1 Rudolf Bultmann, “The Study of the Synoptic Gospels,” in Form Criticism, transl. by Frederick C. Grant (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1962), p. 60.
2 Wells’ thesis is set forth in several writings, such as: Did Jesus Exist?(Buffalo:Prometheus, 1975); The Historical Evidence for Jesus(Buffalo: Prometheus, 1982); “Was Jesus Crucified Under Pontius Pilate? Did He Even Live at All?” The Humanist, vol. XXXVIII, no. 1, January-February, 1978, pp. 22–27.
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From Gary R. Habermas, The Historical Jesus – Ancient Evidence For The Life Of Christ (in print at Amazon)
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a brief and obscure period on earth in human form and was crucified,” perhaps even centuries before Paul’s own time.^3
The second stage of New Testament writings, the non-Pauline epistles, denotes a slight shift in thinking. They assert that Jesus lived on earth recently, an element that Wells believes is absent from Paul altogether. The pastoral epistles and Ignatius’ non-canonical writings indicate a later stage in the early second century when Jesus was linked with the governorship of Pilate, meeting his death at Roman hands. The Gospels, which are more-or-less fabricated, represent the fourth stage in which there is an interest in a full history of Jesus. According to Wells, the early church simply accepted any reconstruction of Jesus’ life as long as there was no conflict with other well-established beliefs. Mark was the earliest Gospel (AD 90), followed by Matthew and Luke, with John being the last one written (early second century).^4
Armed with his own reconstruction, Wells concludes that the historical facts of Jesus’ life were mostly a later addition to the New Testament, since Paul, the author of the earliest books, did not know and was not too interested in such details. Neither did the earliest Christians emphasize the historical Jesus, but only the divine Christ who was little different from the mystery gods of other ancient peoples. Besides the mystery religions, Jewish wisdom concepts helped to inspire the early picture of Jesus.
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