Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Pound for pound

2010-09-28T01:10:56Z

Shawnc: copyedit

{{Refimprove|date=December 2009}}

'''Pound for pound''' is a term to describe how any two things compare when bearing in mind their varying quantities; for example, a tin of tomatoes weighing 250 g and costing $2.50 is more expensive, pound for pound, than one weighing 500 g and costing $4 (as the former costs $1.00 per 100 g and the latter $0.80 per 100 g).

It is most commonly used in [[combat sport]]s such as [[boxing]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/4184227.stm |title=BBC pound-for-pound British rankings |publisher=news.bbc.co.uk |accessdate=2010-06-29 }}</ref> or [[mixed martial arts]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/features/viewarticle.php?id=4258 |title=The pound for pound debate |publisher=www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk |accessdate=2010-06-29 }}</ref> to describe a fighter's value in relation to fighters of different [[weight classes]].

As these fighters do not compete directly judging the best fighter pound for pound is subjective and ratings vary. They may be based on a range of criteria including 'quality of opposition', factors such as how exciting the fighter is or how famous they are, or be an attempt to determine who would win if all the those ranked were the same size.

In boxing, [[Ring Magazine]] maintains a [[Ring Magazine pound for pound|pound for pound rank]] of fighters. Sherdog.com has a list for [[mixed martial arts|mixed martial artists]].<ref>[http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/list Sherdog rankings]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ring Magazine pound for pound|''Ring Magazine'' pound for pound]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Uncategorized stub|date=September 2010}}

{{Term-stub}}
{{Martial-arts-stub}}

[[ja:パウンド・フォー・パウンド]]
[[fi:Pound for pound]]

ZeniMax Media

2009-08-07T22:50:06Z

Shawnc: Private

{{Infobox Company
|company_name =ZeniMax Media Inc.
|company_logo =[[Image:Zenimax logo.png]]
|company_type =[[Privately held company|Private]]
|foundation =1999
|location =[[Rockville, Maryland]]
|key_people =[[Robert A. Altman|Robert Altman]], Chairman and CEO<br />[[Todd Howard]], Executive Producer and Game Director<br />
|area_served =
|industry =[[Video game industry|Computer and video games]]
|products =''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'', ''[[Fallout 3]]''
|revenue =
|operating_income =
|net_income =
|num_employees =
|parent =
|subsid =[[Bethesda Softworks]]<br>[[id Software]]<br>Vir2L Studios<br>Mud Duck Productions<br>ZeniMax Online Studios
|homepage =http://www.zenimax.com
|footnotes =
}}

'''ZeniMax Media Inc.''' is an [[United States|American]] [[video game developer|developer]], marketer, [[video game publisher|publisher]], and distributor of [[Video game|computer and video games]]. It is based in [[Rockville, Maryland]].

ZeniMax is best known as the owner of [[Bethesda Softworks]], the developer of ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' game series, focused mainly on [[computer role playing games]]. It also owns other game development studios, such as [[id Software]]<ref name="ZeniMax"/>, and publishes games developed by third party developers.

==ZeniMax development studios==
The following video game development studios and brands are owned by ZeniMax Media:

*[[Bethesda Softworks]]
*[[id Software]]
*Vir2L Studios (mobile phone and handheld games)
*Mud Duck Productions
*ZeniMax Online Studios ([[Massively multiplayer online game|MMOG]] development)

==History==
ZeniMax was founded in 1999 by [[Bethesda Softworks]] founder Chris Weaver and [[Robert A. Altman]]. Weaver's vision was to use Bethesda Softworks as the basis to create a hybrid media company to create cross-media properties such as PC and console games, interactive TV, mobile, web and new media. Weaver invited Altman to help him run the new company, but potential investors were wary of Altman because of his previous involvement in the BCCI scandal<ref>http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/</ref> as well as making new investments in the field. As part of the deal, Weaver, sole owner of Bethesda Softworks, contributed his stock so that the new shell company (Zenimax) would be able to obtain funding. Robert Altman installed himself as CEO and convinced Weaver to take the position of CTO—a move that ultimately resulted in Weaver being forced out by Altman in 2002. Although still the largest shareholder, Weaver no longer has any day-to-day responsibilities with Zenimax. Altman is still CEO.

Under ZeniMax, Bethesda developed and published ''[[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]'' and ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]''. Bethesda is also the publisher for three new Star Trek games, ''[[Star Trek: Legacy]]'' (For [[Personal computer|PC]]/[[Xbox 360]]), ''[[Star Trek: Tactical Assault]]'' (for [[Nintendo DS]]/[[PlayStation Portable]]), and ''[[Star Trek: Encounters]]'' ([[PlayStation 2]]).<ref>[http://www.bethsoft.com/eng/news/pressrelease_012406.html Press Release: Bethesda Softworks Obtains Star Trek License and Announces Two Games] from [[Bethesda Softworks]] website</ref>

In 2004, ZeniMax acquired the ''[[Fallout (series)|Fallout]]'' franchise from [[Interplay Entertainment]].<ref>[http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5093&Itemid=2 Facing Fallout] from ''[[Next Generation Magazine|Next Generation]]''</ref>
Bethesda's [[Todd Howard]] said in January 2007 that "We started work [on ''[[Fallout 3]]''] in late 2004 with a few people. We only had about 10 people on it until ''Oblivion'' wrapped, but most of our staff is on it now."<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=25330416&print=1 Fallout 3 360-bound?] from ''[[GameSpot]]''</ref>

On June 24, 2009, it was announced that ZeniMax had purchased long-time independent developer [[id Software]].<ref name="ZeniMax">{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Remo|title= Bethesda Parent ZeniMax Acquires id Software|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24183|publisher=[[Gamasutra]]|date=2009-06-24|accessdate=2009-06-24}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.zenimax.com/ ZeniMax Media website]
* [http://www.bethsoft.com/ Bethesda Softworks website]
* [http://www.zenimaxonline.com/ ZeniMax Online Studios website]
* [http://www.vir2l.com/ Vir2L Studios website]
* [http://www.mudduckgames.com/ Mud Duck Productions website]

{{US-videogame-company-stub}}
{{Id Software}}
[[Category:Video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Video game developers]]
[[Category:Video game publishers]]
[[Category:Companies based in Rockville, Maryland]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1999]]

[[pt:ZeniMax Media]]
[[sv:ZeniMax Media]]

Gamstragegriff

2009-05-03T21:23:45Z

Shawnc: judo

[[Image:Fireman carry Army.jpg|right|thumb|A pair of [[United States Army]] Soldiers demonstrating a two-shoulder fireman's carry]]
A '''fireman's carry''' is a technique that allows a person to carry another person without assistance. It is generally referred to as the "fireman's carry" because it used to be a common way for [[firefighter]]s to carry injured or [[Unconsciousness|unconscious]] people away from danger. Currently, because lifting a person to the point where their airway is exposed to high heat and toxins from smoke where one breath can be fatal (temperatures at 6 feet from the floor can be several hundred degrees Fahrenheit), the now preferred technique is to drag the person by the shoulders or upper clothing in a [[supine position]] across the floor or ground. This uses the rescuer's upper legs (the strongest muscles in the body) to push against the floor for leverage in order to pull the person towards an exit. This technique also offers itself to be effective to those rescuers who may be younger or of smaller size or stature. Due to increases in firefighting / rescue abilities the actual fireman's carry is not only essentially outdated in the fire service, it can in some instances be more than harmful in actual fire conditions.

However, the fireman's carry technique of carrying another human being can be used in other circumstances; [[soldier]]s have been known to use this technique to carry wounded comrades, [[Lifeguard]]s are sometimes trained to use the fireman's carry, and many [[professional wrestling]] [[professional wrestling moves|moves]] such as [[Professional wrestling throws#Death Valley driver|Death Valley driver]], [[Professional wrestling throws#Samoan drop|Samoan drop]], [[Facebuster#F-5|F-5]] and others also use this technique.

A similar technique known as [[kata guruma]] exists in [[judo]].

==Technique==
The proper technique of the fireman's carry requires carrying the subject over both shoulders. To perform the fireman's carry, the carrier would grasp the subject's wrist and put the subject's arm across one of his shoulders. Then, the carrier would reach between the subject's legs, passing his arm between the subject's legs and then grasping behind the subject's thigh. The above illustration shows a variation in which the carrier is using his right arm to encircle the knee and grasp the subject's wrist, instead of grasping his thigh; this leaves the carrier's left arm free for other purposes. To avoid [[back injury|back injuries]], it is important for the carrier to lift the subject using the strength of his or her legs. The carrier would have hold of the wrist of the subject and his other arm would be holding onto one of the legs of the subject. The subject would have one arm and one leg hanging freely behind the carrier's back.

Carrying someone in this manner has several advantages. The subject's torso is fairly level, which helps prevent further injuries. When the subject's weight is evenly distributed over both shoulders, it is easier to carry them for a longer distance (50 feet or more).

==Common misconceptions==
Although some consider the act of carrying another person over one shoulder a fireman's carry, technically it is not. In informal settings, carrying another person over one shoulder is sometimes used to transport someone who is too [[Drunkenness|intoxicated]] to walk. However, if someone is seriously hurt, or if the person has to be carried for a considerable amount of time, the fireman's carry is preferred over the single-shoulder carry for obvious reasons. A person being carried over one shoulder would experience more jarring as his or her body is dangling more freely over the carrier's shoulder. Also, [[blood]] would be unevenly distributed if someone was dangling upside-down over the carrier's shoulder for an extended period of time. And this could be a very uncomfortable position for the carried person if he or she is still conscious.

Outside of the [[military]], the fireman's carry and the single-shoulder carry are often used when the carried individual is a man or a teenage boy. Men usually carry women and children in their arms because they are generally lighter than adult men or adolescent boys. If a man is in a situation in which he has to carry another man, he usually chooses to use the fireman's carry or the single-shoulder carry, relying on the strength of his shoulders, back, and legs to transport the man instead of relying on the strength of his arms.

{{Fire fighting}}

[[Category:Rescue]]
[[Category:Firefighting]]

[[ja:ファイヤーマンズキャリー]]

Haplogruppe U

2007-08-31T14:26:12Z

Shawnc: wikify

{{Infobox haplogroup|name=U|origin-date=55000 years before present|origin-place=Western Asia|ancestor=[[Haplogroup R (mtDNA)|R]]|descendants=[[Haplogroup U1 (mtDNA)|U1]], [[Haplogroup U2 (mtDNA)|U2]], [[Haplogroup U3 (mtDNA)|U3]], [[Haplogroup U4 (mtDNA)|U4]], [[Haplogroup U5 (mtDNA)|U5]], [[Haplogroup U6 (mtDNA)|U6]], [[Haplogroup K (mtDNA)|K]]|mutations=73, 7028, 11719, 12308, 14766}}

In [[human genetics]], '''Haplogroup U''' is a [[Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroups|human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup]], a group of people who descend from a woman in the [[Haplogroup R (mtDNA)]] branch of the Genographic tree, who lived around 50,000 years ago. Her descendants gave birth to several different subgroups, some of which exhibit specific geographic homelands. The old age has led to a wide distribution of the descendant subgroups that harbor specific European, northern African, Indian, Arab, northern Caucasus Mountains and the Near East.<ref name="GP">[https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html The Genographic Project at] [[National Geographic]] </ref>

==Subdivisions==
[[Image:Genomap01.jpg|thumb|350px|<div class="messagebox disputed metadata">
{|style="width:100%;background:beige" class="messagebox-beige"
|width=60px align=center|[[Image:Circle-question-red.svg|35px]]
|align=center|'''The factual accuracy of this map is [[Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute|disputed]].'''<br /><small>Please see the relevant discussion on the [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}#{{{1|}}}|talk page]]</small>
|}</div>]]
Haplogroup U is subdivided into Haplogroups U1-U8 and has a parallel [[Haplogroup K (mtDNA)|Haplogroup K]].

===Haplogroup U1===
===Haplogroup U2===
===Haplogroup U3===
Haplogroup U3 is defined by the [[HVR1]] [[Transition (genetics)|transition]] A16343G. It is found at low levels throughout [[Europe]] (about 1% of the population), the [[Near East]] (about 2.5% of the population), and [[Central Asia]] (1%). U3 is present at higher levels among populations in the [[Caucasus]] (about 6%) and among Lithuanian, Polish, and Spanish [[Romani people|Romani]] populations (36-56%). <ref>http://evolutsioon.ut.ee/publications/Richards2000.pdf</ref>
<ref>http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?id=doi:10.1086/383236</ref>
<ref>http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1529-8817.2005.00222.x</ref>

===Haplogroup U4===
Haplogroup U4 has its origin in the Upper Palaeolithic, dating to approximately 25,000 years ago. It is widely distributed in Europe, and has been implicated in the expansion of modern humans into Europe occurring before the Last Glacial Maximum.

===Haplogroup U5===
Haplogroup ''U5'' that first evolved in Europe is a group of people who descend from a woman in the [[Haplogroup R (mtDNA)]] branch of the Genographic tree around 15,000 years ago. Haplogroup ''U5'' is restricted to Finland and its populations. U5 is found also in small frequencies and at much lower diversity in near East suggesting back-migration of people from northern Europe to south.<ref name="GP"/>

In his popular book ''[[The Seven Daughters of Eve]]'', [[Bryan Sykes]] named the originator of haplogroup U5 ''Ursula''.

[[Cheddar Man]], a male from [[8th millennium BC|7150 BC]] whose remains were found in [[Cheddar Gorge]], [[Somerset]], [[England]] was shown to be U5a, a very early and Europe-specific haplogroup clade.

===Haplogroup U6===
Haplogroup U6 is a group of people who descend from a woman in the [[Haplogroup R (mtDNA)]] branch of the Genographic tree. It is common (around 10% of the people) <ref name="GP"/> in North Africa and the Canary Islands. It is also found in the Iberian peninsula due to recent gene flow from North Africa.

===Haplogroup U7===

Many European populations lack Haplogroup U7, but its frequency climbs over 4% in the Near East and up to 5% in Pakistan, reaching nearly 10% level in Iranians. In India, haplogroup U7 frequency peaks at over 12% in Gujarat, the westernmost state of India, while for the whole of India its frequency stays around 2%. Expansion times and haplotype diversities for the Indian and Near and Middle Eastern U7 mtDNAs are strikingly similar. The possible homeland of this haplogroup spans Indian Gujarat and Iran because from there its frequency declines steeply both to the east and to the west. If the origin were in Iran rather than in India, then its equally high frequency as well as diversity in Gujarat favors a scenario whereby U7 has been introduced to the coastal western India either very early, or by multiple founders. [http://evolutsioon.ut.ee/publications/Metspalu2004.pdf#].

===Haplogroup U8===
The [[Basque people|Basques]] have the most ancestral [[phylogeny]] in Europe for the mitochondrial haplogroup U8a, a rare subgroup of U8, placing the Basque origin of this lineage in the Upper Palaeolithic. The lack of U8a lineages in Africa suggests that their ancestors may have originated from West Asia.
<ref>Gonzalez AM, Garcia O, Larruga JM, Cabrera VM.
''The mitochondrial lineage U8a reveals a Paleolithic settlement in the Basque country''
[http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/7/124/abstract BMC Genomics 2006, 7:124]</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Genealogical DNA test]]
*[[Human mitochondrial genetics]]

== External links ==
*[https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html?card=mm020 Spread of Haplogroup U], from ''[[National Geographic]]''
*[http://www.brian-hamman.com/WelcomeToTheClanUrsulaHomePage.html Ursula] (U5)
*[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegalstrongs/u6b.htm U6b]
*[http://ulrike-u4.blogspot.com/ Haplogroup U4 (Ulrike)]
*[http://www.familytreedna.com/public/india The India Genealogical DNA Project]
*[http://dgmweb.net/genealogy/DNA/DK/DanishDemes-mtDNA-results-HgU.shtml Danish Demes Regional DNA Project: mtDNA Haplogroup U]
*[http://evolutsioon.ut.ee/publications/Metspalu2004.pdf# Most of the extant mtDNA boundaries in South and Southwest Asia were likely shaped during the initial settlement of Eurasia by anatomically modern humans, Mait Metspalu et al., 2004]

==Notes==
<references/>

{{MtDNA}}

[[Category:Human mtDNA haplogroups|U]]

Haplogruppe N (mtDNA)

2007-07-07T13:06:21Z

Shawnc: wikify

{{Infobox haplogroup|name=N|origin-date=unknown, approx. 80000 years ago|origin-place=Africa|ancestor=[[Haplogroup L3 (mtDNA)|L3]]|descendants=[[Haplogroup N1 (mtDNA)|N1]], [[Haplogroup A (mtDNA)|A]], [[Haplogroup I (mtDNA)|I]], [[Haplogroup W (mtDNA)|W]], [[Haplogroup R (mtDNA)|R]], [[Haplogroup X (mtDNA)|X]]|mutations=73, 7028, 11719, 12705, 14766, 16223}}
In [[human genetics]], '''Haplogroup N''' is a [[human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup]].

An enormous haplogroup spanning many continents<ref>[http://www.ianlogan.co.uk/discussion/hap_N.htm Haplogroups I & N.]</ref>, the macro-haplogroup N is a branch of the [[Africa]]n haplogroup [[Haplogroup L3 (mtDNA)|L3]], and is believed to have originated in Africa some 60,000 to 80,000 years before present.

The two haplogroups [[Haplogroup M (mtDNA)|M]] and N are believed to represent the initial migration by modern humans [[Recent single origin hypothesis|out of Africa]]. Haplogroup N is the ancestral haplogroup to almost all European and Oceanian haplogroups in addition to many Asian and Amerindian ones.

Its descendant haplogroups include the macro-[[Haplogroup R (mtDNA)|haplogroup R]] (and its descendants) and haplogroups [[Haplogroup N1 (mtDNA)|N1]], [[Haplogroup A (mtDNA)|A]], [[Haplogroup I (mtDNA)|I]], [[Haplogroup W (mtDNA)|W]], and [[Haplogroup X (mtDNA)|X]].

On an [[18 November]] [[2005]] broadcast of the ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'', during an interview with Dr. [[Spencer Wells]], host [[Ann Curry]] was revealed to belong to Haplogroup N. <ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10095659/ Family tree project helps trace deep history]</ref>

==References==
<references />

== See also ==
*[[Human mitochondrial genetics]]

== External links ==
*[https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html?card=mm009 Spread of Haplogroup N], from ''[[National Geographic]]''

{{MtDNA}}

[[Category:Human mtDNA haplogroups|N]]
[[Category:Recent single origin hypothesis]]

[[ca:Haplogrup mitocondrial humà N]]

The Register

2007-06-04T09:01:02Z

Shawnc: /* Divisions */ wikify

[[Image:The_Register_r.png|thumb|254px|Current logo of ''The Register''.]]

'''''The Register''''' ("'''''El Reg'''''" to its staff) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] technology news [[website]] focusing on the [[computer industry]]. It was founded by [[John Lettice]] and [[Mike Magee (journalist)|Mike "Crazy Brit" Magee]] in [[1994]] as a newsletter called "CHIP CONNECTION", initially as an email service. Mike Magee left ''The Register'' in [[2001]] to start ''[[The Inquirer]]'' after some controversy.

The first Register article was published in [[1998-08-01]].<ref>[http://www.theregister.co.uk/1998/08/01/game_expansion_plans_on_target/ GAME expansion plans on target]</ref>

''The Register'' has run [[Simon Travaglia]]'s [[BOFH]] stories since [[2000]]. Comment pieces are included along with the news, such as "Bootnotes" and "Opinion". Letters and "Flames of the Week" are often run, and as well as carrying its own content, licensed articles from other sites are included to augment their coverage. ''The Register'' aspires to provide an [[Objectivity (journalism) |objective viewpoint]], and most subjective pieces are labelled as such. It does not aim to be popular with the powerful corporations -- its tag line is: ''Biting the hand that feeds [[Information technology|
IT]]''.

''The Register'' frequently uses [[sarcasm]] in its articles and often provides an [[iconoclastic]] stance (e.g. referring to [[Google]] as the ''worlds largest text-ad broker''). Some think its reportage is closer to that of British [[tabloid]] newspapers than other technology web sites, terming it a [[tech tabloid]]. Articles are listed on the home page with most recent at the top, three to a line, allowing easy access to breaking news. Much to the amusement of its readers, ''The Register'' occasionally runs articles satirizing selected people (e.g., [[Captain Cyborg]], aka [[Kevin Warwick]]).

==Divisions==

Channel Register covers computer business and trade news, which includes business press releases.

Reg Developer covers news and articles for software developers.

Reg Hardware covers news and articles for computing and consumer electronics hardware.

Reg Research is an in-depth resource on all manner of technologies and how they relate to your business.

Cash'n'Carrion is a shop for The Register merchandises.

In 2002-2-25, The Register expanded its business to United States under 'The Register USA', using domain name www.theregus.com, through a joint venture with [[Tom's Hardware Guide]].<ref>[http://www.theregister.com/2002/02/25/the_register_comes/ The Register Comes to the US]</ref> In 2003-2-24, that site was switched to the current theregister.com domain name.<ref>[http://www.theregister.com/2003/02/24/theregister_com_goes_live/ theregister.com goes live]</ref> The Register US site was later expanded into an international news site. The Register has offices in London, Edinburgh, San Francisco and Mountain View in California.

==In-jokes==
''The Register'' is famous for its many long-running [[in-jokes]] in the manner of the British satirical magazine [[Private_Eye]].
* Articles dealing with [[Yahoo!]] often have each word in their title punctuated with an exclamation mark, e.g.: "Yahoo! Is! A! Search! Engine!"
* When talking about the [[RIAA]] or the [[MPAA]], the organizations are always referred to as the "Recording Industry Ass. of America" and the "Motion Picture Ass. of America," respectively, deliberately shortening "Association" (to one letter shorter than the usual "Assn." abbreviation).
* Articles which deal with the growth of [[artificial intelligence]] technology and technological mishaps are often reported in tongue-in-cheek "alarmist" fashion, and grouped under the heading "[[Rise of the Machines]]" (RoTM). In cases of technological mishaps, the incident is always speculated to be the work of an evil alien race called the ''Lizard Alliance'' and that they are being fought back by a group called the ''neoLuddite Resistance Army'' (or ''NRA'', quite possibly a play on the acronym of the ''National Rifle Association'').
* "Otto Z Stern" is a contributor for ''The Register''. Otto's [[persona]] is that of a controversy-courting [[right-wing]] American technology commentator. Stern's articles specialise in criticism of topics such as open-source software, blogs, Google and the perils of the Asian Invasion as well as other things that Stern considers to be weak and unmanly. Many of Stern's comments are considered deeply racist especially towards Asians (mostly Chinese). It is suspected that Stern's stories are written by Julio Stantore, based on frequent references to him in Otto's articles as well as attributing quotes to him.<ref>[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/17/jimmy_wales_wikipedia/ My dead, much mourned friend: Jimmy Wales] An article that refers to Julio Stantore.</ref>
* Haiku competition results often include entries from a list of [[usual suspects]] who, intentionally or unintentionally, break the rules of the competition for comic effect.
* [[Intel]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Itanium]] is always referred to as ''Itanic''. The term refers to ''[[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]'', the infamous [[ocean liner]] which sank in 1912, and alludes to the perception that Itanium is a [[white elephant]] which cost Intel and [[HP]] many billions of dollars while failing to achieve expected performance and sales in the originally projected timeframe.
* [[Second Life]] is referred to as 'Sadville'.
* [[Captain Cyborg ]], [[Kevin Warwick]] described as 'the nutty professor of [[Cybernetics]] at the [[University of Reading]]'
Many readers take ''The Register''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[spoof]] articles seriously. To the amusement of ''The Register'''s regular readers, their anger-filled letters are commonly published a few days later. Many of these letters are left unedited, leaving in misspellings, grammatical errors, and errors in logic. In fact, the Register publishes many of the letters they are sent, usually on Friday afternoon.

==References==
<References/>

==External links==
*The Register: [http://www.theregister.co.uk/ UK Edition], [http://www.theregister.com/ International]
*Channel Reg: [http://www.channelregister.co.uk/ UK Edition], [http://www.channelregister.com/ International]
*Reg Developer: [http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/ UK Edition], [http://www.regdeveloper.com/ International]
*Reg Hardware: [http://www.reghardware.co.uk/ UK Edition], [http://www.reghardware.com/ International]
*[http://www.cashncarrion.co.uk/ Cash'n'Carrion]

* [http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.sys.intel/browse_thread/thread/dce6d6360f34ce3b/a3a90aa737487121?lnk=st&hl=en&fwc=1 Usenet advertisement for The Register No.5, dated 1994-09-18]

[[Category:News websites|Register, The]]

[[fr:The Register]]

Bob Miller (Politiker, 1945)

2007-05-07T16:33:28Z

Shawnc: Future Electronics

'''Robert Miller''' or '''Bob Miller''' may refer to:

*'''In sports:'''
*[[Robert J Miller]], Hampshire (England) Boxer and local MP 1928-1929.
*[[Bob Miller (sports announcer)]] (born 1938), an announcer for the Los Angeles Kings hockey team
*[[Bob Miller (football player)]] (1929-2006), a football tackle for the Detroit Lions.
*[[Bob Miller (19th-century pitcher)]] (1862-1931), a baseball pitcher in 1890-91
*[[Bob Miller (1950s righthander)]] (born 1926), a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1949-1958
*[[Bob Miller (1950s lefthander)]] (born 1935), a baseball pitcher from 1953-1962
*[[Bob Miller (1960s pitcher)]] (1939-1993), a righthanded pitcher from 1957 to 1974
*[[Bob Miller (hockey player)]] (born 1956), an NHL hockey player
*[[Bob Miller (boat designer)]] (1936-1988), a.k.a [[Ben Lexcen]], Australian sailboat
*[[Bob Miller (racer)]], an American dirt late model hall of fame racer.
*[[Bob Miller (CEO)]], currently [[CEO]] of [[ONStor]] Inc.

*'''Others:'''
*[[Bob Miller (Nevada governor)]] (born 1945), a governor of Nevada.
*[[Robert Miller (accused spy)]] (1910-?), an American who allegedly spied for the Soviet Union.
*[[Robert W. Miller]] (born 1933), an entrepreneur and developer of duty-free shopping
*[[Rober Miller (Future Electronics)]], founder of [[Future Electronics Inc.]]
*[[Robert Henry Miller]], Victorian (Australia) State Parliamentarian
*[[Robert J Miller (theologian)]], (Ph.D.) New Testament scholar and member of the Jesus Seminar
*[[Robert L'H Miller]], (Th.D.) New Testament scholar and member of the Jesus Seminar

{{hndis|Miller, Bob}}

Benutzer:Mielas/Vivendi Games

2007-05-06T14:04:16Z

Shawnc: Private company

{{Infobox Company
| company_name = Vivendi Games
| company_logo = [[Image:Vivendi Games.PNG|200.px]]
| company_type = [[Private company|Private]]<br>(Subsidiary of [[Vivendi|Vivendi SA]])
| foundation =
| location =
| key_people =
| industry = [[Computer and video game industry]]
| products = [[computer and video games|video games]]
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| num_employees =
| parent =
| subsid =
| homepage =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Vivendi Games''' (formely known as '''Vivendi Universal Games''') is a global developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment. Vivendi Games is a 100% subsidiary of [[Vivendi SA]]. Headed by Bruce Hack, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and employs over 3,400 people at 4 separate development divisions:

Vivendi Games owns the rights to such franchises as [[Warcraft universe|Warcraft]], [[StarCraft]], [[Diablo (computer game)|Diablo]] and [[World of Warcraft]] from Blizzard Entertainment as well as others like [[Crash_Bandicoot_series|Crash Bandicoot]], [[Spyro the Dragon (series)|Spyro]], [[Empire Earth (series)|Empire Earth]], [[Leisure Suit Larry]], [[Ground Control]] and [[Tribes (series)|Tribes]].

[[René Pénisson]] is the chairman for Vivendi Games and [[Bruce Hack]] is the Chief Executive Officer.

In 2004, Vivendi Games sold one of its divisions, [[Knowledge Adventure]] to a group of private investors.

In 2005 Vivendi's revenues made 641 million euros with earnings from operations equaling to 41 million euros.

In 2006 Vivendi Games created a new mobile division '''Vivendi Games Mobile''', which was promised to begin publishing and distributing games in 2006 through mobile carriers and portals.

==Blizzard Entertainment==

[[Blizzard Entertainment]], best known for its Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo franchises, has taken the online games market by storm with World of Warcraft, the world's most popular MMO game. With more than eight million customers, World of Warcraft is the only MMO game playing in all key markets including North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, China and Taiwan.

Headquarted in Irvine, California, Blizzard employs 250 developers, programmers and writers all dedicated to the creation of games. Blizzard has one wholly owned subsidiary, Swingin' Ape Studios.

==Sierra Entertainment==

Sierra Entertainment is a main publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software. Sierra is renowned for releasing critically acclaimed and award-winning titles that represent a wide variety of entertainment for both console and PC platforms.

The studio's top-selling titles include 50 Cent: Bulletproof, created in collaboration with hip-hop music sensation 50 Cent, Crash Tag Team Racing, Robots and F.E.A.R.

Operated out of Los Angeles, California, Sierra employs over 700 in development and has four wholly owned studios, High Moon Studios, Radical Entertainment, Swordfish Studios and Massive Entertainment.

==See also==
*[[Vivendi]]
*[[List of assets owned by Vivendi]]

==External links==
*[http://www.vivendi.com/ Vivendi.com - Official site of Vivendi]
*[http://vugames.com/ VUgames.com - Official site of Vivendi games], redirects to [[Sierra Entertainment]] [http://sierra.com official site].
*[http://www.vivendi.com/corp/en/subsidiaries/index_games.php Vivendi games at Vivendi.com] — Vivendi Games page at [http://www.vivendi.com/ vivendi.com].

{{videogame-company-stub}}

[[Category:Video game companies]]

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Jesus-Mythos

2007-02-21T18:53:37Z

Shawnc: /* Early proponents */ Russell

{{jesus}}

The narrative on '''[[Jesus]]''' in the [[gospel]]s considered as part of '''[[Christian mythology]]''', show parallels to Hellenistic [[mystery religion]]s like [[Mithraism]], and the mytheme of [[life-death-rebirth deity|rebirth deities]].

Study of such elements is often, but not exclusively, associated with a [[skeptic|skeptical]] position on the [[historicity of Jesus]].

==History of the theories==

The term ''Jesus as myth'' covers a broad range of ideas, but most share the common premise that the narrative of the [[gospel|Gospels]] portrays a figure who never actually lived.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Current theories arose from nineteenth century scholarship on the formation of myth, in the work of writers such as [[Max Müller]] and [[James Frazer]]. Müller argued that religions originated in mythic stories of the birth, death and rebirth of the sun. Frazer further attempted to explain the origins of humanity's mythic beliefs in the idea of a "sacrificial king", associated with the sun as a [[dying and reviving god]] and its connection to the regeneration of the earth in springtime.<ref> "The Golden Bough - A Study in Magic and Religion", 1922, MacMillan Press</ref>The Later works by [[George Albert Wells]] drew on the [[Pauline Epistles]] and the lack of early non-Christian documents to argue that the Jesus figure of the [[Gospels]] was symbolic not historical. [[Earl Doherty]] proposed that [[Jewish mysticism]] influenced the development of a [[Christ]] myth, while [[John M. Allegro]] proposed that [[Christianity]] began as [[shamanism|shamanic]] religion based on the use of [[hallucinogenic mushrooms]].<ref>{{cite book |author= John M. Allegro |authorlink= John M. Allegro |title= The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross |year= 1973 |publisher= Prometheus Books |location= UK |isbn= 0879757574 }}</ref> Most recently [[Timothy Freke]] and [[Peter Gandy]] have popularized the Jesus-Myth concept int their book ''[[The Jesus Mysteries]]''.

