Did the Romans Invent Christmas?

[RZM]

5. Well said

Also, Roman sources do talk about religious conflicts in Judea at that time. These are certainly important aspects of the gospel stories. Given the divisions in the Jewish community back then, it makes sense that reformers/dissidents could emerge, gain a following, and be killed in turn.

There's simply no way to know. But I do find it plausible that the gospel version of Jesus is based on a real figure from that time. It's also plausible to assume that the Roman chroniclers of the time would see no reason to talk about a particular figure whose time was short and was probably one in a long line of challengers to the established order. Perhaps observers of the scene there thought: 'Oh yeah, another one of those guys. Big deal.'

Could also be that the gospels are simply made up. But I think it's more likely they are at least partly based on real events. An interesting question, which you allude to, is (assuming there was a real Jesus archetype) to what degree did he assume the messianic identity during is life and how much was added to the story later.