Reproduction of the original: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence by John E. Remsburg

"The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence" by John E. Remsburg is a thought-provoking examination of the historical evidence surrounding the existence of Jesus Christ. Remsburg presents a critical perspective on the subject, offering readers a comprehensive analysis of the arguments and evidence. This book is a valuable resource for those interested in the historical study of religion and the figure of Jesus.

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Popular Freethinker Remsberg (1848-1919) applies textual criticism and logical analysis to the New Testament, contemporary pagan authors, and later Christian apologists, and concludes (as surely he suspected he would) that while a man named Jesus may have lived a life similar to that portrayed in the Christian scripture, the supernatural Christ of Christian dogma could not have existed. A classic of American Freethought. No bibliography, though most of the works he cites are widely known. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"The Christ is a myth. The Holy Ghost Priestcraft overshadowed the harlot Superstition; this Christ was born; and the Joseph of humanity, beguiled by the Gabriel of credulity, was induced to support the family. But the soldiers of Reason have crucified the illegitimate impostor, he is dead; and the ignorant disciples and hysterical women who still linger about the cross should take his body down and bury it." "We must get rid of that Christ, we must get rid of that Christ!" So spake one of the wisest, one of the most lovable of men, Ralph Waldo Emerson. "If I had my way," said Thomas Carlyle, "the world would hear a pretty stern command--Exit Christ." Since Emerson and Carlyle spoke a revolution has taken place in the thoughts of men. The more enlightened of them are now rid of Christ. From their minds he has made his exit. To quote the words of Prof. Goldwin Smith, "The mighty and supreme Jesus, who was to transfigure all humanity by his divine wit and grace--this Jesus has flown." The supernatural Christ of the New Testament, the god of orthodox Christianity, is dead. But priestcraft lives and conjures up the ghost of this dead god to frighten and enslave the masses of mankind. The name of Christ has caused more persecutions, wars, and miseries than any other name has caused. The darkest wrongs are still inspired by it. The wails of anguish that went up from Kishenev, Odessa, and Bialystok still vibrate in our ears. This volume on "The Christ" was written by one who recognizes in the Jesus of Strauss and Renan a transitional step, but not the ultimate step, between orthodox Christianity and radical Freethought. By the Christ is understood the Jesus of the New Testament. The Jesus of the New Testament is the Christ of Christianity. The Jesus of the New Testament is a supernatural being. He is, like the Christ, a myth. He is the Christ myth. Originally the word Christ, the Greek for the Jewish Messiah, "the anointed," meant the office or title of a person, while Jesus was the name of the person on whom his followers had bestowed this title. Gradually the title took the place of the name, so that Jesus, Jesus Christ, and Christ became interchangeable terms--synonyms. Such they are to the Christian world, and such, by the law of common usage, they are to the secular world. It may be conceded as possible, and even probable, that a religious enthusiast of Galilee, named Jesus, was the germ of this mythical Jesus Christ. But this is an assumption rather than a demonstrated fact. Certain it is, this person, if he existed, was not a realization of the Perfect Man, as his admirers claim. There are passages in the Gospels which ascribe to him a lofty and noble character, but these, for the most part, betray too well their Pagan origin. The dedication of temples to him and the worship of him by those who deny his divinity is as irrational as it will prove ephemeral. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Christ's Real Existence Impossible CHAPTER II. Silence of Contemporary Writers CHAPTER III. Christian Evidence CHAPTER IV. Infancy of Christ CHAPTER V. Ministry of Christ CHAPTER VI. Crucifixion of Christ CHAPTER VII. Resurrection of Christ CHAPTER VIII. His Character and Teachings CHAPTER IX. The Christ a Myth CHAPTER X. Sources of the Christ Myth--Ancient Religions CHAPTER XI. Sources of the Christ Myth--Pagan Divinities CHAPTER XII. Sources of the Christ Myth--Conclusion

To establish his claim that although there is historical evidence that proves the existence of a man called Jesus, neither he nor anyone else could have been the Christ, the author discusses the supposed miracles of the Christ, reviews the writings of well-known authors of the period, assesses the evidence offered by Christian apologists for the birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of the Christ, and offers a detailed analysis of both religious and pagan sources to ascertain how the Christian myth came about.

In the face of modern critical scholarship, which is steadily eroding the historical reliability of the Gospels and their presentation of Jesus, conservative writers have been making valiant attempts to re-establish confidence in the Christian record and doctrine. The most prominent of these, in popular exposure and commercial success, has been Lee Strobel, in his 1998 book 'The Case for Christ'. In that book, Lee Strobel, an ex-court journalist, conducts a series of 14 interviews with well-known conservative and evangelical scholars of the New Testament, such as Craig Blomberg, William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas, in an attempt to establish the reliability of the Gospel account and the truth of the Resurrection. Within the context of a scholarly critique, Earl Doherty, author of 'The Jesus Puzzle' takes quotations from those interviews and sets up his own dialogue with them, as though cross-examining Strobel and his witnesses in a courtroom before judge and jury. This makes for gripping reading, a strong atmosphere and an effective way to present the case in favour of a more rational and coherent view of the Christian record and the origins of Christianity. This book exposes the deficiencies, the fallacies, the selective and misleading use of evidence inherent in 'The Case for Christ', and offers more reasonable alternatives.