Some, including Freke and Gandy, have suggested that the idea itself is as old as the New Testament as the [[Second Epistle of John]] warns of "many deceivers [who] are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." This view was shared by [[Marcion]] (110-160 A.D.), who compiled the first version of the New Testament as early as 144 A.D., and whose followers, the [[Marcionism|Marcionites]], continued until the 4th Century.

[[Ignatius]], [[Bishop of Antioch]], in 115 A.D. in the "Epistle to Mary at [[Neapolis]], near Zarbus," urged her: "Avoid those that deny the passion of Christ, and His birth according to the flesh; and there are many at present who suffer under this disease." The [[Polycarp's letter to the Philippians|Letter]] of [[Polycarp]] to the [[Philippians]] in chapter 7 says: "For anyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist," apparently quoting 1 John 4:3.

Proponents argue that had Jesus been a true historical figure there would not have been such a large number of prominent people who denied his existence, or an even larger number who defended him. Such controversies never developed over other contemporary religious figures (e.g., [[John the Baptist]], [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], [[James the Just]], [[Hillel the Elder|Hillel]], [[Honi the Circledrawer]]). Scholars of the period however believe that these early quotes refer to [[docetism]], the belief that Jesus mystically appeared to people but lacked a genuinely physical body, rather than a belief that Jesus was a completely fabricated figure.<ref>G.L. Borchert, "Docetism" in ''Elwell Evangelical Dictionary''; ''[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05070c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]'', 1909/2003; D.C. Duling & N. Perrin, ''The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History'', 1993; "Docetism", ''[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030754 Encyclopædia Britannica]'', 2006; J.N.D. Kelly, ''Early Christian Doctrines''. [http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CPn24John2.htm "Book 24 - John's Second Letter". J.B.Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", 1962 edition].</ref>

==Early proponents==

The first scholarly proponent of this theory was probably [[19th century|nineteenth century]] [[historian]] [[Bruno Bauer]], a [[Hegelian]] thinker who argued that the true founder of [[Christianity]] was the [[Alexandria]]n [[Jew]] [[Philo]], who had adapted Judaic ideas to Hellenic philosophy. His arguments made little impact at the time. Other authors included [[Edwin Johnson (historian)|Edwin Johnson]], who argued that Christianity emerged from a combination of liberal trends in Judaism with [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] mysticism. Less speculative versions of the theory developed under Dutch Bible scholars such as A. D. Loman and G. I. P. Bolland. Loman argued that episodes in Jesus's life, such as the [[Sermon on the Mount]], were in reality fictions to justify compilations of pre-existing liberal Jewish sayings. Bolland developed the theory that Christianity developed from Gnosticism and that "Jesus" was a symbolic figure representing Gnostic ideas about godhead.

By the early [[20th century|twentieth century]] a number of writers had published arguments in favour of the Jesus Myth theory, ranging from the highly speculative to the more scholarly. In [[Why I Am Not a Christian]], [[Bertrand Russell]] stated that even if Jesus existed, which he doubted, the public does not "know anything" about him. These treatments were sufficiently influential to merit several book-length responses by traditional historians and [[New Testament]] [[scholars]]. The most influential of the books arguing for a mythic Jesus was [[Arthur Drews]]'s ''The Christ-Myth'' (1909) which brought together the scholarship of the day in defence of the idea that Christianity had been a Jewish Gnostic cult that spread by appropriating aspects of Greek philosophy and Frazerian death-rebirth deities. This combination of arguments became the standard form of the mythic Christ theory.

While aspects of the theory were influential, most mainstream scholars at the time rejected the notion that "Jesus" was little more than a fiction, arguing that the [[Gospels]], Pauline epistles and [[Acts of the Apostles]] contained some reliable information about the events they describe. Since Frazerian theories about myth have been largely debunked, and the priority of Gnosticism seriously questioned, the Jesus Myth theory has dwindled in importance.

==Recent scholarship==

In recent years, the ''Jesus Myth'' has had few proponents in academia but has been advanced by [[William B. Smith]] and [[George Albert Wells]] (''The Jesus Legend'' and ''The Jesus Myth''), as well as by [[Timothy Freke]], philosopher and expert on mysticism, and [[Peter Gandy]], a scholar of [[mystery religions]] (co-authors of '' [[The Jesus Mysteries]]'' and ''Jesus and the Lost Goddess''), and the noted humanist [[Earl Doherty]] (author of ''[[The Jesus Puzzle]]''), a scholar of ancient history and classical languages.

There are many different views regarding the nature of the early texts. Earl Doherty argues that Jesus is a historicized mythic figure created out of the [[Old Testament]], whom the early Christians experienced in visions, as [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] says he did. [[Joseph Atwill]], on the other hand, argues that Jesus is the deliberate and malefic creation of powerful [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] of the family of [[Vespasian]], who sought to divide and destroy [[Judaism]]. Hence in Atwill's version, there really is a historical Jesus, but he is Vespasian's son Titus, and the gospels are a complex allegory of his conquest of [[Judea]].

Advocates of the ''Jesus Myth'' theory do not agree on the dating and meaning of the early Christian texts, with recent advocates like Doherty holding to traditional scholarly dating that puts the gospels toward the end of the [[1st century|first century]], and others, like [[Hermann Detering]] (''The Fabricated Paul''), arguing that the early Christian texts are largely forgeries and products of the mid and late [[2nd century|second century]].

Presently, most New Testament scholars and historians consider the question as resolved in favour of Jesus' historicity. Nevertheless, [[Earl Doherty]] has infused the ''Jesus Myth'' theory with fresh vigour with his website and publication of his book, ''[[The Jesus Puzzle]].'' Doherty's treatment of the issue has received much attention on the internet from both sides of the debate, including favourable reviews by skeptics Dr. [[Robert M. Price]] and [[Richard Carrier]] [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/jesuspuzzle.shtml].

Many other scholars also take this position, although it is a minority position among New Testament scholars. This list includes but is not limited to biblical scholar Thomas L. Thompson, Theologian and Anglican priest Tom Harpur, Biblical scholar and historian Randel Helms, Biblical Scholar Robert J. Miller, Biblical Scholar and Professor Jeffery Lowder, Historian J.K. Elliot, Scholar Gordon S. Stein, Historian and biblical scholar Elaine Pagels among others.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

==Specific arguments of the theory==
{{original research|section}}

===Early non-Christian references to Jesus===
{{split|Historicity of Jesus}}

Central to many of the mythical theories is the fact that there are no known documents, other than Christian documents, that make reference to Jesus until the end of the first century, when [[Josephus]] wrote the [[Antiquities of the Jews]], and the authenticity of that account is [[Josephus on Jesus|subject to controversy]]. Proponents of these theories note the survival of writings by a number of Roman and Jewish commentators and historians who wrote in the [[1st century|first century]] and the lack of mention of events described in the Gospels. The lack of evidence is, to these proponents, an [[argument from silence]]: the silence is evidence that Jesus was a later invention.

To critics of the Jesus as myth theory, the silence is ex[lained by the relative unimportance of the historical Jesus at the time, as viewed by Romans, Greeks, and most Jews, and the typical lack of first-hand evidence for other historical figures whose existence are not questioned (see [[Historicity of Jesus]]). Advocates of the Jesus as myth theory respond by noting that the Gospels describe a monumental figure, performing wondrous miracles and challenging the most prominent figures of the day, not some inconsequential nobody.

They also point out that the earliest references to Jesus are by Christian writers (in the New Testament and [[New Testament Apocrypha|its Apocrypha]]). Of the few references outside of Christian documents, almost all mention the existence of Christians and their belief (implying there was a Jesus), although not directly mentioning Jesus. The most cited example for a non-Christian reference to Jesus is [[Josephus]] ([[37]] [[Common Era|CE]] - c. [[100]] CE), whose ''Antiquities'', written in [[93]] CE (more than two generations after most Christian scholars date the [[crucifixion]]), contain two references to a Jesus. One of these states that he was the founder of a sect.

The first reference, the [[Josephus on Jesus|Testimonium Flavianum]], contains content that affirms core religious tenets of Christianity rejected by Judaism and thus is most uncharacteristic of a lifelong Jew such as Josephus. It is not mentioned by [[2nd century|second-century]] Christian authors, though several scholars have proposed that when stripped of the implausible Christian phrases, the core witness to a ''Jesus'' as a leader of a sect is reliable.[http://www.bede.org.uk/Josephus.htm]

The second reference is also disputed. This merely mentions that a person named ''Jesus'' was the brother of a person named ''James'' who is traditionally identified as [[James the Just]]. [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp10.htm] However, it is mostly — though not universally — regarded as significantly more likely to be authentic than the ''Testamonium''[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/testimonium.html#reference]. Nevertheless, the Hebrew form of ''Jesus'', a colloquial form of the name ''Joshua'', was a particularly common name at the time, and the second reference provides only Jesus's name, identification as the Christ ("Messiah" or "anointed one"), and relationship to James.

====Notable omissions in extant contemporary records====

It is often argued that no mention of Jesus or the events of the New Testament can be found in any of the numerous contemporary and near-contemporary records of the day, and that this serves as evidence against the existence of the Jesus of the gospels.

=====Philo (20 BCE - 40 CE)=====

By far, the most notable omission is [[Philo]]'s. Philo was a Hellenized Jew who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He visited the Temple in Jerusalem, and corresponded with family there. He wrote a great many books on religion and philosophy which survive to this day, and mentioned many of his contemporaries. His main theological contribution was the development of the [[Logos]], the "Word" that opens the [[Gospel of John]]. Yet Philo not once mentions Jesus, anybody who could be mistaken for Jesus, or any of the events of the New Testament. His last writings come from 40 CE, only a few years after the end of [[Pontius Pilate]]'s reign, when he was part of an embassy sent by the Alexandrian Jews to the Roman Emperor [[Caligula]].

=====Plutarch (ca. 46 - 127) =====

[[Mestrius Plutarchus|Plutarch]] wrote, about the same time as Josephus, about contemporary Roman figures, oracles, prophesies, and moral, religious, and spiritual issues. A figure such as Jesus, whom the Gospels portray as interacting with Roman figures, making prophecies, and giving sermons on novel religious and spiritual issues, would have been of great interest to him.

=====Justus=====

[[Justus of Tiberias]] wrote, at the end of the first century, a history of Jewish kings (who the gospels state Jesus had interactions with). Justus' history does not survive, but [[Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]], who read it in the [[9th century]], stated that it did not mention "the coming of Christ, the events of His life, or the miracles performed by Him".<ref>{{cite book |author=Photius |authorlink=Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople |others=trans. J. H. Freese |title=The library of Photius |url=http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/photius_02preface.htm |accessdate=2007-01-03 |year=1920 |publisher=SPCK |location=London |chapter=33: Justus of Tiberias, ''Chronicle of the Kings of the Jews'' |chapterurl=http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/photius_03bibliotheca.htm#33 }}</ref>

=====Josephus (ca. 37 - ca. 100)=====
{{main| Josephus on Jesus}}

For those who reject the authenticity of both the [[Josephus on Jesus|Testamonium Flavanium]] and the [[Josephus on Jesus#Reference to Jesus as brother of James .28xx 9.1.29|xx.9 reference to James]], [[Josephus]] would belong on this list. Naturally, those who accept the authenticity of one or the other, in whole or in part, see Josephus as providing evidence for an historical Jesus and thus would object to Josephus's inclusion. As the only first-century non-Christian to perhaps write of Jesus, the two brief mentions to be found in [[Antiquities of the Jews]] (written ca. 94) are the subject of often-heated debate.

=====Others=====

There are a number of other sources that survive from the period in which it would be reasonable to find mention of Jesus, though in no particular case would one be surprised to find mention of Jesus lacking.

These include: [[Pliny the Elder]], who wrote, in [[80|80 CE]], a ''Natural History'' that mentions hundreds of people, major and minor; [[Juvenal]], [[Martial]], [[Petronius]], and [[Persius]], Roman satirists who favored topics similar to Jesus's story;{{Fact|date=February 2007}} [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], whose massive ''Guide to Greece'' includes mentions of thousands of names, including minor Jewish figures in Palestine; [[Epictetus]] and [[Aelius Aristides]], who both recorded events and people in Palestine;{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and the letters of [[Fronto]] (who is known to have delivered a speech attacking Christian rituals).<ref>[[Minucius Felix]], ''Octavius'' 9, 31.</ref>

Other writers and historians of the time who did not mention Jesus include [[Dio Chrysostom]], [[Aulus Gellius]], [[Apuleius|Lucius Apuleius]], [[Marcus Aurelius]], [[Musonius Rufus]], [[Cassius Maximus Tyrius]], [[Arrian]], [[Appian]], [[Quintilian|Marcus Fabius Quintilianus]], [[Florus|Lucius Annaeus Florus]], and [[Marcus Annaeus Lucanus]].

===Paul's presentation of Jesus===

Several of the [[Pauline epistles|epistles of Paul]] are regarded as not authentic by a majority of Scholars, the [[Pastoral Epistles]] being singled out by over two thirds as least likely to be genuine. When the [[authorship of the Pauline epistles]] is considered, the epistles can be split into two groups - the seven considered by almost everyone to be genuine, against the rest. In this division, the theology of the disputed group seems, in the eyes of a majority of scholars, to be quite distinct from the theology of the seven undisputed letters. For some writers it is almost as if the disputed group were written specifically to counter the group thought to be genuine.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

Although there are occasional references in the disputed group to a flesh-and-blood Jesus, the undisputed group contains limited mention of Jesus as a historic figure. Even though Paul's letters are widely regarded as the earliest Christian documents, they contain very few references to Jesus' actual life and ministry, which the later Gospels detail. Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory claim that Paul's letters were written in response to specific problems unrelated to the details of the life of Jesus, and so the occasional and epistolary nature of Paul's correspondence are sufficient explanations for the lack of detail of Jesus' life. Proponents of the Jesus Myth theory note an abundance of missed rhetorical opportunities to reinforce Paul's points by quoting Jesus or citing well-known events in his life that were directly relevant to the topics he was discussing.

Several commentators, from writers whose theories have not received widespread acceptance, such as [[Earl Doherty]], to widely respected academics and experts in the field, such as Harvard professor [[Elaine Pagels]], have argued that Paul's writing should be interpreted as [[gnosticism]]. Christianity arose under a heavy Hellenic culture, Paul himself growing up in [[Tarsus]], the centre of one of the major [[mystery religion]]s of the time, and Pagels and Doherty (and others) believe that Paul's writing should be viewed in the context of the Hellenic culture which formed his background.

Gnosticism, a diverse religion some of whose branches used some Christian names and ideas and which flourished and subsequently died out in the first through fourth centuries, frequently used [[allegory]] and [[metaphor]] to guide its initiates towards ''salvation'', which Gnosticism viewed as a form of knowledge (''[[gnosis]]''). Many Gnostic groups even regarded Jesus himself as an allegory, rather than historic, and [[docetism]] was rife in Gnostic groups. Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe that many parts of the New Testament were written as Gnostic documents, and that Paul's writing is a prominent example of [[Gnosticism in the New Testament]][http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/marshall_gauvin/did_jesus_really_live.html]. Accordingly, in this interpretation, those references in the undisputed epistles that appear to refer to events on earth, and a physical historic Jesus, should instead be regarded as allegorical metaphors [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp08.htm]. These interpretations, of for example Galatians 1:19, 3:16, 4:4, Romans 1:3, 3:1, 15:8, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, 15:4, are regarded by opponents of the Jesus Myth theory as based on forced and erroneous translations [http://www.bede.org.uk/price7.htm].

===The influence of the Old Testament===

According to a majority of scholars, the [[synoptic problem]] - the strong similarities between three of the gospels, is most accurately resolved by the [[two-source hypothesis]], according to which most of the content of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] were copied wholesale from the [[Gospel of Mark]] and a lost collection of quotations known as the [[Q document]], with which the [[Gospel of Thomas]] is the most similar document of the era. In the small amount of additional material unique to Matthew, amongst the three, Jesus is presented in a way that has strong parallels with significant Old Testament figures, most noticeably [[Moses]], whose birth narrative, and sojourn in the wilderness, Matthew appears to have used as the basis of that of Jesus.

It is widely accepted that the Gospel accounts were influenced by the Old Testament. In particular, many quotations attributed to the Q document, which the Gospels attribute to Jesus, find parallels in several places of the Old Testament. Advocates of the Jesus Myth believe that the gospels are not history but a type of [[midrash]]: creative narratives based on the stories, prophecies, and quotes in the Hebrew Bible. In particular, there is no reason to assume that the sayings attributed to Q, a document theoretically devoid of narrative, originated with Jesus, rather than just being a collection of wisdom from several independent sources, such as the Old Testament. As such, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory claim that when the midrashic elements are removed, little to no content remains that could be used to demonstrate the existence of an historical Jesus [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/partthre.htm].

Though conceding that the gospels may contain some creativity and midrash, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the gospels are more akin to ancient Graeco-Roman biographies. Although scholars do not agree on the exact nature of this genre, associated works attempted to impart historical information about historical figures, but were not comprehensive and could include legendary developments. Nevertheless, as ancient biographies, proponents of Jesus' existence believe they contain sufficient historical information to establish his historicity.

Although there are many types of midrash, the [[Toledot Yeshu]] jumps out as being the most similar to the proposal that characters and situations were invented wholesale according to religious dogma and Old Testament prophecy. However, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that the closest parallels to potential Moses-based embellishment of the Jesus narrative, are inapplicable. Moreover, there are many examples of ancient Jewish and Christian literature that shaped their stories and accounts according to Old Testament influence, but nevertheless provided some historical accounts [http://www.bede.org.uk/price6.htm]; for example, in [[1 Maccabees]], Judas and his battles are described in terms which parallel those of Saul's and David's battles against the Philistines in [[Books of Samuel|1 and 2 Samuel]], but nevertheless 1 Maccabees has a degree of respect amongst historians as having a reasonable degree of historical reliability (John R. Bartlett, ''The First and Second Books of Maccabees'', p. 15-17).

===Parallels with Mediterranean mystery religions===

Some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that many aspects of the Gospel stories of Jesus have remarkable parallels with [[life-death-rebirth deity|life-death-rebirth gods]] in the widespread [[mystery religion]]s prevalent in the hellenic culture amongst which Christianty was born. The central figure of one of the most widespread, [[Osiris-Dionysus]], was consistently localised and deliberately merged with local deities in each area, since it was the ''mysteries'' which were imparted that were regarded as important, not the method by which they were taught. In the view of some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory, most prominently [[Timothy Freke|Freke]] and [[Peter Gandy|Gandy]] in ''[[The Jesus Mysteries]]'', Jewish mystics adapted their form of Osiris-Dionysus to match prior Jewish heroes like Moses and Joshua, hence creating Jesus.

Several parallels are frequently cited by these advocates, and often appear, somewhat less carefully mixed with more dubious parallels, on internet sites. The most prominently cited and plausible parallels are with [[Horus]] and [[Mithras]]. Horus was one of the life-death-rebirth deities, and was connected and involved in the resurrection of [[Osiris]], whose Egyptian name (''Asar'') is very similar to the [[root word|root]] of [[Lazarus]]. Some versions of the [[Book of the Dead]] report that Horus fed 5000 with just a few loaves of bread,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} since he was born and lived at the ''house of bread'' (it was a historic capital of Egypt, and grain store), which translated into Hebrew is ''[[bethlehem]]'', and was named [[Heliopolis (ancient)|Annu]] in Egyptian, which translated into Hebrew is ''[[bethany]]'' (''house of Any/Anu'').

In Egyptian myth, Horus gained his authority by being anointed by Anubis, who had his own cult, and was regarded as the main anointer; the anointing made Horus into ''Horus karast'' (a religious [[epithet]] written in Egyptian documents as ''HR KRST'') - embalmed/anointed Horus - in parallel to Jesus becoming ''Christ'' by being baptised by John, who had his own followers, and was especially regarded as a baptiser. Worship of [[Isis]], Horus' mother, was a prominent cult, and the proposal that this is the basis of ''[[latria|veneration]]'' of [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Mary]], and more particularly [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Marian Iconography]], has some merit.

The suggestion of parallels with such myths, however, has frequently gained little traction in the academic community. It is certainly the case that advocates of the Jesus Myth theory citing the parallels are frequently let down by citing dubious sources, choosing to include even ridiculous or implausible parallels, advocating particular theologies to replace Christianity, and using non standard terms (e.g. ''anup the baptiser'' rather than ''Anubis the anointer/embalmer'') which others fail to recognise.

Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory regularly accuse those who advocate the existence of such parallels of confusing the issue of who was borrowing from whom [http://www.bede.org.uk/books,jmyth.htm#7], a charge which was also made in ancient times by prominent early Christians. However, it is notable that, unlike modern opponents, several prominent early Christians, like [[Irenaeus]], actually acknowledged the existence of many parallels, complaining that the earlier religions had ''copied'' Christian religion and practices, before Jesus was even born, as some form of [[devil|diabolically]] inspired [[prophecy|pre-cognitive]] mockery. For their part, the historic opponents of early Christians wrote that Christians had the same religion and practice as they, but were too stupid to understand it.

In later years, Mithras worship became the most prominent rival to Christianity, and the idea that many Christian practices, including 25th December being Jesus' birth-date, and Sunday being the dedicated day of worship, derived originally from Mithraism, through a process known as [[christianization]], is regarded as possible by mainstream historians.<ref>"Christmas", Catholic Encyclopaedia, Cyril Martindale, 1908 [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm]</ref> Mithras was a solar deity, and so was seen as being born just after the [[winter solstice]], and the day each week officially dedicated to him by the Roman empire was later renamed the ''day of the invincible sun'', in turn being renamed ''Sunday''.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Parallels between Mithras and the birth-narrative of Luke are also proposed by some advocates of the Jesus myth, since Mithras, as a sun god, was born under the zodiac sign that at that time was known as the ''stable of Augeas'', though these latter parallels are not so supported in the academic community.

Supporters of Jesus' historicity point out that even Christian sources acknowledge that the public celebration of Jesus' birth was adopted from the date of the festival of [[Sol Invictus]],{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and that this has no bearing on the reliability of the Gospels, since they make no claims about the date.<ref>It has been argued that the Christian celebration on the 25th December predates the pagan practice. [http://touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=16-10-012-v]</ref> In fact, references in Luke and Matthew point to Jesus being more likely to have been born in April or September.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Neither do any Christian churches claim that the date for the celebration is anything other than symbolic.

===Historiography and methodology===

Price and other advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the inconsistencies between the Gospels, birth stories, genealogies, chronologies, and other parts of the narrative makes them worthless as historical documents. According to these authors, the [[historiography]] of the Gospels means that they can provide no meaningful historical information about the time Jesus was alleged to have lived, but only about the authors of the Gospels and their own communities [http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/theolist.htm].

Although seldom remarked on by New Testament scholars, some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that historians lack any reliable and widely accepted methodology for determining what is historical and what is not. As [[John Dominic Crossan|J. D. Crossan]], a well respected scholar of early Christianity, comments, ''I do not think, after two hundred years of experimentation, that there is any way acceptable in public discourse or scholarly debate, by which you can go directly into the great mound of the Jesus tradition and separate out the historical Jesus layer from all later strata''. While this is not an argument that Jesus did not exist any more than it is an argument that the Paul described in Acts, or even Napoleon, did not exist, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe it does call into question the results of ''historical inquiry'' into Jesus of Nazareth.

Opponents of the theory, including skeptical commentators such as the [[Jesus Seminar]], argue that some reliable information can be extracted from the Gospels if consistent critical methodology is used.

====Biblical contradictions====

The Christian Bible is a collection of the majority of documents supporting the historicity of Jesus, and the only reliable sources for details on his life. Those who advocate the theory that Jesus is a myth consider contradictions in the Bible to impeach the credibility of those documents. Those who oppose the theory generally consider the contradictions to be inconsequential and largely the result of the orally-transmitted roots of the documents. A significant minority of Christians hold to the concept of [[Biblical Inerrancy]] and assert that contradictions are apparent only and result from human failings to properly interpret the Bible.

The following is a partial listing of claims by skeptics of contradictions in major biographical details of Jesus's life and death. Those who deny the historicity of Jesus would claim that facts such as these should not be in dispute.

=====Genealogy=====

Matthew 1:1-16 traces Jesus's lineage from King David's son Solomon through to Joseph's father, Jacob. Luke 3:23-31 traces a completely different lineage from King David's son Nathan to Joseph's father, Heli. Christian apologists traditionally explain this discrepancy by suggesting that one records a patrilineal genealogy while the other a matrilineal one, but both identify different fathers for Joseph and neither mentions Mary. Further, there is no historical precedent for indicating a matrilineal genealogy for a first-century Jewish man, and especially not to establish that man's royal heritage.

=====Early childhood=====

According to Matthew 2:13-16, Mary and Joseph fled with the infant Jesus to Egypt in order to escape Herod's slaughtering of "all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under." The family does not return until the end of Herod's reign. In Luke 2:39-40, the holy family returns directly to Nazareth from Bethlehem, traveling to Jerusalem every year for the [[Passover]] feast. No mention of any acts of infanticide is made.

=====The Disciples=====

The [[Disciples of Jesus]] were twelve men personally selected by Jesus and who served as his traveling companions throughout his ministry. They would have come to know each other as well as any close family member.

Matthew 4:18-20 and Mark 4:18-20 both recount the same story of how Jesus selected his first Apostle, Peter, but the stories of Peter's selection from Luke 5:2-11 and John 1:35-42 are completely different. However, many apologetists might argue that Matthew and Mark's accounts just say where Peter was found, that Luke's account goes indepth, that John's talks about how the news of the Messiah was told to Peter, and who knew in Luke that Jesus claimed to be Lord.]

Matthew 10:2 and Mark 3:16-19 both list the same set of disciples. Luke 6:13-16 omits Thaddaeus and includes Judas son of James in his place. Acts 1:13,26 agrees with Luke but adds that the remaining disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot. John neither provides a list nor indicates their number, though it does mention nine of them by name at various places.

=====The trial=====

According to Matthew 26:18-20, 26:57-68, 27:1-2, Mark 14:16-18, 14:53-72, and 15:1, Jesus's initial hearing was at night on the first evening of Passover; in the morning, he was taken to [[Pontius Pilate]]. Luke 22:13-15 and 54-66 record the hearing as having taken place in the morning, and in John 18:28 and 19:14 it happened the day before. This is especially significant as the first evening of Passover was and is one of the holiest days of the year for Jews, a day on which conducting business of any kind would be anathema.

In Matthew 26:59-66 and Mark 14:55-64, Jesus is tried by the entire [[Sanhedrin]], the Jewish high court. In Luke 22:66-71, there was no trial, but only an inquiry held by the Sanhedrin. In John 18:13-24, Jesus was never brought before the Sanhedrin at all; Jesus only had private hearings before Annas and Caiphas.

Matthew 27:11-14 reports that Jesus maintained a stoic silence at his hearing before Pilate. According to John 18:33-37, Jesus answered all the charges eloquently and at length.

The chief priests and elders persuade the people to demand the release of Barabbas in Matthew 27:20, whereas in Mark 15:11 only the chief priests are responsible, and in Luke 23:18-23 the people seem to decide for themselves without prompting from leadership.

=====The Resurrection=====

Biblical accounts of the resurrection differ on a great number of details of varying significance, including who was at and who went to the tomb, when they arrived, whether nor not the stone covered the tomb, whether or not there was an earthquake, who did what afterwards, how and to whom Jesus made his initial appearances after his resurrection, and the reactions of those he appeared to. The discrepancies are generally attributed to either an understandable confusion on the part of those who witnessed this most extraordinary event, or a sure sign of multiple sources offering creative fictional interpretation of an event they were not witness to themselves.

=====The Ascension=====

In both Mark 16:14-19 and Luke 24:50-51, the [[Ascension]] takes place the same day as the Resurrection. In Mark, while seated at a table in or near Jerusalem, Jesus commands the Disciples to spread the Gospel and tells them that they may identify themselves to unbelievers by their invulnerability to poison and abilities to heal the sick and then is received into Heaven. In Luke, the Disciples are outdoors at Bethany where Jesus was in the act of blessing them when he was carried up to Heaven.

In Acts 1:9-12, forty days have passed, during which Jesus continued to preach the Gospel. The Disciples are northeast of Bethany, at Mount Olivet. Jesus delivers a brief final message to his Disciples and is taken up and received by a cloud. Two men, clothed in white, appear out of nowhere to tell the Disciples that Jesus will return in the same manner as he was taken.

Matthew contains no mention of the Ascension.

====Events only recorded in the Bible====

In addition to the numerous contradictions in the Bible's own account of Jesus's life, those who reject the historicity of Jesus consider the numerous spectacular events recorded only in the Bible and nowhere else as irreparably condemning the Bible's reliability as a historical account.

Those who hold to the historicity of Jesus generally, though not universally, acknowledge that the Bible is not to be considered the literal truth, and that it contains many obviously-mythical elements; rather, they consider what follows to be later additions to the core truth of the historical Jesus, in much the same way that a caught fish gets bigger each time in the re-telling. Those who hold that Jesus is a myth see no evidence that any fish was ever caught in the first place.

=====Star of Bethlehem=====

Although many explanations have been offered for the [[Star of Bethlehem]], no actual record of any such astronomical phenomenon can be found.

=====Flight to Egypt=====

Also as mentioned above, Matthew 2:13-16 records the holy family as having fled to Egypt. Though they may well have remained incognito while they lived there, the Bible says nothing on the matter one way or the other. If they did not keep their identities hidden, it is most likely that Philo, who was living in Alexandria at this time, would have recorded the presence of the prophesied and persecuted future King of the Jews.

=====Public miracles=====

The Bible records Jesus as having performed some very public miracles, in front of crowds numbering, in some cases, in the thousands. He healed the sick, blind, and lame; he raised the dead; he walked on water; and he fed multitudes with table scraps. History is replete with people doing such deeds, but every other instance is universally assumed to be mythic fiction.

=====Public ministry=====

Jesus preached the [[Sermon on the Mount]] to a crowd of "multitudes," and the [[Sermon on the Plain]] to "great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases." This clearly indicates that Jesus must have been a popular figure known throughout the entire region; yet, no mention is made of any preacher giving such a sermon to such crowds.

