by James Lynne

Created on: September 21, 2010   Last Updated: October 12, 2010

The average lay-person who studies the New Testament would be quite surprised if he were to undertake a non-biased study of the origins and history of Christianity.  As the saying goes, "Truth can be stranger than fiction."  Those who study the archaeological history of the Bible and Christianity, rather than only the Bible itself,  discover a completely different story than one is likely to hear in church.  Scholars of Christianity have known for decades that the traditional teachings of Christianity are not the history of Christianity, but the legends of Christianity. 

Many people read the Bible, but few people read “about” the Bible.  For this reason there are grave misconceptions among the public regarding the history and origins of Christianity.  Aside from the name, Christianity, both the history and the origin of the movement are more about the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, than about Jesus the Christ.

Jesus was a Jew, not a Christian, as modern supporters have attempted to make him.  His mission was to restore the Jewish religion, not to create a new one.  Christianity was not the design of Christ, rather it was a political maneuver that developed decades after his death.  As a result of innocent, word-of-mouth story telling and deliberate political manipulation, the person Jesus was converted into larger-than-life status, well beyond his intended mission.   Countless scholars document the Christian claim referencing Old Testament prophesy that “the Messiah” would be born of a virgin originated from mistranslation of verses in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.  The  terminology in Isaiah translated “virgin” was done so after the fact, by followers, to legitimize the genealogy of Jesus. Doing so made him more acceptable as a reform leader within Judaism.  The actual language translates “young woman” not virgin. 

Records document that Jesus’ conception by a young unmarried woman was well known by his followers.  Because of his zeal in reforming the faith, he acquired followers easily.  His family link to the line of David drove many to believe he was their prophesied "messiah," or chosen one.  However, the facts regarding his birth presented grave concern.  It had been prophesied that both a spiritual leader and a military leader would emerge from the line of David to establish a Messianic Kingdom among

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