Mythicism is the view that the biblical accounts of Jesus are mythological and that there was no historical Jesus. According to mythicism, Jesus was not a real person who lived in history, but rather a mythical being or fictional character created by early Christians.
The basic premise of mythicism is that the stories about Jesus in the New Testament are not meant to be read as history, but rather as allegorical myths created to convey spiritual truths. Just as no one today believes there was literally a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with Leprechauns guarding it, mythicists argue that Jesus was never understood by his earliest followers as a literal, historical person either.
Mythicists point to a number of reasons why they believe the Christ myth theory is more plausible than the historicity of Jesus:
Lack of contemporary historical evidence
Outside of the New Testament, there are no contemporary eyewitness or documentary accounts of Jesus’ existence. No letters, speeches, decrees, or memoirs from either supporters or enemies make reference to him during the time he supposedly lived. This lack of independent attestation is unexpected and casts doubt on his historical existence.
The earliest extra-biblical references to Jesus come long after his death, such as Josephus mentioning him around 90 CE and Tacitus around 115 CE. These brief mentions generally reference Christus or Chrestus, not Jesus. They are based on hearsay rather than eyewitness testimony. In a world of abundant first century writings, the silence on Jesus is peculiar.
Parallels with pagan mythologies
Many mythicists contend that the story of Jesus has tropes and characteristics common to mythological heroes and deities worshipped by contemporary pagan mystery religions. They suggest early Christians synthesized elements from other belief systems into the literary creation of Jesus.
Examples of alleged parallels include gods born of virgins on December 25th who die and resurrect, miracle workers, exorcising demons, ritualistic meals symbolizing flesh and blood, and divine savior-figures whose sacrifice redeems sins. Mythicists argue these mythemes cast doubt on the historicity of Jesus and indicate he was crafted as a Jewish iteration of a ubiquitous divine son myth.
Lack of clear biographical details
The accounts of Jesus give no specific details about his life that would be expected for a historical biography. There are conflicts and contradictions concerning his genealogy, place of birth, life events, and final words. He left behind no literature, possessions, or archaeological evidence. Very little is said about his physical appearance, education, childhood years, family members, or everyday life. A vague picture is painted.
Mythicists contend a real biography would preserve memorable anecdotes and mundane trivia that flesh out a person. They argue the lack of identifiable personality traits suggests the Gospels were not meant to describe a genuine historical individual, but rather construct an archetypal celestial savior figure colored by scriptural expectations.
Supernatural elements
Mythicists point to the supernatural aspects of Jesus’ ministry as reasons to doubt its historicity. These include exorcisms, walking on water, calming storms, feeding thousands with a few baskets of food, healing the blind and crippled, resurrecting the dead, and the miraculous virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus himself.
They argue these magical stories are typical of mythical legends from antiquity. Since miracles violate natural laws and scientific understanding, many mythicists contend the inclusion of impossible events means the Gospels are theological allegories rather than factual history.
Lack of Trial Records
There are no historical records that verify the religious trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin or the political trial before Pontius Pilate. The Sanhedrin kept meticulous records, yet no documentation exists of the claims that they convicted Jesus of blasphemy. Roman historians documented Pilate’s rule, yet make no mention of his role in crucifying Jesus.
Mythicists argue there should be records preserved somewhere documenting such remarkable trials if they actually occurred. The lack of court documents indicates the trials and crucifixion story may have been fabricated for theological purposes rather than genuinely taking place.
Silence from Paul’s Epistles
Mythicists note that Paul’s epistles, which predate the Gospels, speak very little about Jesus’ ministry, teachings, miracles, family, disciples, or trial. These letters focus on the theological significance of Christ, but give no clues about the historical man. Paul does not seem aware of any biographical details later recounted in the Gospels.
This silence on Jesus’ earthly life suggests Paul viewed Christ as a heavenly, spiritual being revealed through scripture. Mythicists contend that if Paul genuinely knew of a historical founder and crucified savior, he would have mentioned key biographical events to provide authority for his teachings.
Earliest Christian writers viewed Jesus as celestial
According to mythicists, the first Christians like Paul who wrote about Jesus considered him to be a celestial being who was crucified in the lower heavens at the hands of evil spiritual powers. He was not an incarnated person known to history, but rather a great cosmic savior figure who “came to life” after death.
They argue it was only the later Gospels that historicized Jesus and set his crucifixion on earth at the hands of Romans and Jews. The original Christian belief was that Christ was a purely divine being who incarnated and died in the spiritual dimension. The historical embellishments were added decades later when some groups began mistaking myth for history.
Lack of Eyewitness Accounts
The Gospels were written 40-70 years after Jesus’ death by non-eyewitnesses based on hearsay and oral storytelling. They contradict each other on key events in Jesus’ life. This raises doubt that the Gospels preserve reliable historical testimony as opposed to embellished stories and hagiography that accrued over time.
Mythicists contend that if Jesus performed public miracles and drew crowds, eyewitness accounts would have proliferated rapidly. The decades long gap suggests the Gospels are literary inventions rather than genuine biographies based on community memory or eyewitness testimony, undermining their reliability as historical sources.
Gospel Genre is Mythical rather than Historical
Mythicists argue that the Gospels bear the hallmarks of legendary fiction rather than historical non-fiction. They note the stories are theologically driven, morally didactic, concerned with fulfilling prophecy, laden with symbolic imagery and allegorical names, and infused with cosmic spiritual themes about the struggle between good and evil.
