"To discover to the world something which deeply concerns it, and of which it was previously ignorant; to prove to it that it had been mistaken on some vital point of temporal or spiritual interest, is as important a service as a human being can render to his fellow creatures..."
John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty"
It is the job of historians and scholars to take new and contemporary information and give context and connection to events far beyond the time in which they happened. This is as true for wars, as it is for the story of Jesus. Thus it is no accident that for over 2000 years, every word every written about Jesus was written by people that did not know him when he was alive. It’s significant to note that this was as true in the twenty years after his death, as it is today. Only today we have a broader compendium of knowledge from which to draw on and a keener understanding of the historical context.
With respect to the Jesus story, this makes it easier in some ways to separate out the religious Jesus from the historical Jesus and in so doing, better understand the origins of Christianity, in its birth time, and as it has evolved for over 2000 years.
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