rant · moment 8 of 13
The Gnostic Gospels and Whether Jesus Existed
from Matt Lauer of The Vatican · #75
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
5 minA deep dive into the Council of Nicaea deciding which gospels made the Bible, the Gospel of Thomas, the historicity of Jesus, and comparisons to other mythologies like Zeitgeist's claims.
- 32:46Tim describes what he learned in religion class about historical evidence for Jesus — four secular instances from historians.
- 33:39The problem with ancient accounts of Jesus is that most are second-hand, not first-person testimony.
- 34:03Tim explores the Zeitgeist argument that Jesus borrowed mythology from earlier religions like Horus with similar elements like twelve disciples.
- 34:35He wonders what the Catholic Church hierarchy knows that the public doesn't and suspects they're covering up war crimes and complicity.
- 35:18People who climb the ladder in institutions tend to be cynical and ruthless, not naive believers.
- 35:38Serious theologians studying the Bible confront questions that lead them to reinterpret scripture as metaphor without explicitly denying belief.
- 36:12Tim recounts dinner with priests at the 21 Club in New York, including a 28-year-old white guy in the priesthood.
- 36:31Father Michael Judge was an openly gay priest who ran into the Twin Towers on 9-11 to give last rites and died there.
- 36:47Priests can be openly gay but cannot engage in any sexual acts; celibacy applies to all sexual orientation.
- 37:35Tim estimates roughly 85% of priests actually have sex despite their vow of celibacy.
Jesus ChristFather Michael JudgeCarnegie HallPlutarchthe 21 ClubJosephus