For those reasons, mythicists categorize the Gospels as religious mythology – a common genre in antiquity – meant to resonate symbolically and instruct spiritually. They contend there is no more reason to believe the stories originated as factual history than there is to accept pagan myths as literal truth. The mythicist view sees the Gospels as legends, not biographies.
Lack of Physical Evidence
If Jesus attracted crowds, performed miracles, and was executed publicly, mythicists argue his ministry would have left behind some archaeological evidence. Yet there are no surviving artifacts, dwellings, works of carpentry, or eyewitness inscriptions. His burial site is unknown. No credible historical evidence exists anywhere of his physical existence.
Mythicists contend that if the Gospel accounts were true, evidence would be plentiful and tangible. They argue the complete absence of empirical corroboration suggests the stories of Jesus were spiritually meaningful myths, not ordinary historical events witnessed by multitudes and recorded by many.
Unhistorical Details in the Gospels
Mythicists point to numerous details in the Gospels that are implausible or historically problematic, indicating they cannot be read literally as historical fact. Examples include the worldwide census under Quirinius, Herod’s massacre of the innocents, Jesus being born in Bethlehem, the plausibility of a trial before Passover, and the three hours of darkness covering the earth upon Jesus’ death.
They contend these historically dubious details cast doubt on the reliability of the Gospels as eyewitness accounts. Mythicists argue the presence of so many fictional literary elements and imaginative embellishments supports viewing the Gospels as theological stories and sacred fables, not factual reporting.
Origins in Pagan Religions
Drawing parallels with pagan mythology, some mythicists contend Christianity originated as a Jewish variant of widespread religious mystery cults of dying and rising savior gods. According to this view, the Jesus myth was partially inspired by the myths of deities like Osiris, Dionysus, Adonis, and Attis.
They argue early Jewish sects hybridized themes, rituals, and ideas from pagan Greco-Roman religions circulating in the cultural milieu of the ancient Mediterranean world. Myths about resurrecting deities provided the narrative template for the fictional story of the resurrection of Jesus. The Christ myth was one iteration of a popular divine son trope.
Jesus as an Allegorical Fiction
Some mythicists theorize that Jesus was invented as a deliberate work of allegorical fiction. According to this perspective, stories about Jesus represented spiritual truths meant to be read figuratively, not literally. The Gospels were a form of morally instructive sacred writing.
On this view, Jesus was crafted as a personification of certain concepts – an idealized archetype embodying divine wisdom, spiritual values and the path to salvation. The character of Jesus was the literary embodiment of the mythic Christ meant to move readers emotionally and spiritually. The Gospels were never intended to record literal events, but to instruct allegorically.
Jesus as a Celestial Being
Drawing from Gnosticism and other cosmologies, some mythicists argue Jesus originated as an angelic spiritual entity who inhabited the heavens. Early Christians believed he was a divine archon who acted in a mythical supernatural dimension, not an incarnated person on earth.
According to this perspective, the Gospels place Jesus in human history only through a process of gradual euhemerization. As Christianity changed over time, the celestial Christ was brought down to earth. Originally Jesus existed and operated entirely in the spiritual heavens like other deities in the ancient mind.
Mythicist Objections to Counterarguments
Defenders of the historical Jesus make various counterarguments against the mythicist position. Here are some common mythicist objections to those counterarguments:
Against Alleged Silence: The supposed silence regarding Jesus comes from a lack of sources and incomplete documentation from antiquity. Surviving sources do not represent the entirety of ancient writings. Lack of evidence is not necessarily evidence of non-existence. The silence objection assumes all events were recorded, which is unreasonable.
Against Reliability of Oral Tradition: Oral tradition can preserve some historical kernels reliably, but it also tends to accumulate exaggerations and fictions over time through storytelling. Memory and orality cannot safeguard or corroborate the miraculous elements of the Gospels. Oral lore often produces elaborate legends.
Against Criteria for Authenticity: Criteria-based methods for determining authentic historical facts about Jesus are inherently speculative and produce inconsistent results. They assume the Gospels are biographical, which begs the question against mythicists who dispute their genre. The criteria approach lacks controls and often relies on circular reasoning.
Against Celebrity Status: If Jesus attracted fame and crowds, his followers in Jerusalem should have preserved tangible evidence and clearer biographical facts. Celebrities are known for mundane details trivia as much as miracles. The vagueness argues for obscurity, not fame.
Against Messiah Status: The idea that Jews invented a crucified messiah is dubious. The “stumbling block” of a crucified messiah notion in 1 Corinthians 1:23 reflects Paul’s novel theology, not historical reports. A humiliated criminal fails to satisfy expectations for a Davidic messiah.
Conclusions
The mythicist position offers numerous critiques against the Gospels as reliable historical sources for the existence of Jesus. Mythicists argue the stories instead reflect creative theological storytelling, mythical archetypes, allegorical fictions and legendary accretion over time. The core premise is that beneath the layers of embellishment lies no literal, historical person at all.
The debate over mythicism continues, with arguments on both sides. But the explanations above outline the key reasons and lines of evidence put forward by mythicists to cast doubt on the existence of Jesus as a real person situated in history rather than an invented theological fiction. Without contemporary corroboration, the Gospels remain unverified faith documents according to the mythicist perspective.
