The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence [Hardcover]

John E. Remsberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

Was there a Christ who was born of a virgin; worked miracles among the masses; and, was tried, crucified, and later resurrected to ascend to heaven? In this nineteenth-century classic of free-thought literature, John E Remsberg reveals that while there may be some historical evidence for the existence of a man named Jesus, the supernatural 'Christ' of Christian dogma could not have existed. Using the tools of textual criticism and applying rigorous logical analysis, Remsberg carefully examines the New Testament Scriptures, the writings of well-known pagan authors from the time of Jesus as well as the works of later Christian apologists, he finds precious little evidence for the supposed miracles worked by Jesus, or even for his birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. His conclusion is that the divine, miracle-working Christ of traditional Christianity is a myth, which was developed over many centuries by a community of believers and was heavily influenced by mythic elements of Greek, Roman, and eastern religions. Remsberg concludes this interesting and thorough study with a detailed discussion of the various ancient sources from which the Christ myth evolved. "The Christ" is both an excellent introduction to biblical criticism and a valuable contribution to free-thought.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 437 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879759240
• ISBN-13: 978-0879759247
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best outline of the free thinkers position available, December 31, 2002

By 

Tom Munro "tomfrombrunswick" (Melbourne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence (Hardcover)

This is a book that is now quite old being published in 1909. Despite that it is very readable and it exhibits a high degree of scholarship.

The writer is a free thinker who tries to determine if Christ was a historical figure and if the stories of his life are true. The method is to firstly examine contemporary material from non-Christian writers to determine if there is evidence of the existence of Christ as a historical figure. Although there is a large amount of written material from the period Remsberg shows that there is only one reference to Christ and that is in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus. He suggests that the reference appears to clearly be a forgery as it only occurs in later translations of the work and the wording is inconsistent with the original. This is surprising as Josephus mentions large numbers of minor historical figures. His failure to mention Jesus suggests either that he did not exist or alternately he was not thought important. In a similar way there is no mention of events such as the massacre of the innocents or the natural events which were have meant to have taken place at the crucifixion.

Remsberg then goes on to examine the existing Christian writing. He suggests that the early epistles attributed to Paul show no knowledge of the Gospels and that as a result these must have been written in the second century and not by the writers who are meant to have written them.

Remsberg then goes on to look at the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels and examines them for inconsistencies and also compares them with what we know of the period. The Gospels reflect widely divergent accounts of the events portrayed an example being the genealogies of Jesus. Again if the events portrayed are examined in the light of history a lot of the material does not make sense. The most powerful example of this involves an examination of the legalities of the trial of Jesus.

In the end it becomes clear that the Gospels rather than being documents which are historically accurate are in fact written with an aim to establish doctrinal truths. An example of this being the interpolation in one Gospel of the statement by Jesus to Peter that, you will be the rock on which I will build my church. The phraseology is out of context and the passage has clearly been inserted to justify the Western Church.

Remsberg finishes by discussing a large number of the mythologies of different religions which existed at the time of the development of Christianity. The sorts of myths that are found were similar to biblical ones and on this basis it is suggested that the Gospels are largely compilations of myths which might have been added to the tale of a more humble life.

Despite the age of the book it is one of the most clear and logical explanations of the free thought position that has been written.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mythical Messiahs, January 9, 2001

By 

"freethoughtmecca" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence (Hardcover)

While this book is not that popular or well known, it should be the handbook for destroying Christianity. Remsberg lists over six hundred contradictions in the first four gospels alone! The book was actually written at the very beginning of the twentieth century, but is still a powerful tool to be used in debates with Christians. The minutia involved is of great pleasure to anyone who wants a knowledge of numerous curiousities in the story of Jesus.

Remsberg also makes a strong case for the very non-existence of Jesus. The historicity of this mythical character is a subject that is difficult to argue, but Remsberg's book is a great reference for understanding why the "sources" that support Jesus' existence are unreliable. From Pliny, to Tacitus, to Josephus, to the Bible, Remsberg thoroughly discredits every source, often exposing many as blatant interpolations

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Critique of the record of Jesus in the N.T., April 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence (Hardcover)

I read this book several years ago and was so impressed with it that I had it copied and bound. Although some of the material is dated,it is still an invaluable polemic against fundamentalism and "evangelical" approaches to the New Testament. Buy it and read it!