The Fabrication of the Christ Myth [Paperback]

Harold Leidner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0967790107 | ISBN-13: 978-0967790107 | Publication Date: April 2, 2000

"The Fabrication of the Christ Myth" is a critical study of Christian origins and early Christianity, examining from a critical stand-point the legends and tales surrounding Christ in his role as the Son of God. The book is thoroughly researched and documented, and is based on reference materials from books put out by recognized scholars in the field and historical translations of that time period. The reader is invited to enter on a voyage of discovery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I do hope that other people are getting to read it with the same pleasure. -- Letter from Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg

About the Author

Harold Leidner, 1916 AD -

AD.
Education:
College of City of New York, 1932 - 1936. BS Degree.
New York University School of Law, 1936 - 1939, LL.B. Degree.
Passed New York Bar exam, admitted November, 1940.
US Patent Office, Patent Lawyer's Exam, passed 1956.
Historical Activities:
Radio operator, merchant marine service, WWII.
Crew Member & Radio operator, Exodus 47.
Author of The Fabrication of the Christ Myth.

Statement:

"My status is that of an educated layman who has devoted many years to the study of the literature pertaining to Christian origins and early Christianity. This enterprise would perhaps be equivalent to obtaining academic degrees in the field. However, I do not have the imprimatur of the scholars in the Establishment. Moreover, I have been led to conclusions that radically challenge the doctrines and positions of the New Testament Establishment, as is apparent from the context of 'The Fabrication of the Christ Myth'." Hence, I owe the reader some explanation as to how this came about, and what qualifications I have for this enterprise.

I was born in 1916 in New York City. My parents were Polish Jews recently arrived. I am now a retiree in Florida. Single.

Education: College of City of New York, 1932 - 1936. BS Degree. New York University School of Law, 1936 - 1939, LL.B. Degree. Passed New York Bar exam, admitted November, 1940.

US Patent Office: passed examination for patent attorney and was registered as a patent attorney in 1956.

I did not practice law as I was attracted to other fields. However, this legal background has been of great value in evaluating the testimony and credibility of New Testament documents; especially patent Law, which deals largely with questions of dating, priority, originality of material, infringement and copying.

Major influence: I was drawn to the field of gospel studies by a book that made a profound impression on me. This as "The Case of the Nazarene Reopened, by Hyman E. Goldwin (Exposition Press, 1948). Goldin was a lawyer, rabbi and Talmudist. He subjected the four gospel writers to sharp cross-examination as to each one's version of the crucifixion story and was able to show almost line-by-line divergence, contradiction, impossibility and fabrication in the four accounts. Here an orthodox rabbi had broken the ghetto taboos and had made a direct challenge to the Christian case.

And I was compelled to follow his arguments.

From that time onward (I came upon the book in the 1950s), I took up extensive reading on the gospel story and on early Christianity in general. My book is essentailly a continuation and updating of Goldin, dealing with much of the material made available after his time, and like Goldin's book, is a legal brief for the Jewish side. The main defense that is used is to show that the gospel account is fictional and fraudulent in its entirety, and that an alternate explanation of Christian origins can be provided.

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: Survey Pr (April 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967790107
• ISBN-13: 978-0967790107
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #951,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best and Most Interesting Christ Myth Books!, May 31, 2004

By 

Acharya S (Truth, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fabrication of the Christ Myth (Paperback)

4.5 Stars

If this book were somewhat larger and more encompassing, I would easily give it five stars, because it possesses not only quality but also some unique insight into the centuries-old Christ myth studies. As an expert on mythology, religion and the Christ myth in particular, I found this book to be surprisingly eye-opening--surprising because I have studied hundreds of books and articles on the subject dating back centuries.

Leidner's uniqueness can be found in his approach in discussing the infamous Josephus passage called "the Testimonium Flavianum," which has been demonstrated--nay, PROVED--for centuries to have been a forgery. Leidner lists the some 20 Jesuses Josephus DOES discuss, most of them very insignificant yet nevertheless meriting far more attention by Josephus than "Jesus of Nazareth."