=====The trial=====

Jesus's trial is notable for what it describes as a great many of the most egregious possible violations of Jewish and Roman law and custom by all officials involved. The trial is said to have taken place during [[Pesach]], one of the holiest holidays for Jews then and now, on which such activities are most strictly forbidden. There was no need for the Jews to appeal to Roman authority for assistance in the trial; they had full authority from the Romans to execute anybody for any reason sanctioned by their own laws. There was even less reason for the Romans to agree to intervene in what would have been to them internecine provincial politics. The behavior of the Sanhedrin, such as spitting on Jesus, would have been just as shocking to people then as would similar action by the members of the United States Supreme Court today. If Pilate had agreed to take the case, he would not have permitted an unruly mob to have remained present, let alone have a say in the trial. While the Romans courts, like all courts, surely freed the guilty and executed the innocent, they never would have publicly declared their intention to do so any more than would any modern court; Pilate's acquiescence in granting the mob Barabbas in exchange for Jesus is incomprehensible. Finally, had Pilate actually acted as described, Rome would have had his head on a platter, figuratively if not literally, for letting a mob dictate his actions as well as for general gross misconduct.

In short, if even one aspect of the trial happened as described, it would have caught the attention--and raised the ire--of a great many important people in the region and beyond. If all of it happened as described, it would have been the most scandalous trial of the millennium.

=====The crucifixion=====

While there are undoubtedly many people who were crucified who remain unknown to history, various records of countless crucifixions survive. Romans saw [[crucifixion]] as a most ignominious way to die, and, as such, crucifixions often caught the attention of local historians. Sometimes Romans would crucify hundreds of people a day, but they also crucified people singly or in small groups. Josephus records many of these, including that of a Jesus who was the son of a man named Stada, but nobody recorded any crucifixion of a charismatic rebel preacher who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ.

=====Portents at Jesus's death=====

The Gospels record ominous portents as having occurred at the time of Jesus's death. As recorded in Matthew 27:45-54 and similarly in the other synoptic Gospels, a three-hour darkness was "over all the land"; the veil of the temple was rent; there was an earthquake; and the graves opened and dead saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem.

No eclipse would have been astronomically possible at the time; Pesach, according to the lunar calendar, always is celebrated with the start of the full moon, and eclipses can only happen when the moon is new. Further, no eclipse ever lasts for more than a few minutes--let alone three hours. No account of this most remarkable event, visible from "all the land," can be found outside the Gospels.

Records of major earthquakes from the period are rather comprehensive, yet no recorded earthquake happened at a time when the crucifixion could have happened.

The rending of the veil of the temple would have been a most remarkable occurrence, yet it remained intact until the temple was destroyed in [[70]] CE.

Had presumably all the graves in the area been opened and a corresponding number of dead saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem, it is absolutely certain that those many would have reported the fact, yet none did.

=====The Resurrected Jesus=====

Acts 1:3 says that, for forty days after his resurrection, Jesus continued his ministry, yet no extra-Biblical record can be found of the most remarkable fact of a man, very publicly executed, continuing to do for over a month that which got him executed in the first place.

=====The Ascension=====

According to Acts 1:9, Jesus [[Ascension|Ascended]] to Heaven from atop [[Mount Olivet]], which would have been in full view of all of Jerusalem. Once more, no account of the Ascension can be found outside of the Bible.

==Mainstream Scholarly reception==
{{split|historicity of Jesus}}
The unhistoricity theory is a minority among scholars. Professor Robert E. Van Voorst has stated:

:''The nonhistoricity thesis has always been controversial, and it has consistently failed to convince scholars of many disciplines and religious creeds. ... Biblical scholars and classical historians now regard it as effectively refuted.'' <ref>Robert E. Van Voorst, ''Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence'' (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000), p. 16.</ref>

Doherty's interpretation of this fact is that:

:''New Testament scholarship has not kept pace with today’s mythicism... Someone in the mainstream, a respected, open-minded critical scholar, unencumbered by confessional interests and peer pressure, needs to take a fresh look, to consider and address every aspect of the mythicst case in an in-depth fashion...''{{cite web |url=http://jesuspuzzle.humanists.net/CritiquesRefut3.htm |title=Responses to Critiques of the Mythicist Case |accessdate=2007-01-09 |author=Earl Doherty}}

The idea of Jesus as a myth has received strong criticism from a number of biblical scholars and historians. The points below highlight some of these criticisms.

*Some scholars, like [[Michael Grant (author)|Michael Grant]], do not see significant similarity between the pagan myths and Christianity. Grant states in ''Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels'' that "Judaism was a milieu to which doctrines of the deaths and rebirths, of mythical gods seemed so entirely foreign that the emergence of such a fabrication from its midst is very hard to credit."<ref>Michael Grant, ''Jesus'' (1977), p. 199</ref>
* Christianity was actively opposed by both the [[Roman Empire]] and the Jewish authorities, and would have been utterly discredited if Jesus had been shown as a non-historical figure. There is good early evidence in [[Pliny]], [[Josephus]] and other sources of the Roman and Jewish approaches at the time, and none of them involved this suggestion.<ref>see eg [http://www.starcourse.org/sources.html Historical Sources on Jesus] which references ''The Evidence for Jesus'' by Prof RT France (Hodder & Stoughton 1986)</ref>
*Parallels between [[Christianity]] and [[Mystery Religions]] are not considered compelling evidence by some scholars. A [[Christian]] apologist, Michael Licona, has summed up the viewpoint of this era's historiography:
:: Many scholars have abandoned the ''religionsgeschichtliche'' or what was known as the “history of religions” school that regarded parallels as conclusive signs that Christianity was cut from the same cloth as ancient myth. Further research has revealed that many of the parallels to which they refer postdate the Gospels.<ref> http://www.answeringinfidels.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=87</ref>
*Through [[cultural diffusion]] it would have been natural for [[Jesus]] and/or his followers within a Hellenized Judea to incorporate the philosophy and sentiment of [[Epicureanism]], [[Stoicism]], neo-Platonism/proto-[[Gnosticism]] , and [[mystery cults]].<ref>William C. Martin, These Were God's People: A Bible History (Nashville, Tennessee: The Southwestern Company, 1966,) 392 and 432-440.</ref> The ideas that these belief systems brought concerning the afterlife, presence of the divine, and wisdom were incorporated into [[Judaism]] for several centuries before [[Jesus]] and can be found in the [[Old Testament]] and [[Apocrypha]].
*Those who do not hold to the Jesus-Myth disagree with the notion that the [[Apostle Paul]] did not speak of [[Jesus]] as a physical being. This is largely an [[argument from silence]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Furthermore, they argue that it is a distortion, because statements of the Apostle Paul appear to contradict this viewpoint several times.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} He claims that Jesus "descended from David according to the flesh."<ref>Romans 1:3</ref> Paul also states that "God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law"<ref>Galatians 4:4.</ref> and that "the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being."<ref>1 Corinthians 15:21.</ref> Paul clearly states that in "taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness, And being found in human form, he [Jesus] humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross."<ref>Philippians 2:7-8</ref> Furthermore, he invokes the "command," "charge," or "word" of [[Jesus]] four times<ref>Romans 14:14, 1 Corinthians 7:10 and 9:14, and 1 Thessalonians 4:15.</ref> in the [[Epistles]].
*The [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] is debatably an early source, which some, but not all, scholars put before 70 CE.<ref>See [[Epistle to the Hebrews]].</ref> Their reasoning is that the [[Epistle]] makes mention of [[animal sacrifice]], which was a practice that fell out of favor in [[Judaism]] after the destruction of the temple. In Hebrews, Jesus is mentioned several times in physical form<ref>Hebrews 5:7, 7:14, and 12:3.</ref> and even speaks.<ref>Hebrews 10:5-9.</ref>

===Jesus in non-Christian sources===
{{main|Historicity of Jesus#Greco-Roman sources}}
*Extant non-Christian sources which make mention of Jesus, including those opposed to Christianity, regard him as a historical figure. Two passages in the Jewish historian [[Josephus]] refer to Jesus, although scholars generally hold that the longer is at least partly [[interpolation (manuscripts)|interpolated]]. [[Celsus]], a second century critic of [[Christianity]], accused [[Jesus]] of being a bastard child and a sorcerer. He never questions Jesus' historicity even though he hated [[Christianity]] and [[Jesus]].<ref>Morton Smith, Jesus the Magician: Charlatan or Son of God? (1978) pp. 78-79.</ref> He is quoted as saying that Jesus was a "mere man."<ref>http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/Ap0301/CELSUS.htm</ref> Furthermore, there is debate whether [[Suetonius]], who wrote in the second century, made reference to [[Christianity]] existing in 41 CE, though the majority of scholars believe that the reference cannot be interpreted in this fashion.<ref>http://www.mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/sources.htm</ref> Lastly, there are passages of debatable significance from the historian [[Tacitus]] and satirist [[Lucian of Samosata]], which credit "Christ" as the founder of [[Christianity]].<ref>Ibid.  For scholarly discussion, refer to source.</ref>

==Notes==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

==See also==
* ''[[The God Who Wasn't There]]''
*[[John of Gamala]]
*[[Jus Asaf]]

==References==
*{{cite book|last=Allegro|first=John M.|authorlink=John Marco Allegro|title=The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity Within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East|year=1970|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|location=London|id=ISBN 0-340-12875-5}}
*{{cite encyclopedia|last=Arendzen|first=J. P.|encyclopedia=The Catholic Encyclopedia|title=Docetae|url =http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05070c.htm|accessdate=2007-01-07|year=1909|publisher=Robert Appleton|volume=Volume V|location=New York}}
*{{cite book|last=Bartlett|first=John R.|title=The First and Second Books of the Maccabees|year=1973|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=0521086582}}
*{{cite encyclopedia|last=Borchert|first=G. L.|encyclopedia=Elwell Evangelical Dictionary|title=Docetism}}
*{{cite book|last=Duling|first=Dennis C.|coauthors=N. Perrin|title=The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History|year=1993}}
*{{cite book|last=Grant|first=Michael|authorlink=Michael Grant (author)|title=Jesus|origyear=1977|year=1999|publisher=Phoenix|location=London|isbn=0-75380-899-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=J. N. D.|title=Early Christian Doctrines|edition=5th ed., rev.|year=1985|publisher=A. & C. Black|location=London|isbn=0713627239}}
*{{cite book|last=Martin|first=William C.|title=These Were God's People: A Bible History|year=1966|publisher=The Southwestern Company|location=Nashville, Tennessee}}
*{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Morton|authorlink=Morton Smith|title=Jesus the Magician|year=1978|publisher=Gollancz|location=London|isbn=0575024844}}
*{{cite book|last=Van Voorst|first=Robert E.|title=Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence|year=2000|publisher=W. B. Eerdmans Pub.|location=Grand Rapids, Mich.|id=ISBN 0-8028-4368-9}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Allegro|first=John M.|title=The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth|year=1992|edition=2nd rev. ed.|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Buffalo, N.Y.|id=ISBN 0-87975-757-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Atwill|first=Joseph|title=The Roman Origins of Christianity|year=2003|publisher=J. Atwill|id=ISBN 0-9740928-0-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Atwill|first=Joseph|title=Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus|year=2005|publisher=Ulysses|location=Berkeley, Calif.|id=ISBN 1-56975-457-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Brodie|first=Thomas L.|title=The Crucial Bridge: The Elijah-Elisha Narrative as an Interpretive Synthesis of Genesis-Kings and a Literary Model for the Gospels|year=2000|publisher=Liturgical Press|location=Collegeville, Minn.|id=ISBN 0-8146-5942-X}}
*{{cite journal |last=Doherty |first=Earl |authorlink=Earl Doherty |year=1997 |month=Fall |title=The Jesus Puzzle: Pieces in a Puzzle of Christian Origins |journal=Journal of Higher Criticism |volume=4 |issue=2 |url=http://home.ca.inter.net/~oblio/jhcjp.htm |accessdate=2007-01-09 }}
*{{cite book|last=Doherty|first=Earl|authorlink=Earl Doherty|title=[[The Jesus Puzzle]]: Did Christianity Begin With a Mythical Christ?|year=2000|edition=rev. ed.|publisher=Canadian Humanist Publications|location=Ottawa|id=ISBN 0-9686014-0-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Ellegård|first=Alvar|authorlink=Alvar Ellegård|title=Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ: A Study in Creative Mythology|year=1999|publisher=Century|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7126-7956-1}}
*{{cite book|last=France|first=R. T.|title=The Evidence for Jesus|year=1986|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|location=London|id=ISBN 0-340-38172-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Freke|first=Timothy|authorlink=Timothy Freke|coauthors=and [[Peter Gandy]]|title=[[The Jesus Mysteries]]: Was the 'Original Jesus' a Pagan God?|year=1999|publisher=Thorsons|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7225-3676-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Meier|first=John P|authorlink=John P. Meier|title=A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus|edition=3 vols.|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York}}
*#{{cite book|title=The Roots of the Problem and the Person|year=1991|id=ISBN 0-385-26425-9}}
*#{{cite book|title=Mentor, Message, and Miracles|year=1994|id=ISBN 0-385-46992-6}}
*#{{cite book|title=Companions and Competitors|year=2001|id=ISBN 0-385-46993-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Price|first=Robert M.|authorlink=Robert M. Price|title=Deconstructing Jesus|year=2000|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Amherst, N.Y.|id=ISBN 1-57392-758-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Price|first=Robert M.|title=The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable is the Gospel Tradition?|year=2003|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Amherst, N.Y.|id=ISBN 1-59102-121-9}}
*{{cite encyclopedia|last=Price|first=Robert M.|title=New Testament narrative as Old Testament midrash|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Midrash: Biblical Interpretation in Formative Judaism|editor=[[Jacob Neusner]] and Alan J. Avery-Peck|year=2005|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|id=ISBN 90-04-14166-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Sanders|first=E. P.|authorlink=E. P. Sanders|title=The Historical Figure of Jesus|year=1993|publisher=Allen Lane|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7139-9059-7}}
* Seznec, Jean. 1972, ''The Survival of the Pagan Gods'', Princeton University Press, ISBN 0691017832
*{{cite book|last=Theissen|first=Gerd|authorlink=Gerd Theissen|coauthors=and Annette Merz|title=The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide|year=1998|others=trans. John Bowden|publisher=Fortress Press|location=Minneapolis|id=ISBN 0-8006-3123-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Thomas L.|title=The Messiah Myth: The Near Eastern Roots of Jesus and David|year=2005|publisher=Basic Books|location=New York|id=ISBN 0-465-08577-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Wells|first=G. A.|authorlink=George Albert Wells|title=The Historical Evidence for Jesus|year=1982|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Buffalo, N.Y.|id=ISBN 0-87975-180-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Wells|first=G. A.|title=The Jesus Myth|year=1999|publisher=Open Court|location=Chicago|id=ISBN 0-8126-9392-2}}
*{{cite journal|last=Wells|first=G. A.|authorlink=George Albert Wells|year=1999|month=September|title=Earliest Christianity|journal=New Humanist|volume=114|issue=3|pages=13-18|url=http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/g_a_wells/earliest.html|accessdate=2007-01-11}}

==External links==
===Supporting a Jesus-Myth theory===

* [http://www.jesuspuzzle.com/ Earl Doherty's Website]
* [http://www.truthbeknown.com/origins.htm "The Origins of Christianity and Search for the Historical Jesus Christ"] by [[Acharya S]]
* [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/jesuspuzzle.shtml "Did Jesus Exist? Earl Doherty and the Argument to Ahistoricity"] by Richard Carrier
* [http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/ Jesus never existed]
* [http://www.christianism.com/ Jesus (was) is a Fictional character (not "historical")] Rt. Rev. Lino Sanchez
* [http://www.egodeath.com/#_The_Non-Historicity_of The Non-Historicity of Jesus] Michael Hoffman
* [http://www.radikalkritik.de/ Hermann Detering's RadikalKritik] (partially in German)
* [http://www.ffrf.org/news/2006/debunkingJesus.php Debunking the Historical Jesus]
* [http://www.vexen.co.uk/books/jesusmysteries.html "The Jesus Mysteries"] by Freke/Gandy

===Supporting a historical Jesus===

* [http://www.geocities.com/nephilimnot/historical_jesus_christ.html Historical Jesus Christ Unveiled]
* [http://www.geocities.com/b_d_muller/djp1.html Critique of the Jesus Puzzle] by Bernard D. Muller
* [http://www.bede.org.uk/price8.htm "A History of Scholarly Refutations of the Jesus Myth"] by Christopher Price
* [http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html "Shattering the Jesus Myth"] by J.P. Holding
* [http://www.answeringinfidels.com/content/category/5/73/49/ "Answering Acharya S"] by Mike Licona
** [http://truthbeknown.com/licona.htm Acharya rebuttal to Licona]
* [http://www.bede.org.uk/jesusindex.htm "Did Jesus Exist"] a page devoted to the issues raised by the Jesus Myth

*[http://constantinbrunner.info/sbise/1/200503150938.htm Constantin Brunner's critique of mythicism]. This is the full text of [[Constantin Brunner]]'s 1921 essay attacking the idea that Jesus never lived.

[[Category:Jesus]]
[[Category:Biblical criticism]]
[[Category:Historicity of religious figures]]

Jesus-Mythos

2007-02-10T20:28:11Z

Shawnc: /* Recent scholarship */ The God Who Wasn't There

{{jesus}}

The narrative on '''[[Jesus]]''' in the [[gospel]]s considered as part of '''[[Christian mythology]]''', show parallels to Hellenistic [[mystery religion]]s like [[Mithraism]], and the mytheme of [[life-death-rebirth deity|rebirth deities]].

Study of such elements is often{{fact}}, but not exclusively, associated with a [[skeptic|skeptical]] position on the [[historicity of Jesus]].

==History of the theories==

The term ''Jesus as myth'' covers a broad range of ideas, but most share the common premise that the narrative of the [[gospel|Gospels]] portrays a figure who never actually lived.{{fact}} Current theories arose from nineteenth century scholarship on the formation of myth, in the work of writers such as [[Max Müller]] and [[James Frazer]]. Müller argued that religions originated in mythic stories of the birth, death and rebirth of the sun. Frazer further attempted to explain the origins of humanity's mythic beliefs in the idea of a "sacrificial king", associated with the sun as a [[dying and reviving god]] and its connection to the regeneration of the earth in springtime.<ref> "The Golden Bough - A Study in Magic and Religion", 1922, MacMillan Press</ref>The Later works by [[George Albert Wells]] drew on the [[Pauline Epistles]] and the lack of early non-Christian documents to argue that the Jesus figure of the [[Gospels]] was symbolic not historical. [[Earl Doherty]] proposed that [[Jewish mysticism]] influenced the development of a [[Christ]] myth, while [[John M. Allegro]] proposed that [[Christianity]] began as [[shamanism|shamanic]] religion based on the use of [[hallucinogenic mushrooms]].<ref>{{cite book |author= John M. Allegro |authorlink= John M. Allegro |title= The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross |year= 1973 |publisher= Prometheus Books |location= UK |isbn= 0879757574 }}</ref> Most recently [[Timothy Freke]] and [[Peter Gandy]] have popularized the Jesus-Myth concept int their book ''[[The Jesus Mysteries]]''.

Some, including Freke and Gandy, have suggested that the idea itself is as old as the New Testament as the [[Second Epistle of John]] warns of "many deceivers [who] are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." This view was shared by [[Marcion]] (110-160 A.D.), who compiled the first version of the New Testament as early as 144 A.D., and whose followers, the [[Marcionism|Marcionites]], continued until the 4th Century.

[[Ignatius]], [[Bishop of Antioch]], in 115 A.D. in the "Epistle to Mary at [[Neapolis]], near Zarbus," urged her: "Avoid those that deny the passion of Christ, and His birth according to the flesh; and there are many at present who suffer under this disease." The [[Polycarp's letter to the Philippians|Letter]] of [[Polycarp]] to the [[Philippians]] in chapter 7 says: "For anyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist," apparently quoting 1 John 4:3.

Proponents argue that had Jesus been a true historical figure there would not have been such a large number of prominent people who denied his existence, or an even larger number who defended him. Such controversies never developed over other contemporary religious figures (e.g., [[John the Baptist]], [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]], [[James the Just]], [[Hillel the Elder|Hillel]], [[Honi the Circledrawer]]). Scholars of the period however believe that these early quotes refer to [[docetism]], the belief that Jesus mystically appeared to people but lacked a genuinely physical body, rather than a belief that Jesus was a completely fabricated figure.<ref>G.L. Borchert, "Docetism" in ''Elwell Evangelical Dictionary''; ''[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05070c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]'', 1909/2003; D.C. Duling & N. Perrin, ''The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History'', 1993; "Docetism", ''[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030754 Encyclopædia Britannica]'', 2006; J.N.D. Kelly, ''Early Christian Doctrines''. [http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CPn24John2.htm "Book 24 - John's Second Letter". J.B.Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", 1962 edition].</ref>

==Early proponents==

The first scholarly proponent of this theory was probably [[19th century|nineteenth century]] [[historian]] [[Bruno Bauer]], a [[Hegelian]] thinker who argued that the true founder of [[Christianity]] was the [[Alexandria]]n [[Jew]] [[Philo]], who had adapted Judaic ideas to Hellenic philosophy. His arguments made little impact at the time. Other authors included [[Edwin Johnson (historian)|Edwin Johnson]], who argued that Christianity emerged from a combination of liberal trends in Judaism with [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] mysticism. Less speculative versions of the theory developed under Dutch Bible scholars such as A. D. Loman and G. I. P. Bolland. Loman argued that episodes in Jesus's life, such as the [[Sermon on the Mount]], were in reality fictions to justify compilations of pre-existing liberal Jewish sayings. Bolland developed the theory that Christianity developed from Gnosticism and that "Jesus" was a symbolic figure representing Gnostic ideas about godhead.

By the early [[20th century|twentieth century]] a number of writers had published arguments in favour of the Jesus Myth theory, ranging from the highly speculative to the more scholarly. These treatments were sufficiently influential to merit several book-length responses by traditional historians and [[New Testament]] [[scholars]]. The most influential of the books arguing for a mythic Jesus was [[Arthur Drews]]'s ''The Christ-Myth'' (1909) which brought together the scholarship of the day in defence of the idea that Christianity had been a Jewish Gnostic cult that spread by appropriating aspects of Greek philosophy and Frazerian death-rebirth deities. This combination of arguments became the standard form of the mythic Christ theory.

While aspects of the theory were influential, most mainstream scholars at the time rejected the notion that "Jesus" was little more than a fiction, arguing that the [[Gospels]], Pauline epistles and [[Acts of the Apostles]] contained some reliable information about the events they describe. Since Frazerian theories about myth have been largely debunked, and the priority of Gnosticism seriously questioned, the Jesus Myth theory has dwindled in importance.

==Recent scholarship==

In recent years, the Jesus Myth has had few proponents in academia but has been advanced by [[William B. Smith]] and [[George Albert Wells]] (''The Jesus Legend'' and ''The Jesus Myth''), as well as by [[Timothy Freke]], philosopher and expert on mysticism, and [[Peter Gandy]], a scholar of [[mystery religions]] (co-authors of '' [[The Jesus Mysteries]]'' and ''Jesus and the Lost Goddess''), and the noted humanist [[Earl Doherty]] (author of ''[[The Jesus Puzzle]]''), a scholar of Ancient History and Classical Languages.

There are many different views regarding the nature of the early texts. Earl Doherty argues that Jesus is a historicized mythic figure created out of the [[Old Testament]], whom the early Christians experienced in visions, as [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] says he did. [[Joseph Atwill]], on the other hand, argues that Jesus is the deliberate and malefic creation of powerful [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] of the family of [[Vespasian]], who sought to divide and destroy [[Judaism]]. Hence in Atwill's version, there really is a historical Jesus, but he is Vespasian's son Titus, and the gospels are a complex allegory of his conquest of [[Judea]].

Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory do not agree on the dating and meaning of the early Christian texts, with recent advocates like Doherty holding to traditional scholarly dating that puts the gospels toward the end of the [[1st century|first century]], and others, like [[Hermann Detering]] (''The Fabricated Paul''), arguing that the early Christian texts are largely forgeries and products of the mid and late [[2nd century|second century]].

Presently, the majority of New Testament scholars and historians agree in favour of Jesus' historicity. No peer-reviewed work advocating the Jesus Myth theory exists and it has had little impact on the consensus among New Testament academics of Jesus' historicity. Nevertheless, Doherty's treatment of the issue has received attention on the internet from both sides of the debate, including favourable reviews by skeptics Dr. [[Robert M. Price]] and [[Richard Carrier]] [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/jesuspuzzle.shtml]. The film [[The God Who Wasn't There]] by [[Brian Flemming]] advocates the concept of a mythical Jesus.

==Specific arguments of the theory==
{{original research|section}}

===Early non-Christian references to Jesus===
{{split|Historicity of Jesus}}
There are no surviving non-Christian documents that make reference to Jesus until the end of the first century when [[Josephus]] wrote the [[Antiquities of the Jews]], however the authenticity of this account is [[Josephus on Jesus|subject to controversy]]. This is despite the survival of writings by a number of Roman and Jewish commentators and historians who wrote in the [[1st century|first century]]. The paucity of non-Christian evidence is, to advocates of the Jesus Myth theory, an [[argument from silence]] that Jesus was a later invention. To critics of the Jesus Myth theory, the silence is attributed to the relative unimportance of the historical Jesus at the time as viewed by Romans, Greeks, and most Jews. Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory counter this response by noting that all the evidence which does exist to support Jesus – mainly, the Gospels – describes a monumental figure, performing wondrous miracles and challenging the most prominent figures of the day, not some inconsequential nobody.

Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory point out that the earliest references to Jesus are by Christian writers (in the New Testament and [[New Testament Apocrypha|its Apocrypha]]). Of the few non-Christian references, almost all merely mention the existence of Christians and their belief, rather than explicitly mentioning Jesus as having existed. The most cited example for a non-Christian reference to Jesus is [[Josephus]] ([[37]] [[Common Era|CE]] - c. [[100]] CE), whose ''Antiquities'', written in [[93]] CE (more than two generations after most Christian scholars date the [[crucifixion]]), contain two references to a Jesus. One of these states that he was the founder of a sect.

The first reference, the [[Josephus on Jesus|Testimonium Flavianum]], contains content that affirms core religious tenets of Christianity rejected by Judaism and thus is most uncharacteristic of a lifelong Jew such as Josephus. It is not mentioned by [[2nd century|second-century]] Christian authors, though several scholars have proposed that when stripped of the implausible Christian phrases, the core witness to a ''Jesus'' as a leader of a sect is reliable [http://www.bede.org.uk/Josephus.htm].

The second reference, which merely mentions that a person named ''Jesus'' was the brother of a person named ''James'' who is traditionally identified as [[James the Just]], is also disputed [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp10.htm], though it is mostly--though not universally--regarded as significantly more likely to be authentic than the ''Testamonium'' [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/testimonium.html#reference]. Nevertheless, the Hebrew form of ''Jesus'', a colloquial form of the name ''Joshua'', was a particularly common name at the time, and the second reference provides only Jesus's name, identification as the Christ ("Messiah" or "anointed one"), and relationship to James.

====Notable omissions in extant contemporary records====

It is often argued that no mention of Jesus or the events of the New Testament can be found in any of the numerous contemporary and near-contemporary records of the day, and that this serves as evidence against the existence of the Jesus of the gospels.

=====Philo ([[20 BCE]] - [[40|40 CE]])=====

By far, the most notable omission is [[Philo]]'s. Philo was a Hellenized Jew who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He visited the Temple in Jerusalem, and corresponded with family there. He wrote a great many books on religion and philosophy which survive to this day, and mentioned many of his contemporaries. His main theological contribution was the development of the [[Logos]], the "Word" that opens the [[Gospel of John]]. Yet Philo not once mentions Jesus, anybody who could be mistaken for Jesus, or any of the events of the New Testament. His last writings come from 40 CE, only a few years after the end of [[Pontius Pilate]]'s reign, when he was part of an embassy sent by the Alexandrian Jews to the Roman Emperor [[Caligula]].

=====Plutarch (ca. [[46]] - [[127]]) =====

[[Mestrius Plutarchus|Plutarch]] wrote, about the same time as Josephus, about contemporary Roman figures, oracles, prophesies, and moral, religious, and spiritual issues. A figure such as Jesus, whom the Gospels portray as interacting with Roman figures, making prophecies, and giving sermons on novel religious and spiritual issues, would have been of great interest to him.

=====Justus=====

[[Justus of Tiberias]] wrote, at the end of the first century, a history of Jewish kings (who the gospels state Jesus had interactions with). Justus' history does not survive, but [[Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]], who read it in the [[9th century]], stated that it did not mention "the coming of Christ, the events of His life, or the miracles performed by Him".<ref>{{cite book |author=Photius |authorlink=Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople |others=trans. J. H. Freese |title=The library of Photius |url=http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/photius_02preface.htm |accessdate=2007-01-03 |year=1920 |publisher=SPCK |location=London |chapter=33: Justus of Tiberias, ''Chronicle of the Kings of the Jews'' |chapterurl=http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/photius_03bibliotheca.htm#33 }}</ref>

=====Josephus (ca. [[37]] - ca. [[100]])=====
{{main| Josephus on Jesus}}

For those who reject the authenticity of both the [[Josephus on Jesus|Testamonium Flavanium]] and the [[Josephus_on_Jesus#Reference_to_Jesus_as_brother_of_James_.28xx_9.1.29|xx.9 reference to James]], [[Josephus]] would belong on this list. Naturally, those who accept the authenticity of one or the other, in whole or in part, see Josephus as providing evidence for an historical Jesus and thus would object to Josephus's inclusion. As the only first-century non-Christian to perhaps write of Jesus, the two brief mentions to be found in [[Antiquities of the Jews]] (written ca. 94) are the subject of often-heated debate.

=====Others=====

There are a number of other sources that survive from the period in which it would not have been unreasonable to find mention of Jesus, though in no particular case would one be surprised to find mention of Jesus lacking.

These include: [[Pliny the Elder]], who wrote, in [[80|80 CE]], a Natural History that mentions hundreds of people, major and minor; [[Juvenal]], [[Martial]], [[Petronius]], and [[Persius]], Roman satirists who favored topics similar to Jesus's story;{{fact}} [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], whose massive Guide to Greece includes mentions of thousands of names, including minor Jewish figures in Palestine; [[Epictetus]] and [[Aelius Aristides]], who both recorded events and people in Palestine;{{fact}} and the letters of [[Fronto]] (who is known to have delivered a speech attacking Christian rituals).<ref>[[Minucius Felix]], ''Octavius'' 9, 31.</ref>

Other writers and historians of the time who did not mention Jesus include [[Dio Chrysostom]], [[Aulus Gellius]], [[Apuleius|Lucius Apuleius]], [[Marcus Aurelius]], [[Musonius Rufus]], [[Cassius Maximus Tyrius]], [[Arrian]], [[Appian]], [[Quintilian|Marcus Fabius Quintilianus]], [[Florus|Lucius Annaeus Florus]], and [[Marcus Annaeus Lucanus]].

