Here is the second half of James Tabor’s guest post; for the first, see yesterday!   I think you will agree, the two parts are very stimulating.  If you want to hear more of James’s thoughts on all sorts of topics connected to the New Testament and Early Christianity, he too has a very helpful blog where he discusses all sorts of relevant topics.  Give it a look!  It’s at https://jamestabor.com/

James will be happy to address questions you have in your comments.  Please keep them short and to the point, if possible!   Happy reading.

James Tabor’s most popular books are The Jesus Dynasty and Paul and Jesus, among others.

*******************************************************

The public has been geared to think of the suppression of evidence, usually with the Roman Catholic church being the culprit, but such grand “conspiratorial” theories have little basis in fact. What is most characteristic of early Christianity, or more properly, “Christianites,” is a competing diversity of “parties and politics,” each propagating its own vision of the significance of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. All sorts of interpretations are offered of Jesus, but the question finally comes down to…

To see the rest of James’s intriguing post, you’ll need to be a blog member.  It’s easy and inexpensive to join, and everything you pay goes to important charities.  So give it a shot!