I’m one of several luminaries interviewed for this new, amusing, and fascinating documentary about the origins and development of Christianity and how much it was about marketing different fictional versions of the Christ (whether Jesus existed or not). Details about the film, as well as locations and dates for the premiere are at the documentary’s website: Marketing the Messiah, tagline “How a fringe Jewish sect took over the Roman Empire.” I’ve seen it. It’s excellent.
Get your tickets now! And encourage as many as you can to do so as well, whoever might find this interesting. Each premiere must sell enough tickets in advance to guarantee they can show the film. And if the Columbus, Ohio premiere happens, I’ll be there to do a Q&A after the screening!
Glad to see them include you among the serious scholars on the issue of Christian origins. Is the mythicist option directly acknowledged in the movie? Does it even come up? If so, how much time does it get? Just curious. Cheers.
I don’t know as to the final cut of the film, but mythicism isn’t the gist of the it as such. It gets a mention I think, but the film is mostly about the most widely agreed findings of mainstream scholarship and public ignorance of it. So it doesn’t push mythicism, rather it presents all the information that can lead one to ask that next question: why, then, are we even confident there was a Jesus? But that’s not its goal. Its goal is to disabuse Christians of their popular myths about the origins of Christianity and the writing of the New Testament. And does so entertainingly. There really isn’t another movie like it. It will be very useful even to hand off to Christian friends and family for a viewing.
Do you expect any part of the film will converge with some of the topics presented per Ehrman, Bart D. (2018). The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World ?
I haven’t read that book, only parts of it, so I don’t know what it covers that would overlap. Most of that book is about post-Constantine Christianity and thus wouldn’t be relevant.
Looking forward to seeing this movie, massive fan of your good self! Wondering whether you have ever read ‘Jesus the Man’s by Barbara Theiring and if so how accurate do you think it was from a historical sense ?
I have not read that. But I’ve never heard a plausible word from Thiering, so I would be skeptical.