===Paul's presentation of Jesus===

Several of the [[Pauline epistles|epistles of Paul]] are regarded as not authentic by a majority of Scholars, the [[Pastoral Epistles]] being singled out as least likely to be genuine by over two thirds. When the [[authorship of the Pauline epistles]] is considered, the epistles can be split into two groups - the seven considered by almost everyone to be genuine, against the rest. In this division, the theology of the disputed group seems, in the eyes of a majority of scholars, to be quite distinct from the theology of the seven undisputed letters. For some writers it is almost as if the disputed group were written specifically to counter the group thought to be genuine.{{cite needed}}

Although there are occasional references in the disputed group to a flesh-and-blood Jesus, the undisputed group contains limited mention of Jesus as a historic figure. Even though Paul's letters are widely regarded as the earliest Christian documents, they contain very few references to Jesus' actual life and ministry, which the later Gospels detail. Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory claim that Paul's letters were written in response to specific problems unrelated to the details of the life of Jesus, and so the occasional and epistolary nature of Paul's correspondence are sufficient explanations for the lack of detail of Jesus' life. Proponents of the Jesus Myth theory note an abundance of missed rhetorical opportunities to reinforce Paul's points by quoting Jesus or citing well-known events in his life that were directly relevant to the topics he was discussing.

Several commentators, from writers whose theories have not received widespread acceptance, such as [[Earl Doherty]], to widely respected academics and experts in the field, such as Harvard professor [[Elaine Pagels]], have argued that Paul's writing should be interpreted as [[gnosticism]]. Christianity arose under a heavy Hellenic culture, Paul himself growing up in [[Tarsus]], the centre of one of the major [[mystery religion]]s of the time, and Pagels and Doherty (and others) believe that Paul's writing should be viewed in the context of the Hellenic culture which formed his background.

Gnosticism, a diverse religion some of whose branches used some Christian names and ideas and which flourished and subsequently died out in the first through fourth centuries, frequently used [[allegory]] and [[metaphor]] to guide its initiates towards ''salvation'', which Gnosticism viewed as a form of knowledge (''[[gnosis]]''). Many Gnostic groups even regarded Jesus himself as an allegory, rather than historic, and [[docetism]] was rife in Gnostic groups. Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe that many parts of the New Testament were written as Gnostic documents, and that Paul's writing is a prominent example of [[Gnosticism in the New Testament]][http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/marshall_gauvin/did_jesus_really_live.html]. Accordingly, in this interpretation, those references in the undisputed epistles that appear to refer to events on earth, and a physical historic Jesus, should instead be regarded as allegorical metaphors [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp08.htm]. These interpretations, of for example Galatians 1:19, 3:16, 4:4, Romans 1:3, 3:1, 15:8, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, 15:4, are regarded by opponents of the Jesus Myth theory as based on forced and erroneous translations [http://www.bede.org.uk/price7.htm].

===The influence of the Old Testament===

According to a majority of scholars, the [[synoptic problem]] - the strong similarities between three of the gospels, is most accurately resolved by the [[two-source hypothesis]], according to which most of the content of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] were copied wholesale from the [[Gospel of Mark]] and a lost collection of quotations known as the [[Q document]], with which the [[Gospel of Thomas]] is the most similar document of the era. In the small amount of additional material unique to Matthew, amongst the three, Jesus is presented in a way that has strong parallels with significant Old Testament figures, most noticeably [[Moses]], whose birth narrative, and sojourn in the wilderness, Matthew appears to have used as the basis of that of Jesus.

It is widely accepted that the Gospel accounts were influenced by the Old Testament. In particular, many quotations attributed to the Q document, which the Gospels attribute to Jesus, find parallels in several places of the Old Testament. Advocates of the Jesus Myth believe that the gospels are not history but a type of [[midrash]]: creative narratives based on the stories, prophecies, and quotes in the Hebrew Bible. In particular, there is no reason to assume that the sayings attributed to Q, a document theoretically devoid of narrative, originated with Jesus, rather than just being a collection of wisdom from several independent sources, such as the Old Testament. As such, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory claim that when the midrashic elements are removed, little to no content remains that could be used to demonstrate the existence of an historical Jesus [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/partthre.htm].

Though conceding that the gospels may contain some creativity and midrash, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the gospels are more akin to ancient Graeco-Roman biographies. Although scholars do not agree on the exact nature of this genre, associated works attempted to impart historical information about historical figures, but were not comprehensive and could include legendary developments. Nevertheless, as ancient biographies, proponents of Jesus' existence believe they contain sufficient historical information to establish his historicity.

Although there are many types of midrash, the [[Toledot Yeshu]] jumps out as being the most similar to the proposal that characters and situations were invented wholesale according to religious dogma and Old Testament prophecy. However, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that the closest parallels to potential Moses-based embellishment of the Jesus narrative, are inapplicable. Moreover, there are many examples of ancient Jewish and Christian literature that shaped their stories and accounts according to Old Testament influence, but nevertheless provided some historical accounts [http://www.bede.org.uk/price6.htm]; for example, in [[1 Maccabees]], Judas and his battles are described in terms which parallel those of Saul's and David's battles against the Philistines in [[Books of Samuel|1 and 2 Samuel]], but nevertheless 1 Maccabees has a degree of respect amongst historians as having a reasonable degree of historical reliability (John R. Bartlett, ''The First and Second Books of Maccabees'', p. 15-17).

===Parallels with Mediterranian mystery religions===

Some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that many aspects of the Gospel stories of Jesus have remarkable parallels with [[life-death-rebirth deity|life-death-rebirth gods]] in the widespread [[mystery religion]]s prevalent in the hellenic culture amongst which Christianty was born. The central figure of one of the most widespread, [[Osiris-Dionysus]], was consistently localised and deliberately merged with local deities in each area, since it was the ''mysteries'' which were imparted that were regarded as important, not the method by which they were taught. In the view of some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory, most prominently [[Timothy Freke|Freke]] and [[Peter Gandy|Gandy]] in ''[[The Jesus Mysteries]]'', Jewish mystics adapted their form of Osiris-Dionysus to match prior Jewish heroes like Moses and Joshua, hence creating Jesus.

Several parallels are frequently cited by these advocates, and often appear, somewhat less carefully mixed with more dubious parallels, on internet sites. The most prominently cited and plausible parallels are with [[Horus]] and [[Mithras]]. Horus was one of the life-death-rebirth deities, and was connected and involved in the resurrection of [[Osiris]], whose Egyptian name (''Asar'') is very similar to the [[root word|root]] of [[Lazarus]]. Some versions of the [[Book of the Dead]] report that Horus fed 5000 with just a few loaves of bread,{{fact}} since he was born and lived at the ''house of bread'' (it was a historic capital of Egypt, and grain store), which translated into Hebrew is ''[[bethlehem]]'', and was named [[Heliopolis (ancient)|Annu]] in Egyptian, which translated into Hebrew is ''[[bethany]]'' (''house of Any/Anu'').

In Egyptian myth, Horus gained his authority by being anointed by Anubis, who had his own cult, and was regarded as the main anointer; the anointing made Horus into ''Horus karast'' (a religious [[epithet]] written in Egyptian documents as ''HR KRST'') - embalmed/anointed Horus - in parallel to Jesus becoming ''Christ'' by being baptised by John, who had his own followers, and was especially regarded as a baptiser. Worship of [[Isis]], Horus' mother, was a prominent cult, and the proposal that this is the basis of ''[[latria|veneration]]'' of [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Mary]], and more particularly [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Marian Iconography]], has some merit.

The suggestion of parallels with such myths, however, has frequently gained little traction in the academic community. It is certainly the case that advocates of the Jesus Myth theory citing the parallels are frequently let down by citing dubious sources, choosing to include even ridiculous or implausible parallels, advocating particular theologies to replace Christianity, and using non standard terms (e.g. ''anup the baptiser'' rather than ''Anubis the anointer/embalmer'') which others fail to recognise.

Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory regularly accuse those who advocate the existence of such parallels of confusing the issue of who was borrowing from whom [http://www.bede.org.uk/books,jmyth.htm#7], a charge which was also made in ancient times by prominent early Christians. However, it is notable that, unlike modern opponents, several prominent early Christians, like [[Irenaeus]], actually acknowledged the existence of many parallels, complaining that the earlier religions had ''copied'' Christian religion and practices, before Jesus was even born, as some form of [[devil|diabolically]] inspired [[prophecy|pre-cognitive]] mockery. For their part, the historic opponents of early Christians wrote that Christians had the same religion and practice as they, but were too stupid to understand it.

In later years, Mithras worship became the most prominent rival to Christianity, and the idea that many Christian practices, including 25th December being Jesus' birth-date, and Sunday being the dedicated day of worship, derived originally from Mithraism, through a process known as [[christianization]], is regarded as possible by mainstream historians.<ref>"Christmas", Catholic Encyclopaedia, Cyril Martindale, 1908 [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm]</ref> Mithras was a solar deity, and so was seen as being born just after the [[winter solstice]], and the day each week officially dedicated to him by the Roman empire was later renamed the ''day of the invincible sun'', in turn being renamed ''Sunday''.{{fact}} Parallels between Mithras and the birth-narrative of Luke are also proposed by some advocates of the Jesus myth, since Mithras, as a sun god, was born under the zodiac sign that at that time was known as the ''stable of Augeas'', though these latter parallels are not so supported in the academic community.

Supporters of Jesus' historicity point out that even Christian sources acknowledge that the public celebration of Jesus' birth was adopted from the date of the festival of [[Sol Invictus]],{{fact}} and that this has no bearing on the reliability of the Gospels, since they make no claims about the date.<ref>It has been argued that the Christian celebration on the 25th December predates the pagan practice. [http://touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=16-10-012-v]</ref> In fact, references in Luke and Matthew point to Jesus being more likely to have been born in April or September.{{fact}} Neither do any Christian churches claim that the date for the celebration is anything other than symbolic.

===Historiography and methodology===

Price and other advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the inconsistencies between the Gospels, birth stories, genealogies, chronologies, and other parts of the narrative makes them worthless as historical documents. According to these authors, the [[historiography]] of the Gospels means that they can provide no meaningful historical information about the time Jesus was alleged to have lived, but only about the authors of the Gospels and their own communities [http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/theolist.htm].

Although seldom remarked on by New Testament scholars, some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that historians lack any reliable and widely accepted methodology for determining what is historical and what is not. As [[John Dominic Crossan|J. D. Crossan]], a well respected scholar of early Christianity, comments, ''I do not think, after two hundred years of experimentation, that there is any way acceptable in public discourse or scholarly debate, by which you can go directly into the great mound of the Jesus tradition and separate out the historical Jesus layer from all later strata''. While this is not an argument that Jesus did not exist any more than it is an argument that the Paul described in Acts, or even Napoleon, did not exist, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe it does call into question the results of ''historical inquiry'' into Jesus of Nazareth.

Opponents of the theory, including skeptical commentators such as the [[Jesus Seminar]], argue that some reliable information can be extracted from the Gospels if consistent critical methodology is used.

====Biblical contradictions====

The Christian Bible is a collection of the majority of documents supporting the historicity of Jesus, and the only reliable sources for details on his life. Those who advocate the theory that Jesus is a myth consider contradictions in the Bible to impeach the credibility of those documents. Those who oppose the theory generally consider the contradictions to be inconsequential and largely the result of the orally-transmitted roots of the documents. A significant minority of Christians hold to the concept of [[Biblical Inerrancy]] and assert that contradictions are apparent only and result from human failings to properly interpret the Bible.

The following is a partial listing of claims by skeptics of contradictions in major biographical details of Jesus's life and death. Those who deny the historicity of Jesus would claim that facts such as these should not be in dispute.

=====Genealogy=====

Matthew 1:1-16 traces Jesus's lineage from King David's son Solomon through to Joseph's father, Jacob. Luke 3:23-31 traces a completely different lineage from King David's son Nathan to Joseph's father, Heli. Christian apologists traditionally explain this discrepancy by suggesting that one records a patrilineal genealogy while the other a matrilineal one, but both identify different fathers for Joseph and neither mentions Mary. Further, there is no historical precedent for indicating a matrilineal genealogy for a first-century Jewish man, and especially not to establish that man's royal heritage.

=====Early childhood=====

According to Matthew 2:13-16, Mary and Joseph fled with the infant Jesus to Egypt in order to escape Herod's slaughtering of "all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under." The family does not return until the end of Herod's reign. In Luke 2:39-40, the holy family returns directly to Nazareth from Bethlehem, traveling to Jerusalem every year for the [[Passover]] feast. No mention of any acts of infanticide is made.

=====The Disciples=====

The [[Disciples of Jesus]] were twelve men personally selected by Jesus and who served as his traveling companions throughout his ministry. They would have come to know each other as well as any close family member.

Matthew 4:18-20 and Mark 4:18-20 both recount the same story of how Jesus selected his first Apostle, Peter, but the stories of Peter's selection from Luke 5:2-11 and John 1:35-42 are completely different. However, many apologetists might argue that Matthew and Mark's accounts just say where Peter was found, that Luke's account goes indepth, that John's talks about how the news of the Messiah was told to Peter, and who knew in Luke that Jesus claimed to be Lord.]

Matthew 10:2 and Mark 3:16-19 both list the same set of Disciples. Luke 6:13-16 omits Thaddaeus and includes Judas son of James in his place. Acts 1:13,26 agrees with Luke but adds that the remaining Disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot. John neither provides a list nor indicates their number, though it does mention nine of them by name at various places.

=====The trial=====

According to Matthew 26:18-20, 26:57-68, 27:1-2, Mark 14:16-18, 14:53-72, and 15:1, Jesus's initial hearing was at night on the first evening of Passover; in the morning, he was taken to [[Pontius Pilate]]. Luke 22:13-15 and 54-66 record the hearing as having taken place in the morning, and in John 18:28 and 19:14 it happened the day before. This is especially significant as the first evening of Passover was and is one of the holiest days of the year for Jews, a day on which conducting business of any kind would be anathema.

In Matthew 26:59-66 and Mark 14:55-64, Jesus is tried by the entire [[Sanhedrin]], the Jewish high court. In Luke 22:66-71, there was no trial, but only an inquiry held by the Sanhedrin. In John 18:13-24, Jesus was never brought before the Sanhedrin at all; Jesus only had private hearings before Annas and Caiphas.

Matthew 27:11-14 reports that Jesus maintained a stoic silence at his hearing before Pilate. According to John 18:33-37, Jesus answered all the charges eloquently and at length.

The chief priests and elders persuade the people to demand the release of Barabbas in Matthew 27:20, whereas in Mark 15:11 only the chief priests are responsible, and in Luke 23:18-23 the people seem to decide for themselves without prompting from leadership.

=====The Resurrection=====

Biblical accounts of the resurrection differ on a great number of details of varying significance, including who was at and who went to the tomb, when they arrived, whether nor not the stone covered the tomb, whether or not there was an earthquake, who did what afterwards, how and to whom Jesus made his initial appearances after his resurrection, and the reactions of those he appeared to. The discrepancies are generally attributed to either an understandable confusion on the part of those who witnessed this most extraordinary event, or a sure sign of multiple sources offering creative fictional interpretation of an event they were not witness to themselves.

=====The Ascension=====

In both Mark 16:14-19 and Luke 24:50-51, the [[Ascension]] takes place the same day as the Resurrection. In Mark, while seated at a table in or near Jerusalem, Jesus commands the Disciples to spread the Gospel and tells them that they may identify themselves to unbelievers by their invulnerability to poison and abilities to heal the sick and then is received into Heaven. In Luke, the Disciples are outdoors at Bethany where Jesus was in the act of blessing them when he was carried up to Heaven.

In Acts 1:9-12, forty days have passed, during which Jesus continued to preach the Gospel. The Disciples are northeast of Bethany, at Mount Olivet. Jesus delivers a brief final message to his Disciples and is taken up and received by a cloud. Two men, clothed in white, appear out of nowhere to tell the Disciples that Jesus will return in the same manner as he was taken.

Matthew contains no mention of the Ascension.

====Events only recorded in the Bible====

In addition to the numerous contradictions in the Bible's own account of Jesus's life, those who reject the historicity of Jesus consider the numerous spectacular events recorded only in the Bible and nowhere else as irreparably condemning the Bible's reliability as a historical account.

Those who hold to the historicity of Jesus generally, though not universally, acknowledge that the Bible is not to be considered the literal truth, and that it contains many obviously-mythical elements; rather, they consider what follows to be later additions to the core truth of the historical Jesus, in much the same way that a caught fish gets bigger each time in the re-telling. Those who hold that Jesus is a myth see no evidence that any fish was ever caught in the first place.

=====Star of Bethlehem=====

Although many explanations have been offered for the [[Star of Bethlehem]], no actual record of any such astronomical phenomenon can be found.

=====Flight to Egypt=====

Also as mentioned above, Matthew 2:13-16 records the holy family as having fled to Egypt. Though they may well have remained incognito while they lived there, the Bible says nothing on the matter one way or the other. If they did not keep their identities hidden, it is most likely that Philo, who was living in Alexandria at this time, would have recorded the presence of the prophesied and persecuted future King of the Jews.

=====Public miracles=====

The Bible records Jesus as having performed some very public miracles, in front of crowds numbering, in some cases, in the thousands. He healed the sick, blind, and lame; he raised the dead; he walked on water; and he fed multitudes with table scraps. History is replete with people doing such deeds, but every other instance is universally assumed to be mythic fiction.

=====Public ministry=====

Jesus preached the [[Sermon on the Mount]] to a crowd of "multitudes," and the [[Sermon on the Plain]] to "great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases." This clearly indicates that Jesus must have been a popular figure known throughout the entire region; yet, no mention is made of any preacher giving such a sermon to such crowds.

=====The trial=====

Jesus's trial is notable for what it describes as a great many of the most egregious possible violations of Jewish and Roman law and custom by all officials involved. The trial is said to have taken place during [[Pesach]], one of the holiest holidays for Jews then and now, on which such activities are most strictly forbidden. There was no need for the Jews to appeal to Roman authority for assistance in the trial; they had full authority from the Romans to execute anybody for any reason sanctioned by their own laws. There was even less reason for the Romans to agree to intervene in what would have been to them internecine provincial politics. The behavior of the Sanhedrin, such as spitting on Jesus, would have been just as shocking to people then as would similar action by the members of the United States Supreme Court today. If Pilate had agreed to take the case, he would not have permitted an unruly mob to have remained present, let alone have a say in the trial. While the Romans courts, like all courts, surely freed the guilty and executed the innocent, they never would have publicly declared their intention to do so any more than would any modern court; Pilate's acquiescence in granting the mob Barabbas in exchange for Jesus is incomprehensible. Finally, had Pilate actually acted as described, Rome would have had his head on a platter, figuratively if not literally, for letting a mob dictate his actions as well as for general gross misconduct.

In short, if even one aspect of the trial happened as described, it would have caught the attention--and raised the ire--of a great many important people in the region and beyond. If all of it happened as described, it would have been the most scandalous trial of the millennium.

=====The crucifixion=====

While there are undoubtedly many people who were crucified who remain unknown to history, various records of countless crucifixions survive. Romans saw [[crucifixion]] as a most ignominious way to die, and, as such, crucifixions often caught the attention of local historians. Sometimes Romans would crucify hundreds of people a day, but they also crucified people singly or in small groups. Josephus records many of these, including that of a Jesus who was the son of a man named Stada, but nobody recorded any crucifixion of a charismatic rebel preacher who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ.

=====Portents at Jesus's death=====

The Gospels record ominous portents as having occurred at the time of Jesus's death. As recorded in Matthew 27:45-54 and similarly in the other synoptic Gospels, a three-hour darkness was "over all the land"; the veil of the temple was rent; there was an earthquake; and the graves opened and dead saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem.

No eclipse would have been astronomically possible at the time; Pesach, according to the lunar calendar, always is celebrated with the start of the full moon, and eclipses can only happen when the moon is new. Further, no eclipse ever lasts for more than a few minutes--let alone three hours. No account of this most remarkable event, visible from "all the land," can be found outside the Gospels.

Records of major earthquakes from the period are rather comprehensive, yet no recorded earthquake happened at a time when the crucifixion could have happened.

The rending of the veil of the temple would have been a most remarkable occurrence, yet it remained intact until the temple was destroyed in [[70]] CE.

Had presumably all the graves in the area been opened and a corresponding number of dead saints "appeared unto many" in Jerusalem, it is absolutely certain that those many would have reported the fact, yet none did.

=====The Resurrected Jesus=====

Acts 1:3 says that, for forty days after his resurrection, Jesus continued his ministry, yet no extra-Biblical record can be found of the most remarkable fact of a man, very publicly executed, continuing to do for over a month that which got him executed in the first place.

=====The Ascension=====

According to Acts 1:9, Jesus [[Ascension|Ascended]] to Heaven from atop [[Mount Olivet]], which would have been in full view of all of Jerusalem. Once more, no account of the Ascension can be found outside of the Bible.

==Mainstream Scholarly reception==
{{split|historicity of Jesus}}
The unhistoricity theory is a minority among scholars. Professor Robert E. Van Voorst has stated:

:''The nonhistoricity thesis has always been controversial, and it has consistently failed to convince scholars of many disciplines and religious creeds. ... Biblical scholars and classical historians now regard it as effectively refuted.'' <ref>Robert E. Van Voorst, ''Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence'' (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000), p. 16.</ref>

Doherty's interpretation of this fact is that:

:''New Testament scholarship has not kept pace with today’s mythicism... Someone in the mainstream, a respected, open-minded critical scholar, unencumbered by confessional interests and peer pressure, needs to take a fresh look, to consider and address every aspect of the mythicst case in an in-depth fashion...''{{cite web |url=http://jesuspuzzle.humanists.net/CritiquesRefut3.htm |title=Responses to Critiques of the Mythicist Case |accessdate=2007-01-09 |author=Earl Doherty}}

The idea of Jesus as a myth has received strong criticism from a number of biblical scholars and historians. The points below highlight some of these criticisms.

*Some scholars, like [[Michael Grant (author)|Michael Grant]], do not see significant similarity between the pagan myths and Christianity. Grant states in ''Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels'' that "Judaism was a milieu to which doctrines of the deaths and rebirths, of mythical gods seemed so entirely foreign that the emergence of such a fabrication from its midst is very hard to credit."<ref>Michael Grant, ''Jesus'' (1977), p. 199</ref>
* Christianity was actively opposed by both the [[Roman Empire]] and the Jewish authorities, and would have been utterly discredited if Jesus had been shown as a non-historical figure. There is good early evidence in [[Pliny]], [[Josephus]] and other sources of the Roman and Jewish approaches at the time, and none of them involved this suggestion.<ref>see eg [http://www.starcourse.org/sources.html Historical Sources on Jesus] which references ''The Evidence for Jesus'' by Prof RT France (Hodder & Stoughton 1986)</ref>
*Parallels between [[Christianity]] and [[Mystery Religions]] are not considered compelling evidence by some scholars. A [[Christian]] apologist, Michael Licona, has summed up the viewpoint of this era's historiography:
:: Many scholars have abandoned the ''religionsgeschichtliche'' or what was known as the “history of religions” school that regarded parallels as conclusive signs that Christianity was cut from the same cloth as ancient myth. Further research has revealed that many of the parallels to which they refer postdate the Gospels.<ref> http://www.answeringinfidels.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=87</ref>
*Through [[cultural diffusion]] it would have been natural for [[Jesus]] and/or his followers within a Hellenized Judea to incorporate the philosophy and sentiment of [[Epicureanism]], [[Stoicism]], neo-Platonism/proto-[[Gnosticism]] , and [[mystery cults]].<ref>William C. Martin, These Were God's People: A Bible History (Nashville, Tennessee: The Southwestern Company, 1966,) 392 and 432-440.</ref> The ideas that these belief systems brought concerning the afterlife, presence of the divine, and wisdom were incorporated into [[Judaism]] for several centuries before [[Jesus]] and can be found in the [[Old Testament]] and [[Apocrypha]].
*Those who do not hold to the Jesus-Myth disagree with the notion that the [[Apostle Paul]] did not speak of [[Jesus]] as a physical being. This is largely an [[argument from silence]].{{fact}} Furthermore, they argue that it is a distortion, because statements of the Apostle Paul appear to contradict this viewpoint several times.{{fact}} He claims that Jesus "descended from David according to the flesh."<ref>Romans 1:3</ref> Paul also states that "God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law"<ref>Galatians 4:4.</ref> and that "the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being."<ref>1 Corinthians 15:21.</ref> Paul clearly states that in "taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness, And being found in human form, he [Jesus] humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross."<ref>Philippians 2:7-8</ref> Furthermore, he invokes the "command," "charge," or "word" of [[Jesus]] four times<ref>Romans 14:14, 1 Corinthians 7:10 and 9:14, and 1 Thessalonians 4:15.</ref> in the [[Epistles]].
*The [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] is debatably an early source, which some, but not all, scholars put before 70 CE.<ref>See [[Epistle to the Hebrews]].</ref> Their reasoning is that the [[Epistle]] makes mention of [[animal sacrifice]], which was a practice that fell out of favor in [[Judaism]] after the destruction of the temple. In Hebrews, Jesus is mentioned several times in physical form<ref>Hebrews 5:7, 7:14, and 12:3.</ref> and even speaks.<ref>Hebrews 10:5-9.</ref>

===Jesus in non-Christian sources===
{{main|Historicity of Jesus#Greco-Roman sources}}
*Extant non-Christian sources which make mention of Jesus, including those opposed to Christianity, regard him as a historical figure. Two passages in the Jewish historian [[Josephus]] refer to Jesus, although scholars generally hold that the longer is at least partly [[interpolation (manuscripts)|interpolated]]. [[Celsus]], a second century critic of [[Christianity]], accused [[Jesus]] of being a bastard child and a sorcerer. He never questions Jesus' historicity even though he hated [[Christianity]] and [[Jesus]].<ref>Morton Smith, Jesus the Magician: Charlatan or Son of God? (1978) pp. 78-79.</ref> He is quoted as saying that Jesus was a "mere man."<ref>http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/Ap0301/CELSUS.htm</ref> Furthermore, there is debate whether [[Suetonius]], who wrote in the second century, made reference to [[Christianity]] existing in 41 CE, though the majority of scholars believe that the reference cannot be interpreted in this fashion.<ref>http://www.mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/sources.htm</ref> Lastly, there are passages of debatable significance from the historian [[Tacitus]] and satirist [[Lucian of Samosata]], which credit "Christ" as the founder of [[Christianity]].<ref>Ibid.  For scholarly discussion, refer to source.</ref>

==Notes==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

==See also==
* ''[[The God Who Wasn't There]]''
*[[John of Gamala]]
*[[Jus Asaf]]

==References==
*{{cite book|last=Allegro|first=John M.|authorlink=John Marco Allegro|title=The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity Within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East|year=1970|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|location=London|id=ISBN 0-340-12875-5}}
*{{cite encyclopedia|last=Arendzen|first=J. P.|encyclopedia=The Catholic Encyclopedia|title=Docetae|url =http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05070c.htm|accessdate=2007-01-07|year=1909|publisher=Robert Appleton|volume=Volume V|location=New York}}
*{{cite book|last=Bartlett|first=John R.|title=The First and Second Books of the Maccabees|year=1973|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=0521086582}}
*{{cite encyclopedia|last=Borchert|first=G. L.|encyclopedia=Elwell Evangelical Dictionary|title=Docetism}}
*{{cite book|last=Duling|first=Dennis C.|coauthors=N. Perrin|title=The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History|year=1993}}
*{{cite book|last=Grant|first=Michael|authorlink=Michael Grant (author)|title=Jesus|origyear=1977|year=1999|publisher=Phoenix|location=London|isbn=0-75380-899-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=J. N. D.|title=Early Christian Doctrines|edition=5th ed., rev.|year=1985|publisher=A. & C. Black|location=London|isbn=0713627239}}
*{{cite book|last=Martin|first=William C.|title=These Were God's People: A Bible History|year=1966|publisher=The Southwestern Company|location=Nashville, Tennessee}}
*{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Morton|authorlink=Morton Smith|title=Jesus the Magician|year=1978|publisher=Gollancz|location=London|isbn=0575024844}}
*{{cite book|last=Van Voorst|first=Robert E.|title=Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence|year=2000|publisher=W. B. Eerdmans Pub.|location=Grand Rapids, Mich.|id=ISBN 0-8028-4368-9}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Allegro|first=John M.|title=The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth|year=1992|edition=2nd rev. ed.|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Buffalo, N.Y.|id=ISBN 0-87975-757-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Atwill|first=Joseph|title=The Roman Origins of Christianity|year=2003|publisher=J. Atwill|id=ISBN 0-9740928-0-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Atwill|first=Joseph|title=Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus|year=2005|publisher=Ulysses|location=Berkeley, Calif.|id=ISBN 1-56975-457-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Brodie|first=Thomas L.|title=The Crucial Bridge: The Elijah-Elisha Narrative as an Interpretive Synthesis of Genesis-Kings and a Literary Model for the Gospels|year=2000|publisher=Liturgical Press|location=Collegeville, Minn.|id=ISBN 0-8146-5942-X}}
*{{cite journal |last=Doherty |first=Earl |authorlink=Earl Doherty |year=1997 |month=Fall |title=The Jesus Puzzle: Pieces in a Puzzle of Christian Origins |journal=Journal of Higher Criticism |volume=4 |issue=2 |url=http://home.ca.inter.net/~oblio/jhcjp.htm |accessdate=2007-01-09 }}
*{{cite book|last=Doherty|first=Earl|authorlink=Earl Doherty|title=[[The Jesus Puzzle]]: Did Christianity Begin With a Mythical Christ?|year=2000|edition=rev. ed.|publisher=Canadian Humanist Publications|location=Ottawa|id=ISBN 0-9686014-0-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Ellegård|first=Alvar|authorlink=Alvar Ellegård|title=Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ: A Study in Creative Mythology|year=1999|publisher=Century|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7126-7956-1}}
*{{cite book|last=France|first=R. T.|title=The Evidence for Jesus|year=1986|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|location=London|id=ISBN 0-340-38172-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Freke|first=Timothy|authorlink=Timothy Freke|coauthors=and [[Peter Gandy]]|title=[[The Jesus Mysteries]]: Was the 'Original Jesus' a Pagan God?|year=1999|publisher=Thorsons|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7225-3676-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Meier|first=John P|authorlink=John P. Meier|title=A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus|edition=3 vols.|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York}}
*#{{cite book|title=The Roots of the Problem and the Person|year=1991|id=ISBN 0-385-26425-9}}
*#{{cite book|title=Mentor, Message, and Miracles|year=1994|id=ISBN 0-385-46992-6}}
*#{{cite book|title=Companions and Competitors|year=2001|id=ISBN 0-385-46993-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Price|first=Robert M.|authorlink=Robert M. Price|title=Deconstructing Jesus|year=2000|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Amherst, N.Y.|id=ISBN 1-57392-758-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Price|first=Robert M.|title=The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable is the Gospel Tradition?|year=2003|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Amherst, N.Y.|id=ISBN 1-59102-121-9}}
*{{cite encyclopedia|last=Price|first=Robert M.|title=New Testament narrative as Old Testament midrash|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Midrash: Biblical Interpretation in Formative Judaism|editor=[[Jacob Neusner]] and Alan J. Avery-Peck|year=2005|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|id=ISBN 90-04-14166-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Sanders|first=E. P.|authorlink=E. P. Sanders|title=The Historical Figure of Jesus|year=1993|publisher=Allen Lane|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7139-9059-7}}
* Seznec, Jean. 1972, ''The Survival of the Pagan Gods'', Princeton University Press, ISBN 0691017832
*{{cite book|last=Theissen|first=Gerd|authorlink=Gerd Theissen|coauthors=and Annette Merz|title=The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide|year=1998|others=trans. John Bowden|publisher=Fortress Press|location=Minneapolis|id=ISBN 0-8006-3123-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Thomas L.|title=The Messiah Myth: The Near Eastern Roots of Jesus and David|year=2005|publisher=Basic Books|location=New York|id=ISBN 0-465-08577-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Wells|first=G. A.|authorlink=George Albert Wells|title=The Historical Evidence for Jesus|year=1982|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Buffalo, N.Y.|id=ISBN 0-87975-180-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Wells|first=G. A.|title=The Jesus Myth|year=1999|publisher=Open Court|location=Chicago|id=ISBN 0-8126-9392-2}}
*{{cite journal|last=Wells|first=G. A.|authorlink=George Albert Wells|year=1999|month=September|title=Earliest Christianity|journal=New Humanist|volume=114|issue=3|pages=13-18|url=http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/g_a_wells/earliest.html|accessdate=2007-01-11}}

==External links==
===Supporting a Jesus-Myth theory===

* [http://www.jesuspuzzle.com/ Earl Doherty's Website]
* [http://www.truthbeknown.com/origins.htm "The Origins of Christianity and Search for the Historical Jesus Christ"] by [[Acharya S]]
* [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/jesuspuzzle.shtml "Did Jesus Exist? Earl Doherty and the Argument to Ahistoricity"] by Richard Carrier
* [http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/ Jesus never existed]
* [http://www.christianism.com/ Jesus (was) is a Fictional character (not "historical")] Rt. Rev. Lino Sanchez
* [http://www.egodeath.com/#_The_Non-Historicity_of The Non-Historicity of Jesus] Michael Hoffman
* [http://www.radikalkritik.de/ Hermann Detering's RadikalKritik] (partially in German)
* [http://www.ffrf.org/news/2006/debunkingJesus.php Debunking the Historical Jesus]
* [http://www.vexen.co.uk/books/jesusmysteries.html "The Jesus Mysteries"] by Freke/Gandy

===Supporting a historical Jesus===

* [http://www.geocities.com/nephilimnot/historical_jesus_christ.html Historical Jesus Christ Unveiled]
* [http://www.geocities.com/b_d_muller/djp1.html Critique of the Jesus Puzzle] by Bernard D. Muller
* [http://www.bede.org.uk/price8.htm "A History of Scholarly Refutations of the Jesus Myth"] by Christopher Price
* [http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html "Shattering the Jesus Myth"] by J.P. Holding
* [http://www.answeringinfidels.com/content/category/5/73/49/ "Answering Acharya S"] by Mike Licona
** [http://truthbeknown.com/licona.htm Acharya rebuttal to Licona]
* [http://www.bede.org.uk/jesusindex.htm "Did Jesus Exist"] a page devoted to the issues raised by the Jesus Myth

*[http://constantinbrunner.info/sbise/1/200503150938.htm Constantin Brunner's critique of mythicism]. This is the full text of [[Constantin Brunner]]'s 1921 essay attacking the idea that Jesus never lived.