Highly significant is Leidner's epiphany regarding the use of the Greek Old Testament ("Septuagint") by the New Testament writers, an insight I have never encountered before but that is absolutely critical to the Christ myth position. To wit, the writers of the New Testament were so incompetent and removed from the alleged events they were writing about that they made gross errors in the geography of what is essentially a tiny region, because they used the outdated text of the Septuagint as the basis for their historical fiction. A 90-mile span from Capernaum to Jerusalem comprises the entire area for the drama unfolded in the gospel fable. In this area, there was "a common language, Aramaic, and the customs and usages were known to all." Nevertheless, the gospel authors are blatantly unfamiliar with the territory, and their descriptions are entirely anachronistic. For example, this small area had been urbanized for decades and centuries; yet, the gospel writers discuss shepherds and large areas set aside for sheep--sheep that had no place in first century Judea, Samaria and Galilee. In response to the gospel claim concerning the Baptist's "preaching in the wilderness," Rev. Robert Taylor appropriately asked, "And what wilderness was that?"

Josephus's description of Galilee in his "Wars of the Jews" (III.III.1) names "204 villages and 15 fortified towns" and--while perhaps overstated ("the cities lie here very thick; and the very many villages there are here, are everywhere so full of people...")--makes it clear that the placement by the gospel writers of the Jesus myth in wild badlands is completely erroneous and fictitious. Another humorous, anachronistic error in "God's infallible word" occurs with the parable of the sower, the narrator of which is unfamiliar with the plow, while the parable itself is "told to 'great multitudes' who have taken time out from sheep-herding and stone age agriculture."

Leidner also points out that while Josephus describes the Galileans as hardy people, the gospel writers have leper colonies and sickly people all about. In addition, the gospel writers use names from the Greek Old Testament for places that had been designated otherwise for centuries. Using the Septuagint for the fable's topography is equivalent to an American writer erroneously placing a modern tale in 12th century Europe.

Overall, Leidner's work is not only interesting but also important.

Acharya S
Archaeologist, Historian, Mythologist, Linguist
Author, "The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold" and "Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled"

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Invention of the Christian Religion, July 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fabrication of the Christ Myth (Paperback)

This is well-researched book by a laymen who is uniquely qualified to undertake the topic by virtue of his background as both a lawyer and patent research attorney and his life-long dedication to the topic. The author convincingly proves his thesis that the Christian Gospel scriptures are invented. Without deprecating Mr. Leidner's fine study, and without arguing with the substance of his reasoned conclusions, one might however disagree with his methodology and interpretive paradigm. For those interested in books that also utilize the "invention" hypothesis but come to a different conclusion, they might read Saint Saul: A Skeleton Key to the Historical Jesus (Oxford University, 2000) and Surpassing Wonder: The Invention of the Bible and the Talmuds (Harcourt & Brace, 1998), both by Dr. Donald Akenson, Guggenheim Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation writer in residence, and Trillium Book Award winner. And perhaps Mr. Leidner's conclusions can be interpreted differently by use of the "Hellenization paradigm," discussed in Leidner's book but put into an entire contextual framework in Plato's Gift to Christianity: The Gentile Preparation for and The Making of the Christian Faith by Dr. Jerry Dell Ehrlich (2001). For other books of this genre see: Albert Schweitzer, The Quest for the Historcial Jesus (1907), Lionel M. Jensen, Manufacturing Confucianism (Duke University, 1997), Ibn Warraq, The Quest for the Historical Muhammed (Prometheus, 2000), The Invention of Religion ed. by Derek Peterson and Darren Walhot (Rutgers University 2002), Wesley P. Marquardt, Inventing Mormonism (Books West, 1998), Nachman Ben-Yehuda, The Masada Myth (Univerity of Wisconsin, 1995), Nachman Ben-Yehuda, Sacrificing Truth: Archaeology and the Myth of Masada (Prometheus, 2002), and Sharada Sugirthrajah, Constructions of Hinduism (Taylor and Francis, 2003). The Fabrication of the Christ Myth is highly commended.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When's he going to write another book like this?!, June 28, 2005

By 

DAVID GROESBECK (WEST MONROE,NY.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fabrication of the Christ Myth (Paperback)

Probably the best & most succinct account of the "pure myth" school of thought regarding Christian origins that I've read. Detractors & other defenders of the the faith have predictably trotted out their usual lame & irrelevent arguments such as Mr Leidner being an Atheist(so?)& not trained as a religious scholar(and...?) I've yet to see a review by any religionist or "classicly trained" scholar specificly examining & refuting Mr. Leidner's factual analysis. He effectively exposes Christianism as one of history's most comprehensive & effective frauds. My only (minor) criticism is his dating of Mark as much later than CE 70-which has effectively been dated no later than CE 75 by most reputable secular scholars. Me? I'll readily cop to being an Atheist. Want to argue with me? stick to the facts or don't waste my time. Great book. On par w/authors such as Wheless,Doherty,Freke,& Zindler(if you can deal w/ the latter's bitterness & rage.)