To be amused at a discussion I can overhear?

[brasty]

At work and currently listening in on a discussion where one woman is trying to explain to a colleague that Jesus was Jewish. Colleague isn't having it

Obviously Jesus was jewish.

Vicky1990 Yes, he was married and he is married (2 marriages), plus he has a daughter from another relationship and 2 grandchildren.

Yup, one was from Israel. I have three Jewish mates who are paler than me.

Majority of Israeli Jews made diaspora to Israel from 1880's onwards. Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe from 1880's onwards escaping European pogroms and then after 2WW. Many Sephardic Jews from other Middle East countries after declaration of state of Israel in 1948. Pre 1880's there remained a small Jewish community in what is now known as Israel since Old Testament biblical times.

Bearing in mind that the earliest gospel we know of wasn't written until about 64AD ie about 30 years after Jesus's death, (with the vaguest possibility by an eye witness) and all that we do know comes from the New Testament

Yes, agree. My understanding that is more evidence nearer to the existence of the historical person than other ancient historical figures. Don't have full details to hand.

Well, all this God being Jesus's dad and then there's Mary - and Joseph as a stepdad, must have made for very awkward Christmases.

My suggestion for those who believe the Bible that God implanted Jesus into the virgin Mary and at the same time ensured the child looked genetically like the parents is surely not unreasonable. Had he implanted a black child it would not have been accepted and could not have grown up teaching in the temple etc as the story goes.

Remember what I write is not weird. Over a billion Catholics for a start believe the virgin conceived God's son without sex from her husband - that is about 1 in 7 people on the planet before we even move beyond Catholicism to other religions.

Majority of New Testament scholars say the person Jesus existed.
Yes, but isn't there a bit of bias here? I mean, if you studied it for a bit and came to the conclusion that Jesus didn't exist, I think you'd then be unlikely to go on and devote your life to New Testament scholarship (though it's not impossible...) Better to ask a sample of historians of roughly the right period, perhaps.

Personally I'm not convinced it really matters whether he existed, though.

I seem to recall watching an episode of QI where they talked about the rejected Gospels (worth remembering that the early Church chose which books to include and it's hard to believe that of 12 disciples only 4 would bother writing accounts of the life of the man they followed).

Apparently one of the rejected Gospels includes a story about the infant Jesus banishing dragons .

Here we go, read the bit on "Infancy Gospels":

qi.com/infocloud/jesus

Yes, but isn't there a bit of bias here? I mean, if you studied it for a bit and came to the conclusion that Jesus didn't exist, I think you'd then be unlikely to go on and devote your life to New Testament scholarship (though it's not impossible...) Better to ask a sample of historians of roughly the right period perhaps

Have no citations to hand but I believe ancient historians believe the evidence for the existence of Jesus in history is as strong for other ancient historical figures. Also not all New Testament scholars believe in the divinity of Christ, they are historians.

Ps ah brainfoggy tonight, typo that is historians of ancient history. Not ancient historians 😀

Please tell me that someone else out there saw this thread and immediately thought fondly of Lawrie Marlow and Miss Cromwell? That's how I realised as a child that Jesus was Jewish (and I went to a Catholic school).

I seem to recall watching an episode of QI where they talked about the rejected Gospels (worth remembering that the early Church chose which books to include and it's hard to believe that of 12 disciples only 4 would bother writing accounts of the life of the man they followed).

Yes, true about lots of rejected gospels. One thing none of the four gospels were written by the 12 disciples. Oral history passed information down.

I still can't get over the most Jews in the UK look a bit foreign statement. 1Mother20152015 do they also have stars of david on their coats and a couple of horns. Thread is hysterically funny but statements like this and the connection being made between non-white and foreign is somewhat worrying.

Finally, @reallixitbeokm below from Wikipediam but appreciate you said not personally important to you whether Jesus existed:

"Almost all scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed,but scholars differ on the historicity of specific episodes described in the Biblical accounts of Jesus,and the only two events subject to "almost universal assent" are that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate. Elements whose historical authenticity is disputed include the two accounts of the Nativity of Jesus, the miraculous events including the resurrection, and certain details about the crucifixion.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_reliability_of_the_Gospels

Jesus was not only Jewish but preached in the Synagogue.

I don't think most Jews in the Uk are white - they definitely look at bit foreign but some are more Western looking than others and it would have been similar with Jesus of Nazareth.

@1mother20152015

Some people do look a bit foreign, yes. That's because we have been invaded by Scandinavians, by mainland Europeans and have a history of immigration from all parts of the world. You have British people with blonde hair and blue eyes, olive skin and brown hair, blue eyes, and just any other variation. Your point is?

I am simply stunned by the levels of ignorance and utter lack of knowledge.

Frankly, Paul O'Grady is as plausible a messiah, following the teachings of Thora Hird.

And I'm an slightly olive-skinned green-eyed Ashkenazi. Lovely to see vile comments as 'all Jews are a bit foreign looking though'. Delightful bigotry.

Both eye-rolling and laughing my way through this thread.

Jesus was actually a pastafarian.

I love the idea that Jesus has come back, but he couldn't be doing with all that fuss/crucifixion nonsense again, so he opened a kebab shop instead.

It is actually in the Koran that Jesus was born from the virgin Mary.
In fact Mary has a whole chapter of the Koran about her. She is mentioned more in the Koran than in the NT

Jews except Mary as the mother of Jesus but state nothing about the "virgin birth"

God.....the ultimate absent father?

Depends what your faith is / if anything

Like a pp I have a son who looks like an anglo Jesus, by coincidence(or is it??) he also has an interest in communism and leaves towels on the floor.

Same here. . . but actually, when you think about it, a lot of Jesus' ideas bordered on Communism/

Thats correct sunshine. She is x