So, did Jesus really exist? With his new book, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth, Bart Ehrman, historian and professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, wanted to provide solid historical evidence for the existence of Jesus.
Historian Bart Ehrman counters the mythicist view of Jesus by compiling the evidence for his existence.
The mythicist viewpoint, that Jesus wasn't a real person but a mythical figure, is quite prevelant in many parts of the world. Many see the lack of archaeological evidence and the fact that the Gospels were written long after Jesus' death as compelling arguments. "It was a surprise to me to see how influential these mythicists are," said Ehrman. "These mythicists point out that there are Pagan gods who were said to die and rise again and so the idea is that Jesus was made up as a Jewish god who died and rose again."
In his new book "Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth" however Ehrman goes on to put forward his case for Jesus being not a mythical character but a living, breathing human being who walked the Earth 2000 years ago.
Source NPR
