There is no preponderance of evidence. The Bible is not historical evidence that the Bible stories are themselves historical events , or that Jesus existed, any more than a Christmas Carol is historical evidence that Scrooge existed.
Your point is taken, but you are overcomplicating things. You're a scientist, did some guy named "Jesus" exist? Apply Occam's Razor, please. Don't divert with Scrooge, no one is claiming he really existed, and scholars have not investigated his existence.
To be fair Ricter, religion and its apologists make things overcomplicated. This is about as uncomplicated as it gets: Obviously Bible stories are not evidence that the Bible stories are historically correct. The Bible does not prove the historicityof Jesus. There should be as with everything else historical, extant proof or external corroborative sources for the claim. There is zero external corroborative source for the claim Jesus existed.
I just posted a link and cut and pasted about a dozen external sources. Are you that zealous that you lie about facts one page away?
ALL CLAIMS OF JESUS DERIVE FROM HEARSAY ACCOUNTS No one has the slightest physical evidence to support a historical Jesus; no artifacts, dwelling, works of carpentry, or self-written manuscripts. All claims about Jesus derive from writings of other people. There occurs no contemporary Roman record that shows Pontius Pilate executing a man named Jesus. Devastating to historians, there occurs not a single contemporary writing that mentions Jesus. All documents about Jesus came well after the life of the alleged Jesus from either: unknown authors, people who had never met an earthly Jesus, or from fraudulent, mythical or allegorical writings. Although one can argue that many of these writings come from fraud or interpolations, I will use the information and dates to show that even if these sources did not come from interpolations, they could still not serve as reliable evidence for a historical Jesus, simply because all sources about Jesus derive from hearsay accounts. Hearsay means information derived from other people rather than on a witness' own knowledge.
1. There were other accounts which referenced Pilates account of the events surrounding Jesus. So it looks like Pilates account have disappeared. 2. You have witness accounts in the bible gnostic texts. apparently you wish to discount them... ok... but nevertheless they exist. Your hearsay point is silly. What do you expect. Youtube? 3. Hearsay is frequently admissible in court. Hearsay is accepted when it is part of an historical record like business records or a journal. Courts accept hearsay records all the time and frequently let them come in to prove facts. I just provided you with historical evidence that Jesus existed. Scholars say it adds up to an historical Jesus... others make arguments that the moon is made of cheese.
1. There were accounts....of another account.... but it looks like the other account disappeared ? That's your account for a historical Jesus? 2. There are no eye witness accounts in the bible gnostic texts nor anywhere else that can be verified as historically non-fictional . That's the point. All so called 'accounts', are dated many decades - mostly centuries - after the supposed Jesus was supposed to have lived. No one can provide ANY historical evidence from the time Jesus was supposed to have lived to support the claim that Jesus existed. Your Youtube comment is silly. 3. Hearsay to be allowed in court must always be accompanied by some associated verifying corroborating and compelling fact. Otherwise it is just hearsay and inadmissible. In your example, the historical business records would have to be accepted as such by both parties , or be made convincing to the court by independent evidence that they are what they are said to be. There is nothing to show or confirm the bible or bible gnostic texts are historical records. They are however seen to mimic earlier myths and tales. There are no associated facts whatsoever substantiating bible Jesus. The accounts of the Jesus character are just hearsay and cannot sensibly be considered as historical evidence. There are vast archives of evidence proving people and events existed historically through the ages. There is nothing whatsoever, nothing, not one scrap of such evidence or any confirming record, to show Jesus actually existed, or that any of the stories in the bible are factual. You've provided no historical evidence at all that Bible Jesus ever existed. Far cleverer people you call scholars have tried but always failed. Scholars say so, but really, it's rather obvious once the religious blinkers are off. What is truly astonishing is how human nature tends to be so readily duped into accepting the blind belief that fictional occult characters like Jesus not only could exist, but actually did exist just on face value. A little indoctrination, and religious superstition, folk lore, legend, and fiction is takento be real. Freaky.
You posted a link about stories and cut and pasted more stories about stories of Jesus. Stories are not external sources of historical evidence.
Stu, I think you do not exist. I believe "your" posts are actually those of a Griefer Bot. I have no evidence to the contrary.