[[Category:Jesus]]
[[Category:Biblical criticism]]

Religionsfreiheit in China

2007-02-01T04:12:20Z

Shawnc: restriction

The [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China]] provides for [[Freedom (political)|freedom]] of [[religious]] belief<ref name=constitution>[[Constitution of the People's Republic of China]], Chapter 2, Article 36.</ref>; however, the Government, mostly in fear of the fact that [[freedom of religion]] demands [[freedom of assembly]], restricts religious practice to government-sanctioned organizations and registered places of [[worship]] and to control the growth and scope of the activity of religious groups. The constitution forbids religious practices that cause "disruption" or "harm" to society.<ref name=constitution/> There are five registered religions: [[Buddhism]], [[Taoism]], [[Islam]], [[Protestantism]], and [[Catholicism]]. A government-affiliated association monitors the activities of each of the five [[faith]]s. In cities such as [[Shanghai]], a significant number of non-sanctioned [[church]]es and temples exist, attended by locals and foreigners alike.

Religious groups are required to register with the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA, formerly known as the central Religious Affairs Bureau) or its provincial and local offices (still known as Religious Affairs Bureaus (RABs)). SARA and the RABs are responsible for monitoring and judging the legitimacy of religious activity.

==References==
<references/>

===External links===
*{{cite web
| url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71338.htm
| title = International Religious Freedom Report 2006 - PRC
| accessdate = 2006-11-08
| accessmonthday =
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| publisher = U.S. Department of State
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}}
{{SOreligiousfreedomATW}}

Religionsfreiheit in China

2007-02-01T03:38:49Z

Shawnc: reference

The [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China]] provides for [[Freedom (political)|freedom]] of [[religious]] belief<ref>[[Constitution of the People's Republic of China]], Chapter 2, Article 36.</ref>; however, the Government, mostly in fear of the fact that [[freedom of religion]] demands [[freedom of assembly]], restricts religious practice to government-sanctioned organizations and registered places of [[worship]] and to control the growth and scope of the activity of religious groups. There are five registered religions: [[Buddhism]], [[Taoism]], [[Islam]], [[Protestantism]], and [[Catholicism]]. A government-affiliated association monitors the activities of each of the five [[faith]]s. In cities such as [[Shanghai]], a significant number of non-sanctioned [[church]]es and temples exist, attended by locals and foreigners alike.

Religious groups are required to register with the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA, formerly known as the central Religious Affairs Bureau) or its provincial and local offices (still known as Religious Affairs Bureaus (RABs)). SARA and the RABs are responsible for monitoring and judging the legitimacy of religious activity.

==References==
<references/>

===External links===
*{{cite web
| url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71338.htm
| title = International Religious Freedom Report 2006 - PRC
| accessdate = 2006-11-08
| accessmonthday =
| accessyear =
| author =
| last =
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| publisher = U.S. Department of State
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}}
{{SOreligiousfreedomATW}}

Japanophilie

2006-09-17T19:39:30Z

Shawnc: image

{{cleanup-date|August 2006}}
{{not verified}}
[[Image:Lafcadio hearn.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lafcadio Hearn]], aka Koizumi Yakumo, a notable scholar and author well known for his strong interest in Japanese culture and books on Japan.]]
A '''Japanophile''', or alternatively a '''Nipponophile''', is a non-Japanese person with a strong interest in one or more aspects of [[Japan]] or [[Culture of Japan|Japanese culture]]. The word is sometimes used in a [[derogatory]] manner to denote a person with an excessive or misguided interest with Japan (though, a very definitely derogatory variation of japanophile is "wapanese", derived from "[[wigger]]"). Most often used to describe fans of [[anime]] and [[manga]].

"Japanophile" is also less commonly used to alternatively describe individuals who fall into one or more of the following categories:

:* Scholars on the [[History of Japan]]
:* Students of the [[Japanese language]]
:* Scholars on the [[Sociology]] of Japan
:* Politicians seen as particularly favourable to Japanese interests
:* Fans of a particular aspect of Japanese culture (such as [[kendo|kendo]], [[sumo|sumo wrestling]], [[Japanese cuisine]], and so forth)
:* Anyone seen as (or believed to be) knowledgeable regarding a particular aspect of Japan, its culture or its influence.

Notable Japanophiles have included [[Lafcadio Hearn]], [[Steven Seagal]], MotoGP racer [[Valentino Rossi]] and French president [[Jacques Chirac]] who is fond of sumo.

Japanophilia is recently on the increase around the world, with the popularization of many Japanese cultural exports and Japanese pop culture, such as [[Zen Buddhism]], [[sushi]], [[J-Horror]], [[J-Pop]], [[anime]], and [[manga]] among others [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33261-2003Dec26?language=printer]. Once esoteric, many of these exports have gone from purely an [[geek]] pastime to the mainstream, with sushi being [[de rigueur]] in some circles{{fact}}. However it does not always translate into political like of Japan itself.

Some Japanophiles have been criticized for having a limited perception of Japanese culture, and many of their interests of Japan are based on Western perceptions of an idealized or romantic view of Japan. Fans of anime and Japanese videogames are sometimes criticized for this and are known as [[otaku]].

[[Image:Leejapan.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Lee Teng-hui]], formerly [[President of the Republic of China]], seen [[cosplay]]ing a Japanese [[manga]] character, [[Heihachi Edajima]]]]
In Asia, some Japanophile population exists in [[Taiwan]], [[Hong Kong]], and [[Mainland China]], especially among youth. Notable members include [[Lee Teng-hui]], a former President in Taiwan, who was educated under [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese colonial rule]] and has claimed to be "one half Japanese". In 2005, members of the [[Taiwan Solidarity Union]], a political party in Taiwan, visited the [[Yasukuni Shrine]], resulting in some controversy.

==See also==
* [[Asiaphile]]
* [[Japanese pop culture]]

==External links==
{{wiktionary}}
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33261-2003Dec26?language=printer "Japan's Empire of Cool"], Washington Post

[[Category:Japan in non-Japanese culture]]
[[Category:Subcultures]]

[[ko:친일파]]
[[ja:親日派]]
[[zh:亲日派]]
[[sv:Japanofil]]

Japanophilie

2006-09-15T12:33:08Z

Shawnc: in Asia. From Chinese Wikipedia.

{{cleanup-date|August 2006}}
{{not verified}}
[[Image:Lafcadio hearn.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lafcadio Hearn]], aka Koizumi Yakumo, a notable scholar and author well known for his strong interest in Japanese culture and books on Japan.]]
A '''Japanophile''', or alternatively a '''Nipponophile''', is a non-Japanese person with a strong interest in one or more aspects of [[Japan]] or [[Culture of Japan|Japanese culture]]. The word is sometimes used in a [[derogatory]] manner to denote a person with an excessive or misguided interest with Japan (though, a very definitely derogatory variation of japanophile is "wapanese", derived from "[[wigger]]"). Most often used to describe fans of [[anime]] and [[manga]].

"Japanophile" is also less commonly used to alternatively describe individuals who fall into one or more of the following categories:

:* Scholars on the [[History of Japan]]
:* Students of the [[Japanese language]]
:* Scholars on the [[Sociology]] of Japan
:* Politicians seen as particularly favourable to Japanese interests
:* Fans of a particular aspect of Japanese culture (such as [[kendo|kendo]], [[sumo|sumo wrestling]], [[Japanese cuisine]], and so forth)
:* Anyone seen as (or believed to be) knowledgeable regarding a particular aspect of Japan, its culture or its influence.

Notable Japanophiles have included [[Lafcadio Hearn]], [[Steven Seagal]], MotoGP racer [[Valentino Rossi]] and French president [[Jacques Chirac]] who is fond of sumo.

Japanophilia is recently on the increase around the world, with the popularization of many Japanese cultural exports and Japanese pop culture, such as [[Zen Buddhism]], [[sushi]], [[J-Horror]], [[J-Pop]], [[anime]], and [[manga]] among others [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33261-2003Dec26?language=printer]. Once esoteric, many of these exports have gone from purely an [[geek]] pastime to the mainstream, with sushi being [[de rigueur]] in some circles{{fact}}. However it does not always translate into political like of Japan itself.

Some Japanophiles have been criticized for having a limited perception of Japanese culture, and many of their interests of Japan are based on Western perceptions of an idealized or romantic view of Japan. Fans of anime and Japanese videogames are sometimes criticized for this and are known as [[otaku]].

In Asia, some Japanophile population exists in [[Taiwan]], [[Hong Kong]], and [[Mainland China]], especially among youth. Notable members include [[Lee Teng-hui]], a former President of Taiwan, who was educated under [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese colonial rule]] and has claimed to be "one half Japanese". In 2005, members of the [[Taiwan Solidarity Union]], a political party in Taiwan, visited the [[Yasukuni Shrine]], resulting in some controversy.

==External links==
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33261-2003Dec26?language=printer "Japan's Empire of Cool"], Washington Post

==See also==
{{wiktionary}}
* [[Asiaphile]]
* [[Japanese pop culture]]

[[Category:Japan in non-Japanese culture]]
[[Category:Subcultures]]

[[ko:친일파]]
[[ja:親日派]]
[[zh:亲日派]]
[[sv:Japanofil]]

Renzo Gracie

2006-09-01T21:42:00Z

Shawnc: /* MMA Record */ ordering

{{MMAstatsbox|name=Renzo Gracie
|nick=
|height=5'10 (178cm)
|weight=185lbs (84kg)
|birthdate=[[November 11]], [[1967]]
|died=
|fightingfrom=
|hometown=[[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]]
|fightstyle=[[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]
|wins=10
|losses=6
|draws=1
|nocontest=0
|ko=1
|submissions=6
|}}
'''Renzo Gracie''' (pronounced "Henzo") is a lifelong practitioner of [[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]] (BJJ) and a member of the legendary [[Gracie family]] from [[Brazil]].

He is brother to [[Ralph Gracie]] and [[Ryan Gracie]] and first cousin (once-removed) to [[Royce Gracie]] and [[Rickson Gracie]].<br>
Renzo has competed both in sport BJJ and [[mixed martial arts]] events such as the [[PRIDE Fighting Championships]], RINGS – King of Kings, [[Martial Arts Reality Superfighting(MARS)]] and the [[World Combat Championship]].

Renzo is the main instructor at The Renzo Gracie Academy which is located in Midtown [[Manhattan]]. He also operates a school in [[Ottawa]], [[Canada]];. The main instructor is his student Pat Cooligan.

Many well known BJJ and MMA fighters have been trained by Renzo, including BJJ black belts [[Rodrigo Gracie]], [[Matt Serra]], [[Ricardo Almeida]] and [[Sean Alvarez]].

Renzo is currently coaching his team, the Pitbulls, for the [[International Fight League]].
== External links ==
*[http://www.renzogracie.com/ Official site]
*[http://www.oama.ca/ Ottawa Academy]
*[http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=290 Official Mixed Martial Arts record]

== MMA Record ==
10 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw.

{{start box}}
|-
|07/29/2005
|Loss
|[[B. J. Penn]]
|Decision (Unanimous)
|K-1-World Grand Prix Hawaii
|Round 3, 5:00
|-
|10/05/2003
|Loss
|[[Carlos Newton]]
|Decision (Split)
|[[PRIDE Bushido 1]]
|Round 2, 5:00
|-
|06/23/2002
|Loss
|Shungo Oyama
|Decision (Unanimous)
|[[PRIDE 21|PRIDE 21 - Demolition]]
|Round 3, 5:00
|-
|11/3/2001
|Win
|Michiyoshi Ohara
|Decision (Unanimous)
|[[PRIDE 17|PRIDE 17 - Championship Chaos]]
|Round 3, 5:00
|-
|3/25/2001
| Loss
|[[Dan Henderson]]
|KO (Punch)
|[[PRIDE 13|PRIDE 13 - Collision Course]]
|Round 1, 1:40
|-
|8/27/2000
| Loss
|[[Kazushi Sakuraba]]
|Technical Submission (Kimura)
|[[PRIDE 10|PRIDE 10 - Return of the Warriors]]
|Round 2 ,9:43
|-
|2/26/2000
| Loss
|[[Kiyoshi Tamura]]
|Decision (Unanimous)
|Rings - King of Kings 1999 Final
|Round 2 ,5:00
|-
|12/22/1999
| Win
|[[Maurice Smith]]
|Submission (Armlock)
|Rings - King of Kings 1999 Block B
|Round 1, 0:50
|-
|12/22/1999
| Win
|Wataru Sakata
|Submission (Armbar)
|Rings - King of Kings 1999 Block B
|Round 1, 1:25
|-
|11/21/1999
| Win
|Alexander Otsuka
|Decision
|[[PRIDE 8]]
|Round 2 ,10:00
|-
|3/15/1998
| Win
|Sanae Kikuta
|Submission (Guillotine Choke)
|[[PRIDE 2]]
|Round 6 ,0:43
|-
|10/11/1997
| Draw
|[[Akira Shoji]]
|Draw
|[[PRIDE 1]]
|Round 3, 10:00
|-
|9/27/1997
| NC
|Eugenio Tadeu
|No Contest - Fans Rioted
|Pentagon Combat - Pentagon Combat
|Round 1, 14:45
|-
|11/22/1996
| Win
|[[Oleg Taktarov]]
|KO (Kick and Punch)
|MARS - Martial Arts Reality Superfighting
|Round 1, 1:02
|-
|10/17/1995
| Win
|James Warring
|Submission (Choke)
|WCC 1 - First Strike
|Round 1, 2:47
|-
|10/17/1995
| Win
|Phil Benedict
|Submission (Strikes)
|WCC 1 - First Strike
|Round 1, 2:08
|-
|10/17/1995
| Win
|Ben Spijkers
|Submission (Choke)
|WCC 1 - First Strike
|Round 1, 2:38
|-
|1/1/1992
| Win
|Luiz Augusto Alvareda
|TKO (Rear Naked Choke)
|Desafio - Gracie Vale Tudo
|Round 1, 7:03
{{end box}}

{{Brazil-bio-stub}}
{{martialartbio-stub}}

[[Category:Brazilian mixed martial artists|Gracie,Renzo]]
[[Category:Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners|Gracie,Renzo]]
[[Category:Scottish-Brazilians]]

[[fr:Renzo Gracie]]
[[ja:ヘンゾ・グレイシー]]

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

2006-08-01T16:13:29Z

Shawnc: category

'''RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust''' ({{tsx|REI.UN}}) is the largest [[real estate investment trust]] (REIT) in Canada with ownership interests in over 200 retail properties.[http://www.stockhouse.ca/news/news.asp?tick=REI.UN&newsid=3790444]

{{business-stub}}

[[Category:Real estate investment trusts]]

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

2006-07-28T17:17:32Z

Shawnc: creation

Combat Sport

2006-07-10T10:37:47Z

Shawnc: /* List of combat sports */ misc

[[Image:Boxing080905 photoshop.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Boxing]] is a traditional combat sport.]]

A '''combat sport''' (also known as a '''combative sport''') is a competitive [[contact sport]] where two combatants fight against each other using certain rules of engagement, typically with the aim of simulating parts of real [[hand to hand combat]]. [[Boxing]], [[sport wrestling]], [[mixed martial arts]] and [[fencing]] are examples of combat sports.

The techniques used can be categorized into three domains: [[Strike (attack)|striking]], [[grappling]], and [[weapon]] usage. Some rule-sets specialize in one area, while others allow overlap.

==List of combat sports==
*[[Boxing]]
*[[Fencing]]
*[[Kickboxing]]
*[[Mixed martial arts]]
*[[Muay Thai]]
*[[Sambo]]
*[[San shou]]
*[[Sport wrestling]]

==See also==
*[[Hand to hand combat]]
*[[Martial arts]]

[[Category:Combat sports| ]]
{{martialart-stub}}

[[fr:Sport de combat]]

Canon EOS 300

2006-07-07T16:54:23Z

Shawnc: categorization

{{Infobox_camera | camera_name = Canon EOS 300
| image_name = Canon_eos_kiss_III.jpg
| type = [[35mm]] [[single lens reflex|SLR]]
| lens_mount = [[Canon EF lens mount]]
| focus = TTL Phase Detection [[Autofocus]] (7 zone)
| exposure = PASM autoexposure <br> 35 zone evaluative metering
| flash = Built-in flash
| frame-rate = 1.5 fps
| dimensions = 140 x 90 x 58.5mm, 335g
}}
The '''Canon EOS 300''' (also known as the '''EOS Rebel 2000''' [http://photonotes.org/manuals/eos-rebel-2000/#differences]) is a [[single-lens reflex]] camera from [[Canon]]'s [[Canon EOS|EOS]] series. Released April 1999.

A version with minor differences is sold in Japan under the name '''EOS Kiss III'''.

==External links==

*[http://photonotes.org/manuals/eos-rebel-2000/ Online manual at photonotes.org] - includes details on differences between models, etc.
{{Table of Canon SLR}}

[[Category:Canon EOS cameras]]

Association Fallacy

2006-06-28T04:22:16Z

Shawnc: cited example

An '''association fallacy''' is a type of [[logical fallacy]] which asserts that qualities of one are inherently qualities of another, merely by association. The two types are sometimes referred to as "guilt by association" and "honor by association." Association fallacies are a special case of [[red herring (fallacy)|red herring]], and are often based in an [[appeal to emotion]].

'''Guilt by association,''' also known as the "bad company fallacy" or the "company that you keep fallacy," is the logical fallacy of claiming that something must be ''false'' because of the people or organizations that support it.
Some examples are:
* ''Some charities have been fraudulent. Therefore, charities must be frauds.''
* ''The Nazis supported [[eugenics]]. Therefore eugenics must be evil.''
* ''[[Adolf Hitler]] was a [[vegetarian]]. Vegetarianism must be evil.''
*''[[Osama bin Laden]] is opposed to the invasion of Iraq. Anyone opposed to the invasion of Iraq must be a terrorist.''
* ''The [[Ku Klux Klan]] supports this initiative. The public must therefore vote against it.''<ref>From the [[South Park]] episode [[Chef Goes Nanners]]</ref>

The logical inverse of "guilt by association" is '''honor by association''', where one claims that someone or something must be reputable because of the people or organizations that are related to it or otherwise support it. For example:

* ''Alice is a lawyer, and Alice thinks highly of Bob. Therefore, Bob must know the law.''
* ''Aaron will make a good race car driver, because his friend is a good race car driver.''

==See also==
*[[Halo effect]]
*[[Reductio ad Hitlerum]]
*[[Racial profiling]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/ct.fc.transfer.html Propagandacritic.com] "Transfer technique"
* [http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/ct.fc.testimonial.html Propagandacritic.com] "Testimonial"



[[Category:Genetic fallacies]]

[[he:אשמה בגלל קרבה]]
[[sv:Guilt by association]]

{{philo-stub}}

TVR Cerbera Speed 12

2006-06-03T01:49:13Z

Shawnc: #redirect TVR Speed 12

#redirect [[TVR Speed 12]]

Jesus-Mythos

2006-05-21T19:49:18Z

Shawnc: ref format, see discussion

{{totally disputed}}

The '''Jesus-Myth''' is a historical [[theory]] usually associated with a [[skeptic|skeptical]] position on the [[historicity of Jesus]], which claims that [[Jesus]] did not exist as an historical figure. The theory is based in part on the lack of extant evidence about his life outside the [[Gospels]], and in part on claimed similarities between early Christian accounts of Jesus and pre-existing [[mystery religion]]s. The theory has not found widespread acceptance among Bible scholars and historians<ref name=opponents>[[Michael Grant]], ''Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels''; [[Rudolf Bultmann]], ''Jesus and the Word''; Robert Van Voorst, ''Jesus Outside the Gospels'', and Graham Stanton, ''The Gospels and Jesus''.</ref> and there is no peer-reviewed work advocating the Jesus-Myth theory.

==History==

Some have suggested that the idea dates to New Testament times, citing {{bibleverse|2|John|1:7|}}'s "many deceivers [who] are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." Scholars of the period believe that these early quotes refer to [[docetism]], the belief that Jesus appeared to people but lacked a genuinely physical body, rather than a belief that Jesus was a completely fabricated figure.{{fact}}

The first proponent of this theory was probably [[19th century|nineteenth century]] [[historian]] [[Bruno Bauer]], a [[Hegelian]] thinker who argued that the true founder of [[Christianity]] was the Alexandrian [[Jew]] [[Philo]], who had adapted Judaic ideas to Hellenic philosophy. His arguments made little impact at the time.{{fact}} Other authors included Edwin Johnson, who argued that Christianity emerged from a combination of liberal trends in Judaism with [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] mysticism {{fact}}. Less speculative versions of the theory developed under writers such as A.D. Loman and G.I.P. Bolland. Loman argued that episodes in Jesus's life, such as the [[Sermon on the Mount]], were in reality fictions to justify compilations of pre-existing liberal Jewish sayings. Bolland developed the theory that Christianity developed from Gnosticism and that "Jesus" was a symbolic figure representing Gnostic ideas about godhead.{{fact}}

Jesus-Myth theories often draw on nineteenth century scholarship on the formation of myth, in the work of writers such as Max Müller and James Frazer.{{fact}} Müller argued that religions originated in mythic stories of the birth, death and rebirth of the sun.{{fact}} Frazer further attempted to explain the origins of humanity's mythic beliefs in the idea of a "sacrificial king", associated with the sun as a dying and reviving god. According to Frazer, the king's death and rebirth was connected to the regeneration of the earth in springtime and was often required for the continuity of a ritual-based community.{{fact}}

By the early [[20th century|twentieth century]] a number of writers had published arguments in favour of the Jesus-Myth theory. These treatments were sufficiently influential to merit several book-length responses by traditional historians and [[New Testament]] [[scholars]].{{fact}} The most influential of the books arguing for a mythic Jesus was [[Arthur Drews]]'s ''The Christ-Myth'' (1909) which argued that Christianity had been a Jewish Gnostic cult that spread by appropriating aspects of Greek philosophy and Frazerian death-rebirth deities. This combination of arguments became the standard form of the mythic Christ theory.{{fact}}

While aspects of the theory were influential, mainstream scholars at the time rejected the notion{{fact}}. Since Frazerian theories about myth have been largely debunked, and the priority of Gnosticism seriously questioned, the Jesus-Myth theory has dwindled in importance.{{fact}}

In recent years, the Jesus-Myth has had few proponents in academia{{fact}} but has been advanced by [[William B. Smith]] and [[George Albert Wells]] (''The Jesus Legend'' and ''The Jesus Myth''), as well as by [[Timothy Freke]] and [[Peter Gandy]] (co-authors of '' [[The Jesus Mysteries]]'' and ''Jesus and the Lost Goddess''), and the [[Earl Doherty]] (author of ''[[The Jesus Puzzle]]'').

== Specific arguments of the theory ==

{{sectfact}}

{{cleanup-rewrite}}

===Early non-Christian references to Jesus===

As far as is known at present, only about six or seven early non-Christian references to Jesus appear to exist{{fact}}. This is despite the high degree of literacy in the Roman world{{fact}}, and despite the relatively large number of Roman and Jewish commentators and historians writing in the [[1st century|first century]]{{fact}}. The paucity of non-Christian evidence is, to advocates of the Jesus Myth theory, an [[argument from silence]] that Jesus was a later invention{{fact}}. To critics of the Jesus Myth theory, the silence is attributed to the relative unimportance of the historical Jesus at the time as viewed by Romans, Greeks, and most Jews{{fact}}. Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory counter this response by noting that all the evidence which does exist to support Jesus--mainly, the Gospels--describes a monumental figure, performing wondrous miracles and butting heads with the most prominent figures of the day, not some inconsequential nobody{{fact}}.

Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory point out that the earliest references to Jesus are by Christian writers (in the New Testament and [[New Testament Apocrypha|its Apocrypha]]){{fact}}. Of the few non-Christian references, almost all merely mention the existence of Christians and their belief, rather than explicitly mentioning Jesus as having existed{{fact}}. The most cited example for a non-Christian reference to Jesus is [[Josephus]] ([[37]] [[CE]] - c. [[100]] CE), whose ''Antiquities'', written in [[93]] CE (more than two generations after most Christian scholars date the [[crucifixion]]), as preserved in the writings of the [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[Eusebius]], contain two references to a Jesus as the founder of a sect. {{fact}}

The first reference, the [[Josephus on Jesus|Testimonium Flavianum]], contains content that affirms core religious tenets of Christianity rejected by Judaism and thus is most uncharacteristic of a lifelong Jew such as Josephus{{fact}}. It is not mentioned by [[2nd century|second-century]] Christian authors, though several scholars have proposed that when stripped of the implausible Christian phrases, the core witness to a ''Jesus'' as a leader of a sect is reliable [http://www.bede.org.uk/Josephus.htm]. Jospehus was a historian, alive at the time of the alleged Jesus of Nazareth, and yet none of Josephus' many writings ever mentions Jesus except for a passage (the Testimonium Flavianum) considered forged by some, since the original passage does not exist, and no Christian writers prior to early church biship Eusebius ever quote the alleged Josephus Flavius passage. {{fact}}

The second reference, which merely mentions that a person named ''Jesus'' was the brother of a person named ''James'' who is traditionally identified as [[James the Just]], is also disputed [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp10.htm], though it is mostly--though not universally--regarded as significantly more likely to be authentic than the ''Testamonium'' [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/testimonium.html#reference]. Nevertheless, the Hebrew form of ''Jesus'', a colloquial form of the name ''Joshua'', was a particularly common name at the time{{fact}}, and the second reference provides only Jesus's name, identification as the Christ ("Messiah" or "anointed one"), and relationship to James.{{fact}}

===Paul's presentation of Jesus===

Several of the [[Pauline epistles|epistles of Paul]] are regarded as not authentic by a majority of scholars, the [[Pastoral Epistles]] being singled out as least likely to be genuine by over two thirds{{fact}}. When the [[authorship of the Pauline epistles]] is considered, the epistles can be split into two groups - the seven considered by almost everyone to be genuine, against the rest{{fact}}. In this division, the theology of the disputed group seems, in the eyes of a majority of scholars, to be quite distinct from the theology of the seven undisputed letters{{fact}}. For some writers it is almost as if the disputed group were written specifically to counter the group thought to be genuine.{{cite needed}}

Although there are occasional references in the disputed group to a flesh-and-blood Jesus, the undisputed group contains limited mention of Jesus as a historic figure{{fact}}. Even though Paul's letters are widely regarded as the earliest Christian documents, they contain very few references to Jesus' actual life and ministry, which the later Gospels detail{{fact}}. Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory claim that Paul's letters were written in response to specific problems unrelated to the details of the life of Jesus, and so the occasional and epistolary nature of Paul's correspondence are sufficient explanations for the lack of detail of Jesus' life{{fact}}. Proponents of the Jesus Myth theory note an abundance of missed rhetorical opportunities to reinforce Paul's points by quoting Jesus or citing well-known events in his life that were directly relevant to the topics he was discussing{{fact}}.

Several commentators, from writers whose theories have not received widespread acceptance, such as [[Earl Doherty]], to widely respected academics and experts in the field, such as Harvard professor [[Elaine Pagels]], have argued that Paul's writing should be interpreted as [[gnosticism]]{{fact}}. Christianity arose under a heavy Hellenic culture{{fact}}, Paul himself growing up in [[Tarsus]], the centre of one of the major [[mystery religion]]s of the time{{fact}}, and Pagels and Doherty (and others) believe that Paul's writing should be viewed in the context of the Hellenic culture which formed his background{{fact}}.

