The popularity of Jewish names in 1st century Palestine match that of Jewish names in the New Testament.
• AD 30 Palestine’s commonest names are equally so in Gospels.
• AD 30 Palestine’s nine commonest names are equally so in Gospels.
• AD 30 Palestine’s rarer names are equally rare in Gospels.
• AD 30 Palestine’s Greek names (12%) are also ~12% in Gospels.
The gospel authors tended to ground their material in witness approval directly or nearly directly.
• Justin Martyr calls the gospels “memoirs.”
• The Gospels claimed to be from or use witnesses.
• 60+ year old events didn’t elude historians.
• In AD 70 witness-based Jesus facts pervaded Christendom.
• In general, AD 70 historiographers got witness-approval or close.
• E.g. Mk was judged as witness-based.
• The Gospel authors didn't lie-invent Jesus-bio.
• Gospel content is a subset of what witnesses say.
• Gospels were written because witnesses were dying.
But no... [All forthcoming]
• The Gospels in large part invented their Jesus-bio.
• The Gospels spew errors.
• Mk was not witness testimony nor close.
• Q was not based in witness testimony nor close.
• Stylized oral tradition can't be 1st hand memory.
The Gospel stories abound in direct or indirect witness testimony.
• Gospel stories spew undisputed accuracies.
• Gospel stories spew vivid realism (30+).
• Gospels spew complex internal coherences.
• Gospel stories are oft provably early.
• ECs swam in witness-based Jesus traditions.
• 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.
Most Jesus biography that was reported in the gospels faithfully falls within what the Jerusalem church was saying and circulating.
• Gospel Jesus-bio pre-dates the Gospels.
• Gospel-recorded events are multi-attested.
• ECs relayed the gospel’s Jesus-bio.
• Gospels relayed oral tradition (pre-markan).
• Gospels strove to be witness-warranted.
• Gospels are a subset of witness testimony.
But so what? Plausibly…
• The 1st church’s Jesus-bio wasn’t as subset of witnesses’
In general, popular Jesus-biography circulated by early Christians tended to fall faithfully within what relevant witnesses approved or said.
• Papias: “Jesus-witnesses xyz are still pop-teachers (in AD 80)”
• E.g. 1st church’s Jesus-bio was a subset of witness’s.
• Christians didn't lie-invent Jesus-bio stories.
• False Jesus-bio tended to be killed by witnesses.
• Christians swam in warranted Jesus-news.
• E.g. Gospel Jesus-bio is a subset of witness testimony.
The historical claims in the Gospels are usually or always historically accurate.
• Gospel Jesus-bio is a subset of what witnesses said.
• Gospel Jesus-bio spews uncoincidental accuracies.
• The Jesus-bio Christians used has a trend of accuracy.
• The Gospel/NT content seems honest.
• The Gospels strove to be accurate.
• Gospels were endorsed by good sources.
The Gospels are regularly inaccurate; they are not historically relaible.
• The Gospels spew verified inaccuracies.1
Many/most Gospel accounts are in fact dishonest fabrications—created lies drawn up from human minds.
The Gospels were meant to be read as fictional histories (i.e. myths), not as literal truths.