A true #Christian evangelist knows who was the first martyr of the faith, and also who killed him.
@paninid Able and Cain?
I’m pretty sure #Jesus was the first martyr of the #Christian faith.
Even #JohnTheBaptist never preached the crucifixion and resurrection in explicit terms, so he was not a Christian. #NiceneCreed
No matter how we parse his beliefs, we are left with a pretty unmistakable picture that he believed something extraordinary about himself. That he was a literal offspring of David (David’s line had become historically irrelevant centuries before the rise and fall of the Hasmonean dynasty) and destined to be king, but not a literal conqueror. “My kingdom is not of this world” and all that
He was a Christian in his own sense, but maybe not in the modern sense
Regarding the Buddha; I had a bit of a Buddhist phase. I believed (and believe) that if he really said what the sutras taught, then his claim to have lived a previous life as a heavenly deva and to be totally enlightened was very credible.
Here’s the thing though: he probably did not say all the wise things attributed to him.
Why? 1/?
We know that notable historical figures are misquoted and credited with all sorts of aphorisms they never invented. When an author invents a pithy saying, it is more likely to be remembered when it is attributed to a historical notable.
We know that Albert #Einstein complained - often - about being misquoted on religion and politics and philosophy. And #ThomasJefferson complained likewise. 2/?
Einstein lived in the era of television and cassette tapes; Jefferson lived in the era of the printing press. So legitimate quotes could be preserved and false attributions discredited more easily; but it was still a problem.
The Buddha lived roughly 2500 years ago.
@jenny_wu @RenewedRebecca
If you classify Jesus of Nazareth as a “Christian” at the time of his crucifixion, sure.
I think he was, at the time, just another charismatic wandering rabbi.