Gnosticism, a diverse religion some of whose branches used some Christian names and ideas and which flourished and subsequently died out in the first through fourth centuries, frequently used [[allegory]] and [[metaphor]] to guide its initiates towards ''salvation'', which Gnosticism viewed as a form of knowledge (''[[gnosis]]''){{fact}}. Many Gnostic groups even regarded Jesus himself as an allegory, rather than historic{{fact}}, and [[docetism]] was rife in Gnostic groups{{fact}}. Advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe that many parts of the New Testament were written as Gnostic documents, and that Paul's writing is a prominent example of [[Gnosticism in the New Testament]][http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/marshall_gauvin/did_jesus_really_live.html]. Accordingly, in this interpretation, those references in the undisputed epistles that appear to refer to events on earth, and a physical historic Jesus, should instead be regarded as allegorical metaphors [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/supp08.htm]. These interpretations, of for example {{bibleverse||Galatians|1:19}}, {{bibleverse||Galatians|3:16|}}, {{bibleverse||Galatians|4:4|}}, {{bibleverse||Romans|1:3|}}, {{bibleverse|Romans|3:1|}}, {{bibleverse|Romans|15:8|}}, and {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|11:23-25|}}, {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|15:4|}}, are regarded by opponents of the Jesus Myth theory as based on forced and erroneous translations [http://www.bede.org.uk/price7.htm].

===The influence of the Old Testament===

According to a majority of scholars, the [[synoptic problem]] - the strong similarities between three of the gospels, is most accurately resolved by the [[two-source hypothesis]], according to which most of the content of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] were copied wholesale from the [[Gospel of Mark]] and a lost collection of quotations known as the [[Q document]], with which the [[Gospel of Thomas]] is the most similar document of the era{{fact}}. In the small amount of additional material unique to Matthew, amongst the three, Jesus is presented in a way that has strong parallels with significant Old Testament figures, most noticeably [[Moses]], whose birth narrative, and sojourn in the wilderness, Matthew appears to have used as the basis of that of Jesus{{fact}}.

It is widely accepted that the Gospel accounts were influenced by the Old Testament. In particular, many quotations attributed to the Q document, which the Gospels attribute to Jesus, find parallels in several places of the Old Testament{{fact}}. Advocates of the Jesus Myth believe that the gospels are not history but a type of [[midrash]]: creative narratives based on the stories, prophecies, and quotes in the Hebrew Bible{{fact}}. In particular, there is no reason to assume that the sayings attributed to Q, a document theoretically devoid of narrative, originated with Jesus, rather than just being a collection of wisdom from several independent sources, such as the Old Testament{{fact}}. As such, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory claim that when the midrashic elements are removed, little to no content remains that could be used to demonstrate the existence of an historical Jesus [http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/partthre.htm].

Though conceding that the gospels may contain some creativity and midrash, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the gospels are more akin to ancient Graeco-Roman biographies{{fact}}. Although scholars do not agree on the exact nature of this genre, associated works attempted to impart historical information about historical figures, but were not comprehensive and could include legendary developments{{fact}}. Nevertheless, as ancient biographies, proponents of Jesus' existence believe they contain sufficient historical information to establish his historicity{{fact}}.

Although there are many types of midrash, the [[Toledot Yeshu]] jumps out as being the most similar to the proposal that characters and situations were invented wholesale according to religious dogma and Old Testament prophecy{{fact}}. However, opponents of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that the closest parallels to potential Moses-based embellishment of the Jesus narrative, are inapplicable{{fact}}. Moreover, there are many examples of ancient Jewish and Christian literature that shaped their stories and accounts according to Old Testament influence, but nevertheless provided some historical accounts [http://www.bede.org.uk/price6.htm]; for example, in [[1 Maccabees]], Judas and his battles are described in terms which parallel those of Saul's and David's battles against the Philistines in [[Books of Samuel|1 and 2 Samuel]], but nevertheless 1 Maccabees has a degree of respect amongst historians as having a reasonable degree of historical reliability (John R. Bartlett, ''The First and Second Books of Maccabees'', p. 15-17).

===Parallels with Mediterranian mystery religions===

Some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory have argued that many aspects of the Gospel stories of Jesus have remarkable parallels with [[life-death-rebirth deity|life-death-rebirth gods]] in the widespread [[mystery religion]]s prevalent in the hellenic culture amongst which Christianty was born{{fact}}. The central figure of one of the most widespread{{fact}}, [[Osiris-Dionysus]], was consistently localised and deliberately merged with local deities in each area{{fact}}, since it was the ''mysteries'' which were imparted that were regarded as important, not the method by which they were taught{{fact}}. In the view of some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory, most prominently [[Timothy Freke|Freke]] and [[Peter Gandy|Gandy]] in [[The Jesus Mysteries]], Jewish mystics adapted their form of Osiris-Dionysus to match prior Jewish heroes like Moses and Joshua, hence creating Jesus{{fact}}.

Several parallels are frequently cited by these advocates, and often appear, somewhat less carefully mixed with more dubious parallels{{fact}}, on internet sites{{fact}}. The most prominently cited and plausible parallels are with [[Horus]] and [[Mithras]]{{fact}}. Horus was one of the life-death-rebirth deities{{fact}}, and was connected and involved in the resurrection of [[Osiris]], whose Egyptian name (''Asar'') is very similar to the [[root word|root]] of [[Lazarus]]{{fact}}. Some versions of the [[Book of the dead]] report that Horus fed 5000 with just a few loaves of bread{{fact}}, since he was born and lived at the ''house of bread''{{fact}} (it was a historic capital of Egypt, and grain store{{fact}}), which translated into Hebrew is ''[[bethlehem]]''{{fact}}, and was named [[Heliopolis (ancient)|Annu]] in Egyptian{{fact}}, which translated into Hebrew is ''[[bethany]]'' (''house of Any/Anu''){{fact}}.

In Egyptian myth, Horus gained his authority by being anointed by Anubis{{fact}}, who had his own cult{{fact}}, and was regarded as the main anointer{{fact}}; the anointing made Horus into ''Horus karast''{{fact}} (a religious [[epithet]] written in Egyptian documents as ''HR KRST''{{fact}}) - embalmed/anointed Horus - in parallel to Jesus becoming ''Christ'' by being baptised by John{{fact}}, who had his own followers, and was especially regarded as a baptiser. Worship of [[Isis]], Horus' mother, was a prominent cult{{fact}}, and the proposal that this is the basis of ''[[latria|veneration]]'' of [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Mary]], and more particularly [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Marian Iconography]], has some merit{{fact}}.

The suggestion of parallels with such myths, however, has frequently gained little traction in the academic community. It is certainly the case that advocates of the Jesus Myth theory citing the parallels are frequently let down by citing dubious sources{{fact}}, choosing to include even ridiculous or implausible parallels{{fact}}, advocating particular theologies to replace Christianity{{fact}}, and using non standard terms (e.g. ''anup the baptiser'' rather than ''Anubis the anointer/embalmer'') which others fail to recognise{{fact}}.

Opponents of the Jesus Myth theory regularly accuse those who advocate the existence of such parallels of confusing the issue of who was borrowing from whom [http://www.bede.org.uk/books,jmyth.htm#7], a charge which was also made in ancient times by prominent early Christians. However, it is notable that, unlike modern opponents, several prominent early Christians, like [[Irenaeus]], actually acknowledged the existence of many parallels, complaining that the earlier religions had ''copied'' Christian religion and practices, before Jesus was even born, as some form of [[devil|diabolically]] inspired [[prophecy|pre-cognitive]] mockery{{fact}}. For their part, the historic opponents of early Christians wrote that Christians had the same religion and practice as they, but were too stupid to understand it{{fact}}.

In later years, Mithras worship became the most prominent rival to Christianity{{fact}}, and the idea that many Christian practices, including 25th December being Jesus' birth-date, and Sunday being the dedicated day of worship, derived originally from Mithraism is regarded as likely by many mainstream historians{{fact}}. Mithras was a solar deity{{fact}}, and so was seen as being born just after the [[winter solstice]]{{fact}}, and the day each week officially dedicated to him by the Roman empire was later renamed the ''day of the invincible sun''{{fact}}, in turn being renamed ''Sunday''; the references in Luke and Matthew, though, point to Jesus being more likely to have been born in April or September{{fact}}, and Saturday was the original day of Christian worship before [[Constantine I (emperor)|Constantine I]] moved it{{fact}}. Parallels between Mithras and the birth-narrative of Luke are also proposed by some advocates of the Jesus myth, since Mithras, as a sun god, was born under the zodiac sign that at that time was known as the ''stable of Augeas''{{fact}}, though these latter parallels are not so supported in the academic community.

When Christianity became the official and only religion in the Roman Empire, many temples of Mithras became Christian churches{{fact}}. Proponents of the Jesus Myth theory regard this as significant since the lack of dissent appears to them to indicate that the religions were so similar that the prior Mithras-worshippers felt that hardly anything significant had occurred{{fact}}.

Supporters of Jesus' historicity point out that even Christian sources acknowledge that the public celebration of Jesus' birth was adopted from the date of the festival of [[Sol Invictus]], and that this has no bearing on the reliability of the Gospels, since they make no claims about the date{{fact}}. Neither do any Christian churches claim that the date for the celebration is anything other than symbolic{{fact}}.

===Historiography and methodology===

Price and other advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that the inconsistencies between the Gospels, birth stories, genealogies, chronologies, and other parts of the narrative makes them worthless as historical documents. According to these authors, the [[historiography]] of the Gospels means that they can provide no meaningful historical information about the time Jesus was alleged to have lived, but only about the authors of the Gospels and their own communities [http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/theolist.htm].

Although seldom remarked on by New Testament scholars, some advocates of the Jesus Myth theory argue that historians lack any reliable and widely accepted methodology for determining what is historical and what is not{{fact}}. As [[John Dominic Crossan|J. D. Crossan]], a well respected scholar of early Christianity, comments, ''I do not think, after two hundred years of experimentation, that there is any way acceptable in public discourse or scholarly debate, by which you can go directly into the great mound of the Jesus tradition and separate out the historical Jesus layer from all later strata''{{fact}}. While this is not an argument that Jesus did not exist any more than it is an argument that the Paul described in Acts, or even Napoleon, did not exist, advocates of the Jesus Myth theory believe it does call into question the results of ''historical inquiry'' into Jesus of Nazareth{{fact}}.

Opponents of the theory, including skeptical commentators such as the [[Jesus Seminar]], argue that some reliable information can be extracted from the Gospels if consistent critical methodology is used{{fact}}.

==Notes==
<references/>

==See also==
*[[Historicity of Jesus]]
*''[[The God Who Wasn't There]]''
*[[John of Gamala]]
*[[Jus Asaf]]

==References==
* Atwill, Joseph. 2005. ''The Roman Origins of Christianity.''
* Atwill, Joseph. 2005. ''Caesar's Messiah.''
* Brodie, Thomas L. 2000. ''The Crucial Bridge: the Elijah-Elisha Narrative as an interpretive synthesis of Genesis-Kings and a literary model for the Gospels''. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press.
* [[Earl Doherty|Doherty, E.]],''[[The Jesus Puzzle]]'' ([[1999]]; revised edition [[2000]]) ISBN 0968601405
* Ellegard, Alvar. 1999. ''Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ.'' London: Century.
* France, R. T. ''The Evidence for Jesus.''
* Freke, T. and Gandy, P. ''[[The Jesus Mysteries]]'', by [[Timothy Freke]] and [[Peter Gandy]], ISBN 0609807986
* Meier, John. 1987. ''A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Volume One: The Roots of the Problem and the Person''. Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York: Doubleday.
* Price, Robert. 2004. New Testament Narrative as Old Testament Midrash. In Neusner, J., Avery-Peck, A., eds. ''The Encyclopedia of Midrash: Biblical Interpretation of Formative Judaism.''
* Price, Robert. 2003. ''The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man.'' Amherst, NY: Prometheus.
* Price, Robert. 2000. ''Deconstructing Jesus.'' Amherst, NY: Prometheus.
* Sanders, E. P. 1995. ''The Historical Figure of Jesus.'' Penguin.
* Sherwin-White, A. N. 1963. ''Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament.'' Oxford.
* Theissen, G., and Merz, A. 1998. ''The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide.'' Minneapolis: Fortress
* Thompson, Thomas L. 2005. ''The Messiah Myth.'' New York: Basic Books.
* Van Voorst, R. ''Jesus Outside of the New Testament.''
* Wells, G. A. 1999. ''The Jesus Myth.'' Peru, IL: Open Court (Carus Publishing)
* Wells, G. A. ''The Historical Evidence for Jesus.''
* G.L. Borchert, "Docetism" in ''Elwell Evangelical Dictionary''; ''[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05070c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]'', 1909/2003; D.C. Duling & N. Perrin, ''The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History'', 1993; "Docetism", ''[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030754 Encyclopædia Britannica]'', 2006; J.N.D. Kelly, ''Early Christian Doctrines''. [http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CPn24John2.htm "Book 24 - John's Second Letter". J.B.Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", 1962 edition].

==External links==
===Supporting a Jesus-Myth theory===

* [http://www.jesuspuzzle.com/ Earl Doherty's Website]
* [http://www.truthbeknown.com/origins.htm "The Origins of Christianity and Search for the Historical Jesus Christ"] by [[Acharya S]]
* [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/g_a_wells/earliest.html "Earliest Christianity"] by G.A. Wells
* [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/jesuspuzzle.shtml "Did Jesus Exist? Earl Doherty and the Argument to Ahistoricity"] by Richard Carrier
* [http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/ Jesus never existed]
* [http://www.christianism.com/ Jesus (was) is a Fictional character (not "historical")] Rt. Rev. Lino Sanchez
* [http://www.egodeath.com/#_The_Non-Historicity_of The Non-Historicity of Jesus] Michael Hoffman
* [http://www.radikalkritik.de/ Hermann Detering's RadikalKritik] (partially in German)
* [http://www.ffrf.org/news/2006/debunkingJesus.php Debunking the Historical Jesus]
* [http://www.vexen.co.uk/books/jesusmysteries.html "The Jesus Mysteries"] by Freke/Gandy

===Supporting a historical Jesus===

* [http://www.geocities.com/nephilimnot/historical_jesus_christ.html Historical Jesus A logical reconstruction] Argues that Jesus was a Guerilla chieftain oppossed to Rome.
* [http://www.geocities.com/b_d_muller/djp1.html Critique of Two Minor Points of The Jesus Puzzle] by Bernard D. Muller
* [http://www.bede.org.uk/price8.htm "A History of Scholarly Refutations of the Jesus Myth"] by Christopher Price
* [http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html "Shattering the Jesus Myth"] by J.P. Holding
* [http://www.answeringinfidels.com/content/category/5/73/49/ "Answering Acharya S"] by Mike Licona
** [http://truthbeknown.com/licona.htm Acharya rebuttal to Licona]
* [http://www.bede.org.uk/jesusindex.htm "Did Jesus Exist"] a page devoted to the issues raised by the Jesus Myth

[[Category:Jesus]]
[[Category:Biblical criticism]]

[[fr:Thèse mythiste (Jésus non historique)]]

Sunrise Senior Living

2006-04-17T20:05:52Z

Shawnc: name, stock

'''Sunrise Senior Living Inc.''' ({{nyse|SRZ}}) is a [[retirement home]] company based in northern [[Virginia]]. The company was founded in [[1981]] by Paul and Teresa Klaassen with the opening of the original Sunrise complex in [[Oakton, Virginia]]. The first location outside of the [[United States]] was opened in [[1999]], just outside of [[London]]. There are now locations in [[Canada]] and [[Germany]] as well. The current president is Thomas Newell. There are now over 420 Sunrise communities worldwide. In 2006, Sunrise was named number 854 one the [[Fortune 1000]] list.

Source: [http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/]

{{Business-stub}}

[[Category:Retirement in the United States]]
[[Category:Retirement in Canada]]
[[Category: Fortune 1000]]

Sunrise Senior Living

2006-04-17T20:05:08Z

Shawnc: moved Sunrise (retirement home) to Sunrise Senior Living: full name

'''Sunrise''' is a [[retirement home]] company based in northern [[Virginia]]. The company was founded in [[1981]] by Paul and Teresa Klaassen with the opening of the original Sunrise complex in [[Oakton, Virginia]]. The first location outside of the [[United States]] was opened in [[1999]], just outside of [[London]]. There are now locations in [[Canada]] and [[Germany]] as well. The current president is Thomas Newell. There are now over 420 Sunrise communities worldwide. In 2006, Sunrise was named number 854 one the [[Fortune 1000]] list.

Source: [http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/]

{{Business-stub}}

[[Category:Retirement in the United States]]
[[Category:Retirement in Canada]]
[[Category: Fortune 1000]]

Fight Club (Roman)

2006-04-12T21:58:05Z

Shawnc: disamb

: ''This is about the novel. For the film, see [[Fight Club (film)]]. For other uses, see [[Fight Club (disambiguation)]].''
{{infobox Book | 
| name = Fight Club
| image = [[Image:Fightclub.jpg|200px|Cover to the original hardcover edition]]
| author = [[Chuck Palahniuk]]
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| genre = [[Satire]]
| publisher = Hyperion Books
| release_date = August 1996
| media_type = Print (hardcover, paperback, & library binding) & audio cassette
| pages = 208
| size_weight = 8.6 x 6.0 x 0.9 inches, 14.4 ounces (hardcover)
| isbn = ISBN 0393039765 (hardcover)
}}
'''''Fight Club'''''{{ref|lowercase}} ([[1996]]) is the first published [[novel]] by [[United States|America]]n [[author]] [[Chuck Palahniuk]]. The plot is based around an unnamed [[protagonist]] who struggles with his growing discomfort with [[consumerism]] and changes in the state of [[masculinity]] in [[American culture]]. In an attempt to overcome this, he creates an underground [[boxing]] club as a radical form of [[therapy]]. The novel was made into a [[Fight Club (film)|movie of the same name]] in [[1999 in film|1999]] by director [[David Fincher]], which resulted in the story becoming a pop culture phenomenon. In its popularity, the novel has become a target of criticism, mainly for its explicit depictions of violence.

==History==
When Palahniuk made his first attempt at publishing a novel (''[[Invisible Monsters]]'') publishers rejected it for being too disturbing. This led him to work on ''Fight Club'', which he wrote as an attempt to disturb the publisher even more for rejecting him. Palahniuk wrote this story in between working while on the job for [[Freightliner (truck)|Freightliner]]. After initially publishing it as a short story (which became chapter 6 of the novel) in the compilation ''Pursuit of Happiness'', Palahniuk expanded it into a full novel, which, contrary to what he expected, the publisher was willing to publish.{{ref|Tomlinson1}} While the original, hardcover edition of the book received positive reviews and some awards, it had a short shelf life. Nevertheless, the book had made its way to [[Hollywood]], where interest in adapting it to film was growing. It was eventually adapted in [[1999]] by screenwriter [[Jim Uhls]] and director David Fincher. The film was a box office disappointment (although it was #1 at the U.S. box office in its first weekend) and critical reaction was mixed, but a [[Cult film|cult following]] soon emerged as the DVD of the film was popular upon release (with some critics changing their opinions on it as a result of the DVD). As a result of the film, the original hardcover edition became a collector's item.{{ref|offman}} Two paperback rereleases of the novel, one in 1999 and the other in [[2004]] (the latter of which begins with an introduction by the author about the conception and popularity of both the novel and the movie), were later made. This success helped launch Palahniuk's career as a popular [[novelist]], as well as establish a writing style that would appear in all later books by the author.

Despite popular belief, Palahniuk was not inspired to write the novel by any actual fight club. The club itself was based on a series of [[fight]]s that Palahniuk got into over previous years (most notably one that he got into during a [[camping]] trip).{{ref|jemielity}} Even though he has mentioned this in many interviews, Palahniuk is still often approached by fans wanting to know where their local fight club takes place. Palahniuk insists that there is no real, singular organization like the one in his book. He does admit however that some fans have mentioned to him that some fight clubs (albeit much smaller than the one in the novel) exist or previously existed (some having existed long before the novel was written).

Many other events in the novel were also based on events that Palahniuk himself had experienced. The [[support groups]] that the narrator attends are based on support groups that the author brought terminally ill people to as part of a volunteer job he did for a local hospice. Project Mayhem is loosely based on the [[Cacophony Society]], of which Palahniuk is a member. Various events and characters are based on friends of the author. Other events came as a result of stories told to him by various people he had talked to.{{ref|stf228}} This method of combining various stories from various people into novels has become a common way of writing novels for Palahniuk ever since.

Outside of Palahniuk's professional and personal life, the novel's impact has been felt elsewhere. Several individuals in various locations of the [[United States]] (and possibly in other countries) have set up their own fight clubs based on the one mentioned in the novel. Some of Tyler's on-the-job pranks (such as food tampering) have been repeated by fans of the book (although these same pranks existed well before the novel was published). Palahniuk eventually documented this phenomenon in his essay "Monkey Think, Monkey Do"{{ref|stf212}}, which was published in his book ''[[Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories]]'', as well as in the introduction to the 2004 paperback edition of ''Fight Club''.{{ref|fc2k4}} Other fans of the book have been inspired to non-anti-social activity as well; Palahniuk has claimed that fans tell him that they have been inspired to go back to college after reading the book.{{ref|Tomlinson2}}

Other than the film, a few other adaptations have been attempted. As of [[June 23]], 2004 ''Fight Club'' is in development as a [[musical theater|musical]], developed by Palahniuk, Fincher, and [[Trent Reznor]].{{ref|chang}} [[Brad Pitt]], who played the role of Tyler Durden in the film, has expressed interest in also being involved. A video game loosely based on the film was published by [[Vivendi Universal Games]] in 2004, receiving poor reviews from gaming critics.

==Plot synopsis==
{{spoiler}}

The book centers around a nameless narrator who hates his job and the way his life currently is. The narrator works for an unnamed car company, organizing [[product recall]]s on defective models if, and only if, the cost of the [[product recall|recall]] is less than the total cost of [[out-of-court settlement]]s paid to relatives of the deceased (which parallels the [[1970s]] story of the [[Ford_Pinto#Safety_problems|Ford Pinto's safety problems and recall]]). At the same time, he is becoming disenchanted with a "nesting instinct"{{ref|fc99p43}} of consumerism that has absorbed his life, causing him to define himself as a person based on the furniture, clothes, and other material objects that he owns. These aspects of his life, combined with frequent trips across multiple time zones (due to his job) disturb him to the point that they cause him to suffer from chronic [[insomnia]].

At the recommendation of his doctor (who does not consider his insomnia to be a serious ailment), the narrator goes to a support group for men with [[testicular cancer]] to "see what real suffering is like". After finding that crying at these support groups and listening to emotional outpourings from suffering individuals allows him to sleep at night, he becomes addicted to attending them. At the same time, he befriends a cancer victim named Bob. Although he does not really suffer from any of the ailments that the other attendants have, he is never caught being a "tourist" until he meets Marla Singer, a woman who also attends support groups without needing them for their original purpose. Her presence "reflects" the narrator's "tourism", and only reminds him that he doesn't belong at the support groups. This causes him to be unable to cry and consequently causes him to hate Marla. As a result of both of these factors, the narrator is once again unable to control his insomnia. After a short confrontation between the two, they begin going to separate support groups in order to avoid bumping into each other again.

Shortly before this incident, his life changes radically after meeting Tyler Durden, a beach artist who works low-paying jobs at night in order to perform deviant behavior on the job. After his confrontation with Marla, the narrator's condo is destroyed by an explosion and he asks Tyler if he can stay at his place. Tyler agrees, but asks for one favor: "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."{{ref|fc99p46}} The resulting fight in a bar's parking lot attracts more disenchanted males, and a new form of support group, the first "fight club", is born. The fight club becomes a new type of therapy through [[bare-knuckle]] fighting, controlled by a set of eight rules:


#You don't talk about fight club.
#You don't talk about fight club.{{ref|2rules}}
#If someone says stop, goes limp, even if he's just faking it, the fight is over.{{ref|lostrule}}
#Only two guys to a fight.
#One fight at a time.
#They fight without shirts or shoes.
#The fights go on as long as they have to.
#If this is your first night at fight club, you have to fight.{{ref|fc99p4850}}


Meanwhile, Tyler rescues Marla from a suicide attempt and the two initiate an affair that confounds the narrator. Throughout this affair, Marla is mostly unaware of the existence of fight club, and completely unaware of Tyler and the narrator's interaction with one another.{{ref|tylermarla}}

As the fight club's membership grows (and, unbeknownst to the narrator, spreads to other cities across the country), Tyler begins to use it to spread anti-consumerist ideas and recruits its members to participate in increasingly elaborate attacks on [[corporate America]]. This was originally the narrator's idea, but Tyler eventually takes control from him. Tyler eventually gathers the most devoted fight club members (referred to as "space monkeys") and forms "Project Mayhem", a [[cult]]-like organization that trains itself as an army to bring down modern civilization. This organization, like the fight club, is controlled by a set of rules:

#You don't ask questions.
#You don't ask questions.
#No excuses.
#No lies.
#You have to trust Tyler.{{ref|fc99p119125}}

The narrator starts off as a loyal participant in Project Mayhem, seeing it as the next step for fight club. However, he becomes uncomfortable with the increasing destructiveness of their activities after it results in the death of Bob.

As the narrator endeavors to stop Tyler and his followers, he learns that he ''is'' Tyler{{ref|unreliable}}; Tyler is not a separate person, but a [[Dissociative identity disorder|separate personality]]. As the narrator struggled with his hatred for his job and his consumerist lifestyle, his mind began to form a new personality that was able to escape from the problems of his normal life. The final straw in causing his mind to snap came when he met Marla; Tyler was truly born as a distinct personality when the narrator's unconscious desire to be with Marla clashed with his conscious hatred for her. Having come to the surface, Tyler's personality has been slowly taking over the narrator's mind, which he planned to take over completely by making the narrator's real personality more like his. The narrator's previous cases of insomnia had actually been Tyler's personality surfacing; Tyler would be active whenever the narrator was "sleeping". This allowed Tyler to manipulate the narrator into helping him create fight club; Tyler learned recipes for creating explosives when he was in control, and used this knowledge to blow up his condo.

The narrator also learns that Tyler plans to blow up several buildings in the downtown area of the city using homemade [[bomb]]s created by Project Mayhem. During these explosions, he plans to die as a [[martyr]] for Project Mayhem, consequently taking the narrator's life with his. Realizing this, the narrator sets out to stop Tyler, despite the fact that Tyler is always thinking ahead of him. In his attempts to stop this, he makes peace with Marla (who now considers the narrator to be her boyfriend) and explains to her that he is not Tyler Durden. He is eventually forced by Tyler to confront him on the roof of the tallest building in the city, which is about to be destroyed along with the other buildings that Project Mayhem has targeted. There, the narrator manages to convince Tyler that he has no control over him anymore and that he will be the only one making decisions for himself from now on. This causes his hallucinations of Tyler to stop, ridding the narrator of his second personality for good.

With Tyler gone, the narrator waits for the bombs to explode and kill him. However, the bombs turn out to be duds due to the fact that Tyler used the paraffin recipe, which never worked for the narrator, and thus Tyler as well. Still alive and holding the gun that Tyler used to carry on him, the narrator decides to make the first decision that is truly his own: he puts the gun in his mouth and shoots himself. Some time later, he awakens in a mental institution, though he believes that he is dead and has gone to heaven. From there, he gets regular visits from Marla, who still cares for him. The book ends with members of Project Mayhem who work at the institution telling the narrator that their plans to change civilization as we know it are continuing to go through, and that they are expecting Tyler to make a return.

==Characters==
{{spoiler}}

*'''The narrator''' - The novel's [[protagonist]] whose name is never mentioned, possibly in order to make him an [[Everyman#Modern_literature|everyman]] character (though near the end of the novel he shows Marla his driver's license with his real name). In the beginning of the story, he is suffering from insomnia, and starts going to support groups for terminally ill people where he fakes that he is dying of their diseases. By crying at these support groups he is able to sleep at night. He eventually quits going to them after he becomes part of fight club. He co-founds fight club along with Tyler Durden as a method of dealing with his insomnia and annoyance with consumer culture. His self-loathing, mental instability, and violent behavior make him a good example of an [[anti-hero|antihero]]. Some fans of the film refer to the narrator as "Jack", which is in reference to a scene in which he reads stories written from the perspective of a man's organs (e.g. "Jack's [[medulla oblongata]]"); the protagonists' lines in the official movie script also use the name "Jack" to denote them. Furthermore, a number of props from the film (such as a paycheck for the narrator) have the name "Jack Moore" on them, indicating that members of the film's crew also thought the narrator's name was Jack. The name "Jack" was "Joe" in the novel, which was changed in the film to avoid conflicts with ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' over the use of the name (the articles read by the narrator were featured in the magazine). The narrator of ''Fight Club'' set a precedent for the protagonists of later novels by Palahniuk, especially in the case of male protagonists, as they often shared his anti-heroic and [[transgressional fiction|transgressive]] behavior.

*'''Tyler Durden''' - A [[Primitivism|primitivist]]/ [[Nihilism|nihilist]] with a strong hatred for consumer culture. "Because of his nature"{{ref|fc99p25}}, Tyler works night jobs where he causes problems for the companies; he also does beach art to find "perfection". He is the co-founder of fight club (it was his idea to have the fight that led to it). He later launches Project Mayhem, from which he and the members make various attacks on consumerism. The unhinged but magnetic Tyler could also be considered an antihero (especially since he and the narrator are technically the same person), although he becomes the [[antagonist]] of the novel later in the story. Few characters like Tyler have appeared in later novels by Palahniuk, though the character of Oyster from ''[[Lullaby (novel)|Lullaby]]'' shares many similarities.

*'''Marla Singer''' - A woman that the narrator meets during a support group. The narrator no longer receives the same release from the groups when he realizes Marla is faking her problems just like he is. After he leaves the groups, he meets her again when she meets Tyler and becomes his lover. In later novels by Palahniuk in which the protagonist is male, a female character similar to Marla has also appeared. Marla and these other female characters have helped Palahniuk to add romantic themes into his novels.

*'''Robert "Bob" Paulson''' - A man that the narrator meets at a support group for [[testicular cancer]]. A former [[bodybuilding|bodybuilder]], Bob lost his testicles to cancer possibly caused by the [[steroids]] he used to bulk up his muscles, and had to undergo testosterone injections; this resulted in his body increasing its [[estrogen]], causing him to grow large [[breasts]] ([[Gynecomastia]]) and develop a softer voice. The narrator befriends Bob and, after leaving the groups, meets him again in fight club. Bob's death later in the story while carrying out an assignment for Project Mayhem causes the narrator to turn against Tyler.

==Motifs==
At two points in the novel, the narrator claims he wants to "wipe [his] ass with the ''[[Mona Lisa]]''"; a mechanic who joins fight club also repeats this to him in one scene.{{ref|fc99p124200}} This [[motif (literature)|motif]] shows his want for chaos, later explicitly expressed in his want to "destroy something beautiful". Additionally, he mentions at one point that "Nothing is static. Even the ''Mona Lisa'' is falling apart."{{ref|fc99p49A}} University of Calgary literary scholar Paul Kennett claims that this want for chaos is a result of an [[Oedipal complex]], as the narrator, Tyler, and the mechanic all show disdain for their fathers.{{ref|kennett5051}} This is most explicitly stated in the scene that the mechanic appears in:

:The mechanic says, “If you’re male and you’re Christian and living in America, your father is your model for God. And if you never know your father, if your father bails out or dies or is never at home, what do you believe about God?
:...
:How Tyler saw it was that getting God’s attention for being bad was better than getting no attention at all. Maybe because God’s hate is better than His indifference.
:If you could be either God’s worst enemy or nothing, which would you choose?
:We are God’s middle children, according to Tyler Durden, with no special place in history and no special attention.
:Unless we get God’s attention, we have no hope of damnation or redemption.
:Which is worse, hell or nothing?
:Only if we’re caught and punished can we be saved.
:“Burn the [[Louvre]],” the mechanic says, “and wipe your ass with the Mona Lisa. This way at least, God would know our names.”{{ref|fc99p141}}

Kennett further argues that Tyler wants to use this chaos to change history so that "God’s middle children" will have some historical significance, whether or not this significance is "damnation or redemption".{{ref|kennett5152}} This will figuratively return their absent fathers, as judgement by future generations will replace judgement by their fathers.

