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The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence cover

The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence

Chapter 344: 331
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About This Book

A skeptical, systematic critique argues that the Christ of the New Testament is a constructed myth rather than a reliably attested historical person. It assesses the silence of contemporary writers, the anonymous and late character of the gospels, and the contradictions within infancy narratives, ministry accounts, crucifixion, and resurrection reports. The author evaluates the moral portrait and teachings attributed to the figure and traces parallels with older pagan religions and divinities as possible sources of the myth. The conclusion asserts that supernatural claims lack sufficient historical support and that veneration rests on literary and theological fabrication rather than firm documentary evidence.

331

When was he scourged?

Matthew and Mark: Before he was executed. “And when he [Pilate] had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified” (Matt. xxvii, 26; Mark xv, 15).

John: Before the termination of his trial (xix, 1–16).

Scourging was frequently inflicted by the Romans before execution, but never before the prisoner was convicted and sentenced. The “Bible Dictionary” concedes the illegal and unusual character of the scourging mentioned by John. “In our Lord’s case, however, this infliction seems neither to have been the legal scourging after sentence nor yet the examination by torture” (Acts xxii, 24).