The Gospel reports abound in content which dates to Jesus’ life or close (pre AD 40).
• Gospels spew multiple attested material.
• Gospel traditions were originally passed down orally.
• Gospels got witness-approval or close on Jesus-bio.
• Gospels spew Aramaic content.
• Gospels spew non-legendary content.
• Gospel details super-fit AD 30 Palestine.
Throughout the Gospels, there are stories which—if lies or legends—would have almost certainly resulted in being exposed as such by other Christians or even enemies.1
• In general, faking Jesus-bio overtly risked self-exposure.2
• Gospels stories spew doomed-to-be falsified content.3
But so what? Plausibly…
• Christians didn’t mind being caught fabricating a Jesus story.4
The Gospel stories are often quite “dissimilar” to the AD 31-90 church; i.e. they display behavior and language which was discontinuous with post-Jesus beliefs, expectations, styles, preferred vocabulary, background, understanding, natural authorial intent, and so forth.
• Speakers in Gospels think-talk as pre-Christians.
• Gospel stories spew church-hated content.
• Gospel Jesus-sayings repeat consistent quirks.
This is relevant because, if the content were doomed to falsification, then many would think-twice before even trying to introduce the lie into circulation. This doomed-if-fake content did not die off, which by definition means it was not fake (i.e. not legendary).
The Gospels abound in content reflecting direct or indirect witness testimony.
• Gospel stories spew witness-level detail (30+).
• Gospels spew complex internal coherences.
• Gospels spew details fine-tuned to AD 30 Palestine.
• Gospels spew non-legendary content.
• Gospel stories are a subset of what witnesses say
The Gospel traditions originated honestly, rather than as lies or legends.
• Gospels spew confirmed non-legendary content.
• AD 30 Palestine’s name-ratios match the NT’s.
• Gospel characters behaviorally fit their character profile.
• Gospel stories lack hellenistic influence/motifs.
• The Gospels lack time-place absurdities.
• Gospels spew non-legendary content.
• Gospel stories are a subset of what witnesses said.
• Christian Jesus-biography wasn’t invented.