writer failed to mention Jesus or "Yeshua" until 6 decades after his death.
Writers cramp?  |
I don't believe this is at all true. While the Gospels are the first books in the New Testament, they are not the first books written.
Much of the New Testament is attributed to St. Paul. He died approximately 30 years after Jesus (if Jesus existed) and his earliest work in the bible is often dated around 50 AD, making it approximately 15 years after the death of Jesus.
Now Paul never met Jesus, but based on his writings it becomes almost unquestionable that a decade or two after Jesus' death, early groups of Christians had formed. Paul was one of them. He also wrote of persecuting followers of Jesus prior to Jesus' death and prior to Paul converting.
So now you have a guy who was alive during Jesus' life saying he was persecuting early Christians (or at least radical Hebrews following new traditions) prior to the crucifixion.
Then he's involved in the Council of Jerusalem which, while debated, is believed by historical scholars to have occurred around 20 years after Jesus death. Again, showing that there is now groups of people believing in Jesus shortly after his death if nothing else. That council also included the apostles James and Peter who were followers of Jesus while he was still alive (or in James case perhaps Jesus' brother).
The lack of writing probably has more to do with the fact that these were a small group of poor disenfranchised people who were the early Christians. If they could write at all, they still had to fear crucifixion for their writings.