http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/print?id=1815838
First off, ABC has been getting "very" religious, filing in reports that deal with religion, Christianity, and other related news.
Just to summarize, this scholar has historical evidence that there were two messiahs: Jesus and John the Baptist. Let me just hit up on a few highlights, and add my own commentary in there.
To begin, I'm going to kinda lean you in on this quote. Basically, Tabor found a tomb that contained an ossuary (box of deceased bones) of James, son of Jospeh, brother of Jesus.
Oh, you don't say...maybe his name is GOD! No, this guy said he has an earthly father:And it's with regard to Jesus' family that Tabor levels his most controversial claim.
"I'm ready to let the average reader know what we scholars actually discuss. And if it's shocking, it's shocking. You don't have to accept it. Jesus had a father."
But what source did Kelsus use, a Gnostic Gospel? One of the things I have learned about the Gospels is that they aren't historical documents; they're more propaganda material. But, does that make the cannonical Gospel's false? No, the cannonical Gospels were reviewed throughly by early church authorities a long time ago. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked, moving on..."They begin to call Jesus, 'bar Pantera,' son of Pantera," Tabor said. "And we even have an early Greek source. He's a philosopher named Kelsus, who seems to know a bit more about it. He says that Jesus was the son of a man named Pantera, who either was or became a Roman soldier."
What!? You've got to be kidding me...If Tabor's book is controversial on the birth of Jesus, it also raises questions about Jesus' early ministry. Tabor suggests there were two messiahs, not one.
What record!? You don't give a damn thing about records..."I like to surprise with my answers," said Tabor. "Are you ready for this? This is John's area but you know text-wise, we have no record of John baptizing here near Ein Kerem and Suba. He's up along the Jordan River in the Jordanian wilderness. The person we have a record of baptizing here is Jesus, Jesus the Baptist."
"It hit me, how this would have electrified the country," Tabor said. "You see, all these predictions of two Messiahs, and we've got two Messiahs on the ground, operating, one in the north -- John the priest -- one in the south -- Jesus the king. And they're baptizing thousands of people."
...huh...you...lost me...ok...Carson's making more sense now.Carson, however, strongly disagrees. "Now the texts do not say they did it [baptism] at the same place at the same time. If they did, it wouldn't bother me one way or the other. In other words I don't think the Suba cave adds anything to the account in that respect ... Merely numbers of people being baptized by itself doesn't say very much about the relationship of the two men or that they were both Messiahs or anything like that."
Where the hell does this guy get his sources?In addition to Tabor's claims that Jesus had an earthly father and a fellow Messiah, his book also argues it was Jesus' intention to build a dynasty on earth. Tabor says that it was Jesus' half-brother James who would inherit the title role of dynastical king after the crucifixion.
While I was watching the report, somewhere Tabor was talking about that "in the book of Hebrews it emphasizes the word 'messengers', as more than one." I did a search for "messengers" in Hebrews, and came up with nothing. Although, I don't think I was paying full attention to that part.
Anyway, my final comment about this guy: DOUCHE!!! Determining Jesus' life and role by digging up earthly things isn't gonna get you very far.