After reading stories written from the perspective of the organs of a man named Joe, the narrator begins using similar quotations to describe his feelings, often replacing organs with feelings and things involved in his life.

The narrator often repeats the line "I know this because Tyler knows this." This is used to [[foreshadowing|foreshadow]] the novel's major plot twist in which Tyler is revealed to be the same person as the narrator.

The color [[cornflower blue]] first appears as the color of an icon on the narrator's boss's computer.{{ref|fc99p49B}} Later, it is mentioned that his boss has eyes of the same color.{{ref|fc99p98}} These mentions of the color are the first of many uses of cornflower blue in Palahniuk's books, which all feature the color at some point in the text.

==Subtext==
Throughout the novel, Palahniuk uses the narrator and Tyler to comment on how people in modern society try to find meaning in their lives through commercial culture. Several lines in the novel make reference to this lifestyle as meaningless. Usually Palahniuk delivers this through overt methods, but there are also some allegorical references as well; for instance, the narrator, upon looking at the contents of his refrigerator, notices he has "a house full of condiments and no real food."{{ref|fc99p45}}

Additionally, much of the novel comments on how many men in modern society have found dissatisfaction with the state of masculinity as it currently exists. The characters of the novel lament the fact that many of them were raised by their mothers due to their fathers either abandoning their family or divorcing their mothers. As a result, they see themselves as being "a generation of men raised by women"{{ref|fc99p50}}, being without a male role model in their lives to help shape their masculinity. This ties in with the anti-consumer culture theme, as the men in the novel see their "[[IKEA]] nesting instinct" as resulting from the feminization of men in a matriarchal culture. Some readers and critics have noticed how the state of men in the novel is similar to the state of women in modern society, and that Palahniuk may have also been writing about the problems of female life.{{ref|avni}}

Maryville University of St. Louis professor Jesse Kavadlo, in an issue of the literary journal ''Stirrings Still'', claimed that the narrator's opposition to emasculation is a form of projection, and that the problem that he fights is himself.{{ref|kavadlo5}} He also claims that Palahniuk uses [[existentialism]] in the novel to conceal subtexts of [[feminism]] and romance in order to convey these concepts in a novel that is mainly aimed at a male audience.{{ref|kavadlo7}}

Palahniuk himself gives a much simpler assertion about the theme of the novel, stating "all my books are about a lonely person looking for some way to connect with other people."{{ref|stfxv}}

Paul Kennett claims that, because the narrator's fights with Tyler are fights with himself, and because he fights himself in front of his boss at the hotel, the narrator is using the fights as a way of asserting himself as his own boss. He argues that these fights are a representation of the struggle of the proletarian at the hands of a higher capitalist power, and by asserting himself as capable of having the same power he thus becomes the one who controls him. Later, when fight club is formed, the participants are all dressed and groomed similarly, thus allowing them to symbolically fight themselves at the club and gain the same power.{{ref|kennett5354}}

Afterwards, Kennett says, Tyler becomes nostalgic for patriarchical power controlling him, and creates Project Mayhem to achieve this. Through this proto-fascist power structure, the narrator seeks to learn "what, or rather, who, he might have been under a firm patriarchy."{{ref|kennett55}} Through his position as leader of Project Mayhem, Tyler uses his power to become a "God/Father" to the space monkeys (although by the end of the novel his words hold more power than he does, as is evident in the space monkeys' threat to castrate the narrator when he contradicts Tyler's rule). According to Kennett, this creates a paradox in that Tyler pushes the idea that men who wish to be free from a controlling father-figure are only [[self-actualization|self-actualized]] once they have children and become a father themselves.{{ref|kennett56}} This new structure is, however, ended by the narrator's elimination of Tyler, allowing him to decide for himself how to determine his freedom.

==Criticism==
While ''Fight Club'' has been praised for its insights into contemporary American culture, it has also received criticism from various academics and cultural commentators. Much of this surrounds the possibility that the novel promotes misogyny and self-destructive behaviour. Some passages in the novel seem to suggest that men have something to gain by ridding themselves of feminine characteristics and engaging in more masculine activities. Furthermore, these critics believe these activities, mainly fighting, are self-destructive. Even more problematic to some critics is ''Fight Club'''s role in pop culture, as such a role makes it easy to infer that the ideas presented in the novel are influencing the general populace. However, there is much polarization on this issue. Supporters of the novel have responded by noting that the narrator finally rejects Tyler and fight club, and seems to also place great importance on developing a more authentic relationship with Marla.

Many critics also accused ''Fight Club'' of being [[homoerotic]]. Amongst these were David
Denby of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' and Laura Miller of ''[[Salon.com]]'', both of whom used their claims to disparage Palahniuk.{{ref|kavadlo6}} Additionally, Robert Alan Brook and Robert Westerfelhaus published ''Hiding Homoeroticism in Plain View: The Fight Club DVD as Digital Closet'' to make similar claims.{{ref|brookwest}} It is worth noting that all these claims were made before Palahniuk publicly announced that he is a homosexual.

==''Fight Club'' in pop culture==
Because of the film's popularity, ''Fight Club'' is sometimes referenced in [[pop culture]], having been referred to in television shows, films, music, [[video games]], and other forms of media. Such references include the following:

'''Television:'''
*''[[Corner Gas]]'' — In one episode, Lacey talks about a book club with Karen, who says "I thought the first rule of book club is we don't talk about book club." Lacey says "No that's fight club." Karen responds by asking "How do you know about fight club?"
*''[[Futurama (TV series)|Futurama]]'' — Professor Farnsworth, in the episode "[[Three Hundred Big Boys]]," leaves the Planet Express building saying "Gotta go, fight club."
*''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'' — Dr. Yang says "Don't talk about it - it's fight club"
*''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy]]'' — In the episode "Druid, Where's My Car?", in the scene where the wizard tells Grim to think about nature, he sees a cold snow area where a penguin walks up to him and says "slide".
*''[[Invader Zim]]'' — In the episode "Rise of the Zit Boy", Gaz reads a book called "Punch Club".
*''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'' — Agent Anthony DiNozzo refers to ''Fight Club'' in one episode.
*''[[Spaced]]'' — In season 2, episode 3, Tim and Mike become part of the dark world of Robot Club.
*''[[Undeclared (TV show)|Undeclared]]'' — In a spoof episode, the main character is asked by his friend to "Hit me as hard as you can" and proceeds to punch him in the ear before getting beat up.
*''[[Undergrads]]'' — In the episode "New Friends", Rocko decides to start a fight club. But since he is the only member, he has to fight himself.
*''[[The X-Files]]'' — An episode entitled "Fight Club" involved two identical people who are not twins and share a cosmic connection.

'''Films:'''
*''[[Grandma's Boy]]'' — When Jeff is asked why he's so sweaty he replies, "Oh I just started a fight club."
*''[[Out Cold (2001 film)|Out Cold]]'' — When explaining the snowboarding contest entitled "King of the Mountain," Luke remarks that the first rule of King of the Mountain is that you do not talk about King of the Mountain.

'''Video games:'''
*''[[Fable (video game)|Fable]]'' — There is a fight club in almost every town.
*''[[Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel]]'' — there is a scene in the game when you are in a desert town. When you first walk into a building, there is a dead man on a table, and a message pops up saying "His name was Robert Paulson."
*''[[Gothic 2]]'' — Features a fight club, complete with rules, including "No one talks about what goes on behind the warehouse." Chuck Palahniuk is also listed among the game's credits.
*''[[Halo 2]]'' — In this sequel to the original X-Box console game Halo (by Bungie Software), a particularly intense sequence of the game is titled "Fight Club"
*''[[Tony Hawk's American Wasteland]]'' — a gang of anti-commericalists called Skate Club blow up buildings and torch billboards. A few of the members resemble Brad Pitt. The rules of Skate Club are similar to those of fight club.
*''[[Warcraft III]]'' — Two men named Tyler and Jack are seen fighting in one village.
*''[[World of Warcraft]]'' — There is an area in the [[Undercity]] where a Tyler and Jack are fighting different monsters. The undead around them also have names from the movie, such as Marla and Chloe. A weapon in the game is also named Fight Club.

'''Music:'''
*[[Black Eyed Peas]] — The band has a song called "Like That" which contains the lyrics, "To be at fight club, even Brad had to crack a tooth".
*[[Finch (U.S. band)|Finch]] — The band has a song called "Project Mayhem" on their first major label release, ''[[What It Is to Burn]]''. The song's lyrics can be seen as mirroring some of the events in ''Fight Club''.
*[[Limp Bizkit]] — The band has a song called "Livin' It Up" on their CD entitled ''Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water'' where lead singer Fred Durst claims to have seen ''Fight Club'' 28 times. They also have a prescription bottle label on the inside cover of their ''Results may vary'' album where the prescribing doctor is Dr. Durden, Tyler.
*[[Panic! At The Disco]] — Some songs by the band contain references to ''Fight Club''.
*[[Seether]] — A music video for the song "Remedy" was confirmed to be inspired by ''Fight Club''.
*[[Slagsmålsklubben]] — The Swedish band (whose name translates to "fight club" in English) was named after the film.[http://biphome.spray.se/hatahund/smk/historia.htm]
*[[Taking Back Sunday]] — The music video for "Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team)" was inspired by ''Fight Club''.

'''Other:'''
*''Bite Club'' — A [[Vertigo (comics)|Vertigo Comics]] series about a group of vampires.
*''[[The Onion]]'' — The satirical newspaper ran an article parodying ''Fight Club'' titled "The First Rule Of The Quilting Society Is You Don't Talk About The Quilting Society".{{ref|verdon}}
*A trailer for the film of ''Fight Club'' was re-edited to make it look like a [[romantic comedy]], which has become an internet phenomenon.{{ref|doctorow}}

==Awards==
The novel won the following awards:
*the [[1997]] Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award{{ref|pnba}}
*the 1997 Oregon Book Award for Best Novel{{ref|oba}}

==ISBN numbers==
*ISBN 0393039765 ([[hardcover]], 1996)
*ISBN 0805054375 ([[paperback]], 1997)
*ISBN 0805062971 (paperback, 1999)
*ISBN 1565113306 (audio cassette, 1999)
*ISBN 0613918827 (library binding, 1999)
*ISBN 0805076476 (paperback, 2004)
*ISBN 0805076557 (paperback, 2004)
*ISBN 0393327345 (paperback, 2005)

==Notes==
#{{note|lowercase}}Throughout the book, Palahniuk writes the name of the club in lower case. The only occurrence of Fight Club as a proper noun is in the novel's title. Thus, all references to "fight club" in this article refer to the fictional club, while references to ''Fight Club'' refer to the novel itself.
#{{note|2rules}} The first rules of both fight club and Project Mayhem are repeated for emphasis. Fans of the novel and the film have latched on to the first two rules of fight club as a [[meme]] and have made it into a [[catchphrase]] (although slightly changed to "you do not talk about fight club", based on the variation in the film).
#{{note|lostrule}}Shortly after the third rule is introduced, it is dropped from the club and the other rules move up one numbered position. It is mentioned by the narrator the first time he states the rules,{{ref|fc99p49C}} but it is not mentioned by Tyler when he states them. Tyler also adds the eighth rule, which becomes the seventh rule in his version of the rule set.{{ref|fc99p50B}} This may have been the result of a [[continuity error]], though it is also possible that Tyler changed the rules to allow the narrator to break the third rule later in the novel.
#{{note|tylermarla}}Because Tyler and Marla are never seen at the same time, the narrator wonders if Tyler and Marla are the same person.{{ref|fc99p65}} This foreshadows the later revelation of Tyler and the narrator being the same person.
#{{note|unreliable}}The narrator's inability to explain Tyler's existence earlier on in the story is a classic example of an [[unreliable narrator]].

==See also==
*[[1996 in literature]]
*[[Generation X]]
*[[Soaper]]
*[[Transgressional fiction]]

==References==
*{{note|avni}}Avni, Sheerly. "[http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/24026/ Ten Hollywood Movies That Get Women Right]". ''[[AlterNet]]''. August 12, 2005.
*{{note|brookwest}}Brookley, Robert Alan & Westerfelhaus, Robert. "Hiding Homoeroticism in Plain View: The Fight Club DVD as Digital Closet". ''Critical Studies in Media Communication''. March 2002.
*{{note|chang}}Chang, Jade. "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A2799633 tinseltown: fight club and fahrenheit]". ''[[BBC]].co.uk''. July 2, 2004.
*{{note|doctorow}}[[Cory Doctorow|Doctorow, Cory]]. "[http://www.boingboing.net/2006/02/06/fight_club_trailer_a.html Fight Club trailer as a romantic comedy]". ''[[Boing Boing]]''. February 6, 2006.
*{{note|jemielity}}Jemielity, Sam. "[http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/comversation/palahniuk/ Chuck Palahniuk:The Playboy.Comversation]". ''[[Playboy]].com''. Retrieved June 30, 2005.
*Kavadlo, Jesse. "The Fiction of Self-destruction: Chuck Palahniuk, Closet Moralist". ''Stirrings Still: The International Journal of Existential Literature''. Volume 2, Number 2. Fall/Winter 2005. [http://www.stirrings-still.org/ss22.pdf PDF link]
**{{note|kavadlo5}}p.5
**{{note|kavadlo6}}p.6
**{{note|kavadlo7}}p.7
*Kennett, Paul. "Fight Club and the Dangers of Oedipal Obsession". ''Stirrings Still: The International Journal of Existential Literature''. Volume 2, Number 2. Fall/Winter 2005. [http://www.stirrings-still.org/ss22.pdf PDF link]
**{{note|kennett5051}}p.50-51
**{{note|kennett5152}}p.51-52
**{{note|kennett5354}}p.53-54
**{{note|kennett55}}p.55
**{{note|kennett56}}p.56
*{{note|offman}}Offman, Craig. "[http://archive.salon.com/books/log/1999/09/03/fight_club/ Movie makes "Fight Club" book a contender]". ''[[Salon.com]]''. September 3, 1999.
*{{note|oba}}[http://www.literary-arts.org/oba_poetry.htm#fiction Oregon Book Awards]. Literary Arts, Inc. Retrieved June 20, 2005.
*{{note|pnba}}Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Awards. http://www.pnba.org/awards.htm. Retrieved June 20, 2005.
*Palahniuk, Chuck. ''Stranger Than Fiction : True Stories''. New York: [[Doubleday]], 2004. ISBN 0385504489
**{{note|stfxv}}p.xv
**{{note|stf212}}p.212-215
**{{note|stf228}}p.228-229
*{{note|Tomlinson1}}{{note|Tomlinson2}}Tomlinson, Sarah. "[http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/int/1999/10/13/palahniuk/index.html Is it fistfighting, or just multi-tasking?]". ''Salon.com''. October 13, 1999.
*{{note|verdon}}Verdon, Helen. "[http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33408 The First Rule Of The Quilting Society Is You Don't Talk About The Quilting Society]". ''The Onion''. June 7, 2000.

In addition, the following editions of the novel were used as references for this article:
*Palahniuk, Chuck. ''Fight Club''. New York: Owl Books, 1999. ISBN 0805062971
**{{note|fc99p25}}p.25
**{{note|fc99p43}}p.43
**{{note|fc99p45}}p.45
**{{note|fc99p46}}p.46
**{{note|fc99p4850}}p.48-50
**{{note|fc99p49A}}{{note|fc99p49B}}{{note|fc99p49C}}p.49
**{{note|fc99p50}}{{note|fc99p50B}}p.50
**{{note|fc99p65}}p.65
**{{note|fc99p98}}p.98
**{{note|fc99p119125}}p.119, 122, 125
**{{note|fc99p124200}}p.124, 141, 200
**{{note|fc99p141}}p.141
*{{note|fc2k4}}Palahniuk, Chuck. ''Fight Club''. New York: Owl Books, 2004. ISBN 0805076476

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/books/fightclub/ Chuck Palahniuk.Net section for ''Fight Club'']
*[http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/downloads/audio/bumbershoot_portland_fightclub_audioreading.mp3 Audio recording of Chuck Palahniuk reading Chapter 6 of ''Fight Club'']

{{ChuckPalahniuk}}

[[Category:1996 books]]
[[Category:American novels]]
[[Category:Chuck Palahniuk books]]
[[Category:Satirical books]]

[[ar:نادي القتال (رواية)]]
[[de:Fight Club]]
[[es:El club de la lucha]]
[[eo:Luktklubo]]
[[fr:Fight Club (roman)]]
[[he:מועדון קרב]]
[[ja:ファイト・クラブ]]
[[pt:Clube da Luta]]

Benutzer:Kurator71/Das Höllentor

2006-03-16T12:18:00Z

Shawnc: moved cat to Jigokumon

[[Image:Hoellentor.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''The Gates of Hell'', [[Musée Rodin]].]]

'''''La Porte de l'Enfer''''' (translated '''''The Gates of Hell''''') is a monumental sculptural group work by French artist [[Auguste Rodin]]. It stands at 21 feet high, 13 feet wide and 3 feet deep and contains 180 figures. The figures range from 6 inches high up to 4 feet.

Several of the figures were also cast independently by Rodin.

==History==

Commissioned by the Directorate of Fine Arts in 1880. It was meant to be delivered in 1885.
Rodin would continue to work on and off this project for 37 years, until his death in 1917.

The Directorate asked for an inviting entrance to a planned Decorative Arts Museum. The theme was left to Rodin's selection. Rodin admired [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]] and was subjugated by the reading of the [[The Divine Comedy|Inferno]]. He had sketches of some of Dante's characters before the commission.

The Decoratives Arts Museum was never built. Rodin worked on this project on the ground floor of the ''Hôtel Biron''. Near the end of his life, Rodin donated sculptures, drawings and reproduction rights to the French government. In 1919, two years after his death, ''The Hôtel Biron'' became the ''Musée Rodin'' housing a cast of ''The Gates of Hell'' and related works.

==Inspiration for the Gates of Hell==

A work of the scope of the ''Gates of Hell'' had not been attempted before, but inspiration came from [[Lorenzo Ghiberti]]'s ''Gates of Paradise'' at the [[Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence)|Baptistery of St. John]], [[Florence]]. The 15th century bronze doors depict figures from the Old Testament.
Another source of inspiration were medieval cathedrals. Some of those combine both high and low relief.

==Outstanding figures==

The original sculptures were enlarged and became works of art of their own.

===[[The Thinker]] (''Le Penseur'')===
Also called ''The Poet'', is located above the door panels. One interpretation suggests that it might represent Dante looking down to the characters in the Inferno. Another interpretation is that the Thinker is Rodin himself meditating about his composition.

===[[The Kiss (Rodin sculpture)|The Kiss]] (''Le Baiser'')===
Originally in ''The Gate'' along with other figures of ''Paolo and [[Francesca da Rimini]]''. Rodin wanted to represent their initial joy as well as their final damnation. He removed the figure that became know as [[The Kiss]] because it seemed to contrast along with the other suffering figures.

===Ugolino and his Children (''Ugolin et ses enfants'')===
Depicts [[Ugolino della Gherardesca]], who according to the story, ate the corpses of his children after they died by starvation. (Dante, Inferno, Canto XXXII) The Ugolino group was cast as a separate bronze in 1882.

===The Three Shades (''Les trois Ombres'') ===
Originally 98 cm height. The over-life size group was initially made of three independent figures in 1899. Later on Rodin replaced one hand in the figures to fuse them together, in the same form as the smaller version.

===Fugitive Love (''Fugit Amor '')===
Located on the right door pane, it is one of several figures of lovers that represent Paolo and [[Francesca da Rimini]]. The male figure is also called ''The Prodigial''

===Paolo and Francesca===
On the Left door pane, Paolo tries to reach Francesca, who seems to slip away.

===Meditation===
On the right most part of the Tympanum, Shown as an enlarged figure in 1896.

===The Old Courtesan===
Cast 1885

===I am beautiful (Je Suis Belle)===
Cast 1882

===Eternal Springtime===
Cast 1884

===Adam and Eve===
Rodin asked the directorate for additional funds for the independent sculptures of ''Adam'' and ''Eve'' that were meant to frame ''The Gates of Hell''.

== Locations ==

The plaster original was restored in 1917 and is displayed at the [[Musée d'Orsay]] in [[Paris]]. A series of plaster casts illustrating the development of the work is on view at the [[Musée Rodin]] in [[Meudon]]. Also in 1917, a model was used to make the original three bronze casts:
* The [[Musée Rodin]], [[Paris]]:
* The [[Rodin Museum]], [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]].
* The [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/ National Museum of Western Art] in [[Ueno Park]], [[Tokyo]].

Subsequent bronzes have been distributed by the Musée Rodin to a number of locations, including:
* The B. Gerald Cantor Rodin Sculpture Garden at [[Stanford University]]

==Popular references==

In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', a [[Gate of Alchemy]] is shown as the source of all [[Alchemy|alchemic]] energy. This gate closely resembles The Gates of Hell by Rodin.

In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'', Camula's trademark card, Phantom Gate(Illusion Gate) was modeled after the Gates of Hell.

==External links==
* [http://www.musee-rodin.fr Musée Rodin], [[Paris]], France
* [http://www.rodinmuseum.org Rodin Museum], [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], USA
* [http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/utopia/circle2.html ''Alighieri, Dante. Inferno, Canto V'']

[[Category:Sculptures|Gates of Hell, The]]

[[es:Las Puertas del Infierno]]
[[he:שערי הגיהנום]]
[[ja:地獄の門]]
[[pl:Drzwi Raju]]

Benutzer:Kurator71/Das Höllentor

2006-03-16T12:03:00Z

Shawnc: Category:Palme d'Or winners

[[Image:Hoellentor.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''The Gates of Hell'', [[Musée Rodin]].]]

'''''La Porte de l'Enfer''''' (translated '''''The Gates of Hell''''') is a monumental sculptural group work by French artist [[Auguste Rodin]]. It stands at 21 feet high, 13 feet wide and 3 feet deep and contains 180 figures. The figures range from 6 inches high up to 4 feet.

Several of the figures were also cast independently by Rodin.

==History==

Commissioned by the Directorate of Fine Arts in 1880. It was meant to be delivered in 1885.
Rodin would continue to work on and off this project for 37 years, until his death in 1917.

The Directorate asked for an inviting entrance to a planned Decorative Arts Museum. The theme was left to Rodin's selection. Rodin admired [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]] and was subjugated by the reading of the [[The Divine Comedy|Inferno]]. He had sketches of some of Dante's characters before the commission.

The Decoratives Arts Museum was never built. Rodin worked on this project on the ground floor of the ''Hôtel Biron''. Near the end of his life, Rodin donated sculptures, drawings and reproduction rights to the French government. In 1919, two years after his death, ''The Hôtel Biron'' became the ''Musée Rodin'' housing a cast of ''The Gates of Hell'' and related works.

==Inspiration for the Gates of Hell==

A work of the scope of the ''Gates of Hell'' had not been attempted before, but inspiration came from [[Lorenzo Ghiberti]]'s ''Gates of Paradise'' at the [[Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence)|Baptistery of St. John]], [[Florence]]. The 15th century bronze doors depict figures from the Old Testament.
Another source of inspiration were medieval cathedrals. Some of those combine both high and low relief.

==Outstanding figures==

The original sculptures were enlarged and became works of art of their own.

===[[The Thinker]] (''Le Penseur'')===
Also called ''The Poet'', is located above the door panels. One interpretation suggests that it might represent Dante looking down to the characters in the Inferno. Another interpretation is that the Thinker is Rodin himself meditating about his composition.

===[[The Kiss (Rodin sculpture)|The Kiss]] (''Le Baiser'')===
Originally in ''The Gate'' along with other figures of ''Paolo and [[Francesca da Rimini]]''. Rodin wanted to represent their initial joy as well as their final damnation. He removed the figure that became know as [[The Kiss]] because it seemed to contrast along with the other suffering figures.

===Ugolino and his Children (''Ugolin et ses enfants'')===
Depicts [[Ugolino della Gherardesca]], who according to the story, ate the corpses of his children after they died by starvation. (Dante, Inferno, Canto XXXII) The Ugolino group was cast as a separate bronze in 1882.

===The Three Shades (''Les trois Ombres'') ===
Originally 98 cm height. The over-life size group was initially made of three independent figures in 1899. Later on Rodin replaced one hand in the figures to fuse them together, in the same form as the smaller version.

===Fugitive Love (''Fugit Amor '')===
Located on the right door pane, it is one of several figures of lovers that represent Paolo and [[Francesca da Rimini]]. The male figure is also called ''The Prodigial''

===Paolo and Francesca===
On the Left door pane, Paolo tries to reach Francesca, who seems to slip away.

===Meditation===
On the right most part of the Tympanum, Shown as an enlarged figure in 1896.

===The Old Courtesan===
Cast 1885

===I am beautiful (Je Suis Belle)===
Cast 1882

===Eternal Springtime===
Cast 1884

===Adam and Eve===
Rodin asked the directorate for additional funds for the independent sculptures of ''Adam'' and ''Eve'' that were meant to frame ''The Gates of Hell''.

== Locations ==

The plaster original was restored in 1917 and is displayed at the [[Musée d'Orsay]] in [[Paris]]. A series of plaster casts illustrating the development of the work is on view at the [[Musée Rodin]] in [[Meudon]]. Also in 1917, a model was used to make the original three bronze casts:
* The [[Musée Rodin]], [[Paris]]:
* The [[Rodin Museum]], [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]].
* The [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/ National Museum of Western Art] in [[Ueno Park]], [[Tokyo]].

Subsequent bronzes have been distributed by the Musée Rodin to a number of locations, including:
* The B. Gerald Cantor Rodin Sculpture Garden at [[Stanford University]]

==Popular references==

In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', a [[Gate of Alchemy]] is shown as the source of all [[Alchemy|alchemic]] energy. This gate closely resembles The Gates of Hell by Rodin.

In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'', Camula's trademark card, Phantom Gate(Illusion Gate) was modeled after the Gates of Hell.

==External links==
* [http://www.musee-rodin.fr Musée Rodin], [[Paris]], France
* [http://www.rodinmuseum.org Rodin Museum], [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], USA
* [http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/utopia/circle2.html ''Alighieri, Dante. Inferno, Canto V'']

[[Category:Sculptures|Gates of Hell, The]]
[[Category:Palme d'Or winners]]

[[es:Las Puertas del Infierno]]
[[he:שערי הגיהנום]]
[[ja:地獄の門]]
[[pl:Drzwi Raju]]

Privatinsel

2006-03-12T11:15:11Z

Shawnc: unsourced

{{unsourced}}
A '''private island''' is a privately owned [[island]]. Privately owned islands exist all over the world, and many can be bought. There are many thousands of [[Uninhabited Island|uninhabited islands]] in the world with potential for commercial development of tourist resorts or private recreational use. Commercial development of uninhabited islands can bring up ecological concerns, as many have a fragile environment. Some islands can be bought undeveloped, while other include roads and/or houses. Some celebrities like [[Diana Ross]], [[Tony Curtis]] and [[Claudia Schiffer]] own their own private islands. Many [[Cruise ship|cruise lines]] own private islands, such as [[Castaway Cay]], which serve as exclusive ports of call for their ships. Others, like [[Mustique]] are owned by resort companies which fill them with hotels and leased villas.

There are widely varying politics regarding private islands, for instance islands outside the coast of [[China]] can not be purchased, but only leased from the government with a maximum leasing period of 50 years. Virtually all islands in the world are claimed by the various governments in the world, so the laws of the claiming country would apply and gaining sovereignity would be virtually impossible, but some people still try to set up their own [[micronation]]s on islands. Since islands can, under international law, only be claimed if they are at least 30 cm above the high tide point, some have even attempted to build soveregn islands, like real-estate millionaire [[Michael Oliver_(real_estate)|Michael Oliver]]'s attempt at building a [[libertarian]] [[city-state]] called the [[Republic of Minerva]] in the southern [[Pacific Ocean]].

"Private" islands in the [[United Kingdom]] and other countries are not legally entirely private - any [[foreshore]] is owned by the state, and is hence publically accessible property, despite what the owners of the land on the island may wish to claim.

There are also virtual private islands in virtual reality communities such as [[Project Entropia]] and [[Second Life]].

==List of island groups and celebrities who own(ed) them==

* [[Marlon Brando]] - Te’tiarao, French Polynesia
* [[John Lennon]] - [[Dorinish|Dorinish Island]] in [[Clew Bay]], [[County Mayo]], [[Ireland]]
* [[Mel Gibson]] - Mago Island, Fiji
* [[Errol Flynn]] - Navy Island, Port Antonio, Jamaica
* [[Johnny Depp]] - Little Halls Pond Cay, Nassau, Bahamas
* [[Robin Williams]] - Unamed island in Pender Harbour, British Columbia Canada
* [[Gene Hackman]] - Island in British Columbia, Canada
* [[John Wayne]] - Taborcillo Island, Panama
* [[Tony Curtis]] - Rocky Island, [[Nova Scotia]]
* [[Raymond Burr]] - Naitoumba Island, Fiji
* [[Richard Branson]] - Necker Is -British Virgin Islands, Makepeace Is - Australia
* [[Rod Stewart]] - Nakheel’s “The World” Dubai, UAE
* [[Diana Ross]] (Pop Diva) - (Formerly) Taino, French Polynesia
* [[Ted Turner]] - St Phyllis Island, South Carolina
* [[Malcolm Forbes]] - Laucala Island, Fiji
* [[Aristotle Onassis]] - Skorpios island, Greece
* [[John Melk]] - Musha Cay, Bahamas
* [[Rudolf Nureyev]] - Li Galli Islands, gulf of Naples, Italy
* [[Agnetha Faltskog]], Rock band “Abba” - Ekerö, near Stockholm, Baltic Sea, Sweden
* [[Charles A. Lindberg]] - Illiec Island off the coast of Brittany
* [[Bacardi Family]] - Island near Granada
* [[Disney family]] - Echo Island, San Juan islands - Washington
* [[Du Pont family]] - Cherry Island, Chesapeake Bay Maryland
* [[Robinson family]] - Nihhau Island, Hawaii
* [[Peggy Rockefeller]] - Buckle island, Maine
* [[Lawrence Rockefeller]] - Sandy Cay, Jost Van Dyke BVI
* Tennis Star [[Bjorn Borg]] - Kattilo island, Sweden
* [[Baron Rothschild]] - Bell Island, the Bahamas
* [[Edward de Bono ]]- Green Island - Australia, Tessera - Italy, Reklusia - Bahamas
* Princess [[Nina Aga Khan]] - Pellew Island, Port Antonio Jamaica
* [[Dean Kamen]] - North Dumpling Island, Connecticut
* [[Gianni Agnelli]] - Dino Island off the Calabrian coast
* [[Alain Delon]] - Island near Saint-Malo, France
* [[Paloma Picasso]] - Petalous Island, western Greece
* [[Michael Ondaatje]] - Several islands, Mahone Bay, Ireland
* Iranian [[Prince Sharam]] - D’arros Island, Seychelles

==External links==
*[http://www.vladi.de/ Vladi Private Islands]
*[http://www.coldwellbankerislands.com/ Coldwell Banker]
*[http://www.privateislandonline.com/ Private Islands Online]

[[Category:Islands]]

Wong Kei-ying

2006-03-04T05:19:25Z

Shawnc: Category:Chinese Hung Gar practitioners

'''Wong Kei-Ying'''(Huang Chi-Ying in some translations) (黃麒英) is best known as the father of the Chinese folk hero and [[martial art]]s master [[Wong Fei-Hung]].
Kei-Ying was himself a master martial artist and, though not as famous as the son he trained, was renowned enough to be included in the [[Ten Tigers of Canton]], a group of ten of the top [[Chinese martial arts]] masters in [[Guangdong]] (Canton) towards the end of the [[Qing Dynasty]] ([[1644]]–[[1912]]).

