CelticBear’s Musings

(OK, another stupid title.)
A recent episode of Point of Inquiry has an interview with author, theologian, literature scholar, Robert M. Price (who, by the way, was a key member of the “Jesus Seminar,” which was a collection of theologians, historians, clergy, and scientists from various fields whose task it was to determine the levels of historicity of Jesus and the acts.) He has a new book coming out, which doesn’t have an entry on Amazon yet, regarding Christian views of “the end times”.

In this fascinating interview, he discusses why it’s quite likely the man called “Jesus” never actually existed–something I’ve discussed on my blog a few times. But also, he discusses the concept of eschatology and why this concept of “end times” is so important to Christians. He shows how various famous “end times” predictors like Jack van Impe and Hal Lindsey are constantly changing their interpretation of “prophesy” over the years and decades to try to make it fit contemporary events (as has been done for 2000 years–trying to show how current events are signs of the coming end.) How books like the Left Behind are a kind of “theological pornography” so to speak, in that they provide for people of an apocalyptic-lusting mindset to vicariously watch the events unfold on the page that they wish were happening in real life, for which they believe they’ll have front-row balcony seats in Heaven for. Price discusses how the general belief in the “end times” (e.g. the beliefs of certain end-times Middle East wars and the like) not only don’t particularly match Biblical scripture anyway (it’s a hybridization of war scenarios in Daniel and persecution philosophy of Revelations), but what is in the Bible regarding the apocalypse comes right out of pre-Hebrew Persian Zoroastrian belief and its three-headed dragon/emperor Aži Dahāka and later persecuting Roman imperial symbolism John plays upon in writing Revelations.

One of the reasons he says he does this, writes books and speaks on these subjects, is because he finds more and more people who “have grown up enough” to see that this stuff doesn’t make any sense, that there’s something “wrong” with these stories of Jesus–both past and present, and Price wants to show these people that there’s a mature way of viewing these things.
He discusses, as I’ve remarked on before, that he is a huge fan of Christianity. He has nothing against Christianity or belief, but simply fundamentalists who pound their fists and proclaim with complete certainty and no doubt the absolute accuracy and historicity of Scripture–and it’s those people he tries to counter.