Ancient God, Bel (Baal), the Main Character in an Ancient Play
The play begins with the god Bel arrested by soldiers and taken off the stage. He reappears at a trial in the Hall of Judgement. Bel is innocent but is sentenced to death.
In the next scene Bel is accosted by a mob. He is despised and rejected. The actor playing Bel is then taken by guard to a hilltop in a sacred grove. Two criminals are taken with him. One of these is released.
The the audience then leaves the theater and follows the actor Bel and his guards to the top of a hill where the death scene is enacted by hanging from a tree. The audience returns to the theater for the dramatic final scenes. The dead Bel is stripped and prepared for burial. On a theatrical hill to the side of the stage is a tomb where the body is placed. A stone is rolled across the entrance.
A weeping woman appears and says she saw Bel alive. In the final dramatic scene the stone is rolled away and the triumphant Bel appears having conquered death.
The audience was expected to have been worked into a frenzy cheering wildly.
Though I have never seen this play performed, I'm familiar with the script.
Source: Christianity Before Christ by John G. Jackson, American Atheist Press, 1985.
See "Baal and Jesus-tekton apologetics.---------just sayin
ReplyDelete"See Baal and Jesus-tekton apologetics" It might be a good time to tally the score board. One score board would read: CASE FOR THE JESUS A MYTH WRITTEN IN STONE: 1
DeleteCASE FOR JESUS AS A HISTORICAL FIGURE WRITTEN IN STONE: 0. Another score board would read: CHRISTIANS WHO SAY THE LITERAL JESUS IS WRITTEN ON MY HEART: millions, maybe billions. NON BELIEVERS WHO SAY THE CASE FOR THE LITERAL JESUS IS WRITTEN ON MY HEART: none. I would call it a win for the Jesus as a myth. But that's just me.
Carved in stone by goat herders with a chisel? Anyone know the individual?
Deletere. "carved in stone" To clarify; That would be the carving of Bel / Baal. So as not to confuse which goat herders.
DeleteJon. Who wrote the script?
ReplyDeleteGood question. If there were royalties whoever wrote it would be a billionaire--performed and published by so many different religions.
DeleteI hope that old man Jon doesn't think that this story somehow "proves" that the Christian story is a fable, something spun out of the imagination of his ancient sheepherders. a tale that they thought up when they were sitting on a rock tending their sheep. just because one tale is not true, it doesn't follow that a parallel (and later) story is not true. the Baal story is, of course, interesting but it doesn't prove or disprove anything, much less the truth or falsity of Christianity. one wonders also to what extent atheist Jackson is a reliable source of information. come to think of it, it's kinda humorous to think of Mark, Mathew, Luke and John (or whomever) sitting down and parsing the old stories and patching together a good Jesus yarn complete with actual names, places and events (as they appear in the NT). granted, someone or some group might have done so, but in the light of the gospel narratives it doesn't seem likely.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct that a play obviously performed and popular in ancient times does not prove the resurrection is a complete myth. There is other evidence from ancient times that the gods of that period often were killed and came back to life. There may actually have been such gods and they, like your Jesus, may have come back from being dead. Since I have never seen this, I consider those stories to be myths. My conclusion is strengthened by the fact that there are no recorded eye witnesses who ever wrote that they themselves ever witnesses such a thing. All accounts in the Bible were written by those who claimed they heard about such things. There is no eye witness account. It is my conclusion people in general fear or dislike thoughts of their deaths. For this reason they grab onto to stories that tell them there may not actually be death. Those in power who want to exploit others can cleverly use fear of death to gain power or wealth. That is what, in my opinion, the ancient play tells us.
ReplyDeletethere are many accounts of people who saw the resurrected Christ. St Paul says 500. in any event, it either happened or it didn't. if it didn't then Christians have a first rate problem. if it did happen, then atheists (among others) have a first rate problem. BTW I looked up the Baal stele in the British museum: no mention of the play that Jackson referenced.
ReplyDelete"there are many accounts of people who saw the resurrected Christ. St Paul says 500." Not one of those 500 wrote that he/she saw it. St Paul did not say he saw it. In Matthew it says "many saw" the skeletons of long dead who came alive at the resurrection and, as I understand it, walked to where people gathered. Go ahead, believe that too. PT Barnum said (and denied saying it) "A sucker is born every minute."
Delete"skeletons? Where is skeletons stated?
Deletere. "skeletons" Mat 27;52----The Greek word isawuata (without the greek incidentals) is "knitted together as a whole" = Body. Virtually all translations render it as " body." Strangely even the NWT (Jehovah's Witnesses translation) render it as "body".
Deletethanks for the compliment. you are such a nice old man. and soooo..... offended when somebody gives it back to you. as they say, you know how to dish it out but you don't know how to take it. as to Paul, I think that we can be sure that he talked to folks who claim to have seen JC after the resurrection.
ReplyDelete