In the many movies made about Wong Fei-Hung, especially the ''[[Once Upon a Time in China]]'' series, Wong Kei-Ying is a supporting character with little screentime.
However, the 1993 film ''[[Iron Monkey]]'' is a fictional depiction of the [[Filial piety|filial]] relationship between Wong Kei-Ying and a 10-year-old Fei-Hung and hints at how the younger Wong is shaped by the example of his father.

Father and son were both masters of the martial art [[Hung Gar]], which Kei-Ying learned from Luk Ah-Choi (陸阿采), a classmate of Hung Hei-Gun (洪熙官), after whom Hung Gar is named.
Some accounts say that Kei-Ying was first taught by Wong Taai (黃泰), his father or his uncle depending on the account, and then later sent to Luk Ah-Choi to complete his training.
Kei-Ying in turn imparted to his son the knowledge that was handed down to him: Single Hard Fist, Double Hard Fist, Taming the Tiger Fist (伏虎拳), Mother & Son [[Butterfly sword|Butterfly Knives]] (子母雙刀), Angry Tiger Fist, Fifth Brother [[Bagua|Eight Trigram]] [[Gun (staff)|Pole]] (五郎八卦棍), Flying Hook, and Black Tiger Fist (黑虎拳).

[[Category:Chinese Hung Gar practitioners]]

[[it:Wong Kay Ying]]

{{china-bio-stub}}

Mann gegen Mann (Lied)

2006-02-12T12:57:20Z

Shawnc: wikify

{{Infobox Single |
Name = Mann Gegen Mann |
Cover = Mgm.jpg |
Artist = [[Rammstein]] |
from Album = [[Rosenrot]] |
Released = [[March 3]], [[2005]] |
Format = [[CD]] |
Recorded = [[Teldex Studio]], [[Berlin]], [[2005]] |
Genre = [[Industrial metal|Tanz-Metall]] |
Length = 15 [[Minute|min]], 3 [[Second|s]] |
Label = [[Motor Music Records|Motor]] (Part of [[Universal Music Group|UMG]]) |
Producer = [[Jacob Hellner]] and [[Rammstein]] |
Chart position = <nowiki></nowiki> |
Reviews = <nowiki></nowiki> |
Last single = "[[Rosenrot (single)|Rosenrot]]"<br>([[2005]]) |
This single = "Mann gegen Mann" <br>([[2006]])|
Next single = ''N/A'' <br> |
}}

'''Mann Gegen Mann''' is the 3rd single from the [[Rammstein]] album, [[Rosenrot]]. The song is about the benefits of [[homosexuality]], however all band members are [[heterosexual]]. The band members noted the ease of which gay people meet each other whereas heterosexual couple have to go through all the usual [[dating]] rituals. The song is critical of societies close minded attitude towards homosexuality. This song will be the third single from Rosenrot. [[Till Lindemann|Till]] repeatedly screams "[[wiktionary:schwul|schwulah]]" in the background, meaning [[gay]] in [[German language|German]].

==Tracklisting==

#Mann gegen Mann (3:51)
#Mann gegen Mann - Popular Music Mix by Vince Clarke (4:06)
#Mann gegen Mann - Musensohn Remix by Sven Helbig (3:12)
#Ich Will - Live (Video) at Festival de Nimes (4:02)

== The video ==
The video premiered on 02/02/06 on MTV Germany and was directed by [[Jonas Åkerlund]]. In it, the entire band aside from Till plays totally naked with only their instruments to cover them up. As Till only has a microphone, he wore a "latex diaper" (according to Paul in an interview) as well as a long, black wig. The video alternates between shots of the band playing and a teeming mass of naked men. Towards the end, the band crowd surfs over the naked men and Till rips his hair out and morphs into the "demon" that can be seen on the cover.

==External links==
* [http://herzeleid.com/en/lyrics/rosenrot/mann_gegen_mann Lyrics]

{{Rosenrot}}
{{Rammstein}}

[[Category:Rammstein songs]]
[[Category:Rammstein singles]]

Lin Yi-hsiung

2006-02-07T18:27:11Z

Shawnc: wikify

'''Yi-Hsiung Lin''' (1941-) （林義雄）was born in [[Ilan County]], [[Taiwan]]. He is a major leader of the democratization movement in Taiwan. He is well recognized as a "stateman" rather than a politician in Taiwan, and earned a title of "Taiwanese Gandhi." He graduated from the Department of Law of National Taiwan University. He was elected legislator of Taiwan Province in 1977.

Lin was arrested in December 1979 for his involvement in the [[Kaohsiung Incident]]. On February 28, 1980 (compare [[228 Incident]] 33 ys before), his mother and twin daughters were murdered at home. Only his eldest daughter, Huan-Jun, survived at this murder which stunned Taiwan. The suspect still remains unknown today. In 1984, Lin left jail on parole, and went to [[Harvard University]] with his wife.

He served as the 8th Chairman of [[Democratic Progressive Party]] (1998-2000) and successfully ran a campaign for Chen Shui-bian as the 10th President of the [[Republic of China]]. He became inactive in Taiwanese politics afterwards. "I'd like to choose a path through which fewer people walk" he said.

On Jan 24 2006, Lin Yi-hsiung announced he had renounced the DPP membership. He said the elections of recent years had become partisan dogfights, rendering national upheaval. Therefore he had no intention to serve in the party's administration, neither to run for public office for the party. It was no longer meaningful to be a DPP member. He chose to be a non partisan citizen of this democratic country.

{{start box}}
|width=25% align=center|'''Preceded by:'''<br>[[Hsu Hsin-liang]]
|width=25% align=center|'''Chairman of the [[Democratic Progressive Party]]'''<br>1998-2000
|width=25% align=center|'''Succeeded by:'''<br>[[Frank Hsieh]]
{{end box}}

[[Category:1941 births|Lin, Yi-hsiung]]
[[Category:Living people|Lin, Yi-hsiung]]
[[Category:Politicians of the Republic of China|Lin, Yi-hsiung]]

[[zh:林義雄]]

George H. Kerr

2006-02-07T18:24:08Z

Shawnc: categorization

[[Image:George H Kerr.jpg|thumbnail|frame|George H. Kerr]]

'''George H. Kerr''' (November [[1911]]–[[August 27]], [[1992]]) was a [[United States]] diplomat during [[World War II]]. He was also known as 葛超智 in Taiwan.

Kerr was born in [[Pennsylvania]]. He lived in [[Japan]] and [[Taiwan]] before World War II. As a Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve, Kerr worked for the [[U.S. Navy]] as a Taiwan expert and instructed future military government officers during the [[Pacific War]].

After the war, Kerr returned to Taiwan in 1945 as an Assistant Naval Attaché, escorting the newly appointed Chinese Governor-General [[Chen Yi (Kuomintang)|Chen Yi]] to the Japanese surrender of Taiwan on [[October 25]], [[1945]]. George Kerr was present in his official capacity as a civil affairs officer of the U.S. Navy Attache's Office to the [[Republic of China]] government in [[Chongqing]]. He ensured that the English version of the Japanese instrument of surrender did not exclude the official role of the U.S., unlike the Chinese translation. Later, he became a diplomat at the U.S. embassy in China but was soon a Foreign Service Staff Officer and Vice-Consul in [[Taipei]] where he witnessed the [[228 Incident]] in 1947.

It was not till the early 1950s that he realized his wish to visit [[Okinawa]], and with it a military commission to write a history, the purpose of which was to revive an independent Ryukyuan identity. An able team of researcher-translators scoured Japan for historical sources on Okinawa. Then the immense intellectual powers of Kerr's younger days were brought to bear in synthesizing the material. It came out as ''Okinawa: Kingdom and Province'' (1953), and then in Japanese as ''Ryukyu no rekishi'' (1955). In the meantime, Kerr absorbed more of Okinawa's history, paid attention to criticisms of the first two books, and published the 1958 volume.

Kerr was deeply concerned about the loss of Ryukyuan history on the ground. So he pursued his Okinawan interests in a survey of the islands' cultural assets (1960-63). Experience in Yaeyama and Miyako told him that his perspective of Ryukyuan history had been askew. He drafted, but never published, another book on Okinawa that placed far greater emphasis on the southern Ryukyus and their early economic interaction with China.

He has lectured [[Japanese history]] at the [[University of Washington]], [[Stanford University]] and the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. The open sections of Kerr's papers are available at the Okinawa Prefectural Archives in Haebaru, others at the Stanford, Taipei and Ryudai libraries.

Kerr's books on Taiwan are numerous. He championed the cause of [[Taiwan independence]] from [[China]], thereby making himself a high-profile enemy to both [[Chiang Kai-shek]] and [[Mao Zedong]]. (Chiang complained and Kerr lost his job at [[Stanford University]].) While certainly an influential political writer and commentator, his reputation as a historian in Chinese history is questioned by many Sinologists due to his apparent stance against China. He also drafted a long book on 19th century Hawaii, thus making his life's work of a piece: ''the history of Pacific Ocean marine frontiers''.

He is an author of many books and of numerous articles concerning Japan, Okinawa and Taiwan. Among them are the ''Formosa Home Rule Movement'', ''[[Formosa Betrayed]]'' (1965), ''Descriptive Summary: George H. Kerr papers, 1943-1951'', and ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''(1958).

''Formosa Betrayed'' was one of the most influential books on [[Taiwan]] during the transition between the Japanese colonial rule and the [[Kuomintang|Nationalist Chinese]] administration. George Kerr was working for the American Foreign Service at the time and was present in Taiwan for the KMT occupation and resulting aftermath. ''Formosa Betrayed'' made a sharp rebuke of the Nationalist administration and made arguments in favor of Taiwanese independence. As a result, the English version only made one printing as the KMT bought the English Copyright in 1965 and never let the book resume printing.

[[Okinawa: The History of an Island People]] covers the legendary past to the [[Battle of Okinawa]] in 542 very read-able pages. Eleven years before he died, Kerr wrote that 13,000 copies had been sold. The book was out of print for a time, but Tuttle, the original publishers, reprinted it a couple years ago by photo reproduction.

He died at age of 81 in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]].

== External links ==
* [http://www.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/biblio/bib32-3/bib32-3-5.html University of the Ryukyus library]
* [http://www.Taiwan.org/betrayed/fc/kerr_bio.htm Biography]
* [http://www.ryukyushimpo.co.jp/cgi-bin/english/index.cgi/essay/20040909.html Biography by Tony Jenkins]

[[Category:1911 births|Kerr,George H.]]
[[Category:1992 deaths|Kerr,George H.]]
[[Category:228 Incident]]

Combat Sport

2006-01-09T13:19:09Z

Shawnc: mixed martial arts

[[Image:Kendo_EM_2005_-_taiatari.jpg|thumb|right|Two [[kendo|kendoka]] face off.]]

A '''combat sport''' (also known as a '''combative sport''') is a competitive [[contact sport]] where two combatants fight against each other using certain rules of engagement. The techniques and methods used are typically [[Strike (attack)|striking]], [[grappling]], and/or [[weapon]] usage. [[Boxing]], [[wrestling]], [[kendo]], [[judo]] and [[mixed martial arts]] are examples of combat sports, while [[Tae Bo]], [[archery]] and [[cowboy action shooting]] are not. Techniques used in combat sports can include any of the following:

* [[grappling hold#Clinch hold|Clinch holds]]
* [[Elbow (strike)|Elbowing]]
* [[Kick|Kicking]]
* [[Knee (strike)|Kneeing]]
* [[Mêlée weapon|Mêlée weapon usage]]
* [[grappling hold#Pinning hold|Pinning holds]]
* [[Ranged weapon|Ranged weapon usage]]
* [[Punch (strike)|Punching]]
* [[Sweep (grappling)|Sweeps]]
* [[grappling hold#Submission hold|Submission holds]]
* [[Takedown]]s
* [[Throw (grappling)|Throwing]]

==See also==
*[[Combatives]]
*[[Martial art]]

[[Category:Combat sports]]
{{martialart-stub}}

Mushin

2005-11-28T12:36:06Z

Shawnc: categorization

''For the Lagos, Nigeria suburb, see [[Mushin, Nigeria]]''

'''Mushin''' (無心) is a state into which very highly trained [[Martial art|martial artists]] are said to enter during [[combat]]. The term is shortened from '''mushin no shin''' (無心の心}, a [[Zen]] expression meaning ''"mind of no mind"''. That is, a mind not fixed or occupied by thought or emotion and thus open to everything.

Mushin is achieved when a fighter feels no [[anger]], [[fear]] or ego during combat. There is an absence of [[discursive thought]], and so the fighter is totally free to act and react towards an opponent without [[hesitation]]. At this point, a person relies not on what they ''think'' should be the next move, but what is ''felt'' [[Intuition|intuitively]].

A martial artist would likely have to train for many [[years]] to be capable of mushin. This enables combinations of movements and exchanges of techniques to be practised repetitively, until they can be performed spontaneously and without conscious thought.

==See also==
*[[Martial arts]]
*[[Bushido]]
*[[Zen|Zen Buddhism]]
*[[Unconscious mind]]
*[[Fudoshin]]
*[[Zanshin]]

[[Category:Japanese martial arts terms]]
[[Category:Zen]]

Renzo Gracie

2005-11-21T14:02:36Z

Shawnc:

'''Renzo Gracie''' is a lifelong practitioner of [[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]] and a member of the legendary Gracie family from [[Brazil]].

He is brother to [[Ralph Gracie]] and [[Ryan Gracie]] and cousin to [[Royce Gracie]] and [[Rickson Gracie]].<br>
Renzo has competed both in Sports [[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]] and [[Mixed Martial Arts]] events such as the [[Pride Fighting Championships]], Rings - King of Kings and the [[World Combat Championship]].

Renzo is the main instructor at The Renzo Gracie Academy which is located in Midtown [[Manhattan]].

Many well known BJJ and MMA fighters have been trained by Renzo, including [[Rodrigo Gracie]], [[Matt Serra]], [[Ricardo Almeida]] and [[Sean Alvarez]]. They are all BJJ Black Belts under [[Renzo Gracie]].

== External links ==
*[http://www.renzogracie.com/ Official site]

{{Brazil-bio-stub}}
{{martialart-stub}}

[[Category:Brazilian mixed martial artists|Gracie,Renzo]]
[[Category:Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners|Gracie,Renzo]]

Mushin

2005-11-20T06:38:00Z

Shawnc:

Debrah Ann Miceli

2005-11-19T17:03:22Z

Shawnc: categorization ("wrestlers" already under "martial artists")

[[Image:Debra_Miceli.jpg|right|thumb|170px|Madusa Miceli]]
'''Debra Ann Miceli''' (born [[February 6]], [[1964]] in [[Milan]]) better known as '''Madusa''' or '''Alundra Blayze''', is a former [[Italy|Italian]] [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]] for [[World Championship Wrestling|WCW]] and [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWF]]. She currently drives the [[Madusa (truck)|Madusa]] [[monster truck]] for [[Clear Channel Communications]] on [[Monster Jam]].

==Profile==
*Height: 5'10"
*Weight" 136 lbs.
*Birthday: [[February 9]], [[1964]]
*Birthplace: [[Milan]]
*Hometown: [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]
*Other [[gimmick (professional wrestling)|Gimmicks]]: Alundra Blayze, Madusa, Madusa Miceli
*Trainer: Eddie Sharkey
*[[manager (professional wrestling)|Managers]]: [[Melissa Bellin|Spice]]
*Finishing/Trademark moves: [[Suplex#German Suplex|Bridging German Suplex]], [[Professional wrestling attacks#Spinning Heel Kick|Spinning Heel Kick]], [[Suplex#Snap Suplex|Snap Suplex]]

[[Image:Alundra_Blayze.jpg||left|thumb||Miceli as Alundra Blayze.]]

==Career==
Miceli started wrestling in [[1987]] in the [[American Wrestling Association|AWA]] as '''Madusa Miceli''', a [[heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] women's wrestler and manager to [[Kevin Wacholz|Kevin Kelly]] and AWA World Champion [[Curt Hennig]].

She won the AWA Women's Title in a tournament final over Candi Divine on [[December 27]], 1987. She [[feud (professional wrestling)|feuded]] with Divine and then [[Wendy Savinovich|Wendi Richter]] for the belt and lost it to Richter on [[November 26]], [[1988]]. She then left for IWA in [[Japan]], where she won the Women's Title twice and learned the Japanese wrestling style.

She then went to WCW in late [[1991]] to help [[Paul Heyman|Paul E. Dangerously]] form his [[Dangerous Alliance]] of [[Richard Rood|Rick Rude]], [[Arn Anderson]], [[Bobby Eaton]], [[Stone Cold Steve Austin|"Stunning" Steve Austin]] and [[Larry Zbysko]]. She often interfered in their matches and most often accompanied Rude to the ring. At [[Beach Blast]] on [[June 20]], [[1992]], she lost a [[bikini contest]] to [[Missy Hyatt]]. In [[October]], Dangerously kicked her out of the Dangerous Alliance and she got revenge when she defeated him (by countout after he ran from her) in a match on [[November 18]], [[1992]] at the ''[[Clash of Champions|Clash of the Champions]]''. It was during this time that she was briefly married to wrestler [[Eddie Gilbert]].

In [[1993]], she debuted as '''Alundra Blayze''' for the WWF. She had feuds with [[Bull Nakano]] and [[Rhonda Singh|Bertha Faye]]. She won the [[WWE Women's Championship|WWF Women's Title]] three times while there.

Miceli did not like the Blayze gimmick and left the WWF and turned up on ''[[WCW Monday Nitro]]'' on [[December 18]], [[1995]] and threw the WWF Women's Title Belt in a trash can and proclaimed her name to be '''Madusa'''. She had a brief feud with [[Sherri Martel]] because Sherri supposedly stole [[Robert Fuller|Col. Rob Parker]] from her and even interrupted their wedding vows in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. The feud ended after that.

[[Image:Mad_20.jpg||left|thumb||Madusa comes down ringside during the [[February 7]], [[2000]] episode of ''WCW Monday Nitro''.]]

There were not many women wrestlers in WCW so she did not get to wrestle very much. She did have some feuds with [[Gertrude Vachon|Luna Vachon]] and [[Hisako Uno Sasaki|Akira Hokuto]]. She lost in the finals of the WCW Women's Title tournament to Hokuto on [[December 29]], [[1996]] at [[StarrCade]]. She never could win the title but claimed to have won it in Japan, but records indicated otherwise. On [[June 15]], [[1997]], at the ''[[The Great American Bash|Great American Bash]]'', Miceli lost a retirement match to Hokuto.

Madusa returned to WCW in [[1999]] as part of [[Randy Poffo|Randy Savage's]] Team Savage with [[Stephanie Bellars|Gorgeous George]] and [[Noreen Greenwald|Miss Madness]]. She was eventually kicked out by Savage due to a dispute in [[July]] 1999.

Madusa made her return to television on the [[October 18]], 1999 edition of ''WCW Monday Nitro'' when she participated in a "New York Evening Gown Match" with [[Noreen Greenwald|Mona]], although she was less than enthusiastic about the idea. Mona came out in a blue evening gown whereas Madusa came out in a "Tommy Sports" dress. While Madusa is distracted as she's ranting to the ringside announcers, Mona comes from behind and strips her of her gown to her shorts and sports [[bra]]. Madusa then grabs the mike to complain even more and tells "everyone behind her" to kiss her [[posterior]].

Madusa soon aligned with [[Evan Karagias]] after he came to her aid after she lost to Meng in a match on Nitro in October 1999. They started a fling of sorts in November of that year and she helped lead him to the [[WWE Cruiserweight Championship|WCW Cruiserweight Championship]] at ''[[WCW Mayhem|WCW Mayhem 1999]]''. Meanwhile, Madusa was interested in Evan's Cruiserweight Championship belt herself. Madusa earned a title shot at ''WCW StarrCade'' on ''Monday Nitro'' when she defeated Mona and Evan Karagias in a three-way match. Then at ''StarrCade'', Madusa defeated Evan to become the first female to win the WCW Cruiserweight Title.

[[Image:Madusa001.jpg||thumb||Madusa modeling a [[Von Dutch]] t-shirt.]]

Madusa had dumped Evan a week before the bout when she caught Evan flirting with [[Melissa Bellin|Spice]] backstage. Spice became Evan's new girl and she was in his corner at ''StarrCade''. However, Spice distracted Evan during his match with Madusa at ''StarrCade'' to help Madusa reign victorious. Spice them aligned with Madusa and became her manager, although the relationship only lasted about a month as Spice returned her role as a Nitro Girl.

Madusa defended the belt sporadically but lost it to [[Ed Ferrera|Oklahoma]] at ''[[Souled Out|WCW Souled Out]]'' in [[January 2000]]. WCW didn't have much in the way for her creatively and she only made a few appearances
the rest of the year. She then became an instructor at the [[WCW Power Plant]] to help train the females for wrestling matches and did that until the foreclosure of WCW in [[2001]].
She left WCW and retired from pro wrestling for good in 2001. Madusa now competes in the monster truck circuit of the USHRA and runs a pet grooming service.

==External links==
*[http://www.madusa.com Official Website]
[[Image:Debra_Miceli_WCW.jpg||thumb||Miceli in WCW as Madusa.]]

==Championships/Accomplishments==
*3-Time [[WWE Women's Championship|WWF Women's Champion]]
*1-Time [[AWA Women's Championship|AWA Women's Champion]]
*1-Time [[WCW Cruiserweight Championship|WCW Cruiserweight Champion]]
*2-Time IWA (Japan) Women's Champion
*Miceli won the [[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]] Rookie of the Year Award in 1988.

==Trivia==
*Miceli posed nude for ''[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]'' in 1987 but never signed the release for the pictures to be published.

*Madusa has gotten breast implants on at least two occasions but has since gotten them completely removed and gone back to her natural state. Her reasoning behind the downsize was that they were much too large and annoying for her. Also, she stated that she couldn't run long distances as it was pain in the chest so to speak.

* Madusa was married to former [[National Football League|NFL]] player Ken Blackman in the late [[1990s|90s]] and into the turn of the [[millennium]]. Things just didn't work out between them and they decided to go their separate ways.

* Madusa wrestled exactly one match after she left WCW in 2001 as she wrestled women's wrestler Beth Phoenix at an [[independent circuit|independent show]] in [[Arizona]] in [[May 2001|May]] of that year.

*Madusa has homes in both [[Virginia]] and [[Florida]].

*Madusa was the first woman to hold the [[WWE Cruiserweight Championship|Cruiserweight Title]].

[[Category:Female professional wrestlers|Miceli, Debra]]
[[Category:Italian professional wrestlers|Miceli, Debra]]
[[Category:1964 births|Miceli, Debra]]
[[Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets|Miceli, Debra]]
[[Category:Adult models|Miceli, Debra]]

Wong Kei-ying

2005-11-19T05:56:59Z

Shawnc: categorization

'''Wong Kei-Ying''' (黃麒英) is best known as the father of the Chinese folk hero and [[martial art]]s master [[Wong Fei-Hung]].
Kei-Ying was himself a master martial artist and, though not as famous as the son he trained, was renowned enough to be included in the [[Ten Tigers of Canton]], a group of ten of the top [[Chinese martial arts]] masters in [[Guangdong]] (Canton) towards the end of the [[Qing Dynasty]] ([[1644]]–[[1912]]).

In the many movies made about Wong Fei-Hung, especially the ''[[Once Upon a Time in China]]'' series, Wong Kei-Ying is a supporting character with little screentime.
However, the 1993 film ''[[Iron Monkey]]'' is a fictional depiction of the [[Filial piety|filial]] relationship between Wong Kei-Ying and a 10-year-old Fei-Hung and hints at how the younger Wong is shaped by the example of his father.

Father and son were both masters of the martial art [[Hung Gar]], which Kei-Ying learned from Luk Ah-Choi (陸阿采), a classmate of Hung Hei-Gun (洪熙官), after whom Hung Gar is named.
Some accounts say that Kei-Ying was first taught by Wong Taai (黃泰), his father or his uncle depending on the account, and then later sent to Luk Ah-Choi to complete his training.
Kei-Ying in turn imparted to his son the knowledge that was handed down to him: Single Hard Fist, Double Hard Fist, Taming the Tiger Fist (伏虎拳), Mother & Son [[Butterfly sword|Butterfly Knives]] (子母雙刀), Angry Tiger Fist, Fifth Brother [[Bagua|Eight Trigram]] [[Gun (staff)|Pole]] (五郎八卦棍), Flying Hook, and Black Tiger Fist (黑虎拳).

[[it:Wong Kay Ying]]

{{china-bio-stub}}

[[Category:Chinese wushu practitioners|Wong, Kei Ying]]

Renzo Gracie

2005-11-16T16:18:27Z

Shawnc: categorization

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

2005-11-07T20:25:22Z

Shawnc: /* See also */ Correlation implies causation (logical fallacy)

'''Post hoc ergo propter hoc''' is Latin for "after this, therefore because of this." It is often shortened to simply '''post hoc'''. Some philosophy books translate the Latin to simply: "If, then therefore, because."

Post hoc, also known as "coincidental correlation" or "false cause," is a [[logical fallacy]] which assumes or asserts that if one event happens after another, then the first must be the cause of the second. It is a particularly tempting error because temporal sequence is integral to [[causality]] — it is true that a cause always happens before its effect. The fallacy lies in coming to a conclusion based only on the order of events, which is not an accurate indicator. That is to say, it is not always true that the first event caused the second event.

Post hoc is an example of [[affirming the consequent]]. It can be expressed as follows:
:* Event A occurred before event B.
:* Therefore, A must have caused B.

For instance, Ice Cream sales elevate greatly each June, and car thefts evelate each July. It is fallacy to claim then that the fact that more people eating ice cream causes more cars to be stolen.

This line of reasoning is the basis for many [[superstition|superstitious]] beliefs and [[magical thinking]], connecting two things that have no actual or logical connection. For example, if a person sees a coin on the ground and picks it up, and later receives good news, that person may become convinced that finding the coin resulted in the good news, even though it was a mere [[coincidence]].

Post hoc reasoning is related to the logical fallacy "[[correlation implies causation (logical fallacy)|correlation implies causation]] (cum hoc ergo propter hoc)."

==See also==
* [[Correlation implies causation (logical fallacy)]]
* [[regression fallacy]]
* [[Non sequitur (disambiguation)]]
* [[non causa pro causa]]

==External links==

* [http://skepdic.com/posthoc.html Post hoc fallacy] in the [[Skeptic's Dictionary]] by Robert T. Carroll
* [http://www.fallacyfiles.org/posthocf.html Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc] in the ''Fallacy Files'' by Gary N. Curtis
* [http://www.fallacyfiles.org/noncause.html Non Causa Pro Causa] in the ''Fallacy Files'' by Gary N. Curtis

[[Category:Logical fallacies]]
[[Category:Latin logical phrases]]

[[de:Post hoc ergo propter hoc]]
[[he:%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%98_%D7%94%D7%95%D7%A7_%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%95_%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%98%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%95%D7%A7]]
[[uk:Фальшива причина]]

Bug!

2005-10-13T04:21:34Z

Shawnc: flags

{{Infobox CVG| title = Bug!
|image =
|developer = [http://www.rtassoc.com/ Realtime Associates, Inc.]
|publisher = [[Sega|SEGA Entertainment, Inc.]]
|designer =
|engine =
|released = [[Image:Us flag large.png|22px|United States of America]] [[1995]]
[[Image:Japan flag large.png|22px|Japan]] [[1995]]

[[Image:European_flag.svg|22px|European Union]] [[1995]]
|genre = [[Platform game]]
|modes =
|ratings =
|platforms = [[Sega Saturn]]
|media = 1 [[Saturn double-speed CD-ROM drive|CD-ROM]]
|requirements =
|input =
}}
'''''Bug!''''' is a [[video game]] for the [[Sega Saturn]]. It was released in 1995 in [[North America]], [[Japan]] and [[Europe]]. It was one of the earliest 3D [[platform game]]s. It was later ported to [[Windows 3.x]] in 1996 by [[Melbourne House|Beam Software]].

{{videogame-stub}}

Bug!

2005-10-13T04:09:06Z

Shawnc: Windows 3.x

{{Infobox CVG| title = Bug!
|image =
|developer = [[Realtime Associates, Inc.]]
|publisher = [[Sega|SEGA Entertainment, Inc.]]
|designer =
|engine =
|released = [[Image:Us flag large.png|22px|United States of America]] [[1995]]
|genre = [[Platform game]]
|modes =
|ratings =
|platforms = [[Sega Saturn]]
|media = 1 [[Saturn double-speed CD-ROM drive|CD-ROM]]
|requirements =
|input =
}}
'''''Bug!''''' is a [[video game]] for the [[Sega Saturn]]. It was released in the [[United States|U.S.]] and [[Germany]] in 1995. It was one of the earliest 3D [[platform game]]s. It was later ported to [[Windows 3.x]] in 1996 by Beam Software.

{{videogame-stub}}

Bug!

2005-10-13T04:07:58Z

Shawnc: US year

{{Infobox CVG| title = Bug!
|image =
|developer = [[Realtime Associates, Inc.]]
|publisher = [[Sega|SEGA Entertainment, Inc.]]
|designer =
|engine =
|released = [[Image:Us flag large.png|22px|United States of America]] [[1995]]
|genre = [[Platform game]]
|modes =
|ratings =
|platforms = [[Sega Saturn]]
|media = 1 [[Saturn double-speed CD-ROM drive|CD-ROM]]
|requirements =
|input =
}}
'''''Bug!''''' is a [[video game]] for the [[Sega Saturn]]. It was released in the [[United States|U.S.]] and [[Germany]] in 1995. It was one of the earliest 3D [[platform game]]s. It was later ported to Windows 3.x in 1996 by Beam Software.

{{videogame-stub}}

Bug!

2005-10-13T04:06:54Z

Shawnc: {{videogame-stub}}

{{Infobox CVG| title = Bug!
|image =
|developer = [[Realtime Associates, Inc.]]
|publisher = [[Sega|SEGA Entertainