putting words in the mouth of

putting words in the mouth of

fiction
edward w pritchard

I reread recently British author David Hume, enlightenment scholar's, treatise " On Miracles" which is actually if you will remember a curt summary of logically and convincingly reasons against anything actually ever being a miracle throughout history, then and now and why someone would propagate stories of miraculous happenings for their own purposes and gain.

In my opinion based on my readings and somewhat on feelings from my heart Jesus was a teacher, and a Jewish scholar who spoke Aramaic and was charismatic enough to attract large crowds, probably measured in up to a few hundreds, and had a message that resonated with the common people of his times. Probably he attracted a few extra devout and dedicated followers who wished to honor him with stories of his remembrance after he was gone, silenced by the powers that be of his times for his subversive messages of peace and comfort to the poor and suffering.

Rome at the time of Jesus was a superpower in the Mediterranean region a police state the likes of which the world has never seen since. What was the power of Jesus' verbal message that for the next three hundred years slowly and inevitably it seems to us looking back, a few parables and homey sayings in Aramaic could challenge the Majesty, order and structure of the Latin world of one of the strongest civilizations of all time? Made the more remarkable by the fact that neither Jesus or any of his earlier devoutest followers spoke or wrote the exalted Greek language, in all probability, of the learned and well positioned intellectuals of the times.

Most scholars will dismiss such questions blithely with a point to Paul of Tarsus and or John of wherever who were the great synthesizers of the gospels who quietly put words as appropriate into the mouth of Jesus and others that morphed into a concise earth shattering message at the time of Constantine and the council of Nicea.

Would that David Hume were wrong. Would that miraculously we could extract the echo's of the vibrations of Jesus' actual voice from the stones of Judea in the years around 20 to 30  CE. Maybe if the science is found to do such a thing it won't seem a miracle to the people of the future to use such a scientific tool to let ordinary people hear the actual and verified voice of Jesus preaching. No that wouldn't be a miracle but it would be worth a few hours of anyone's time to hear among the many offerings and messages on a future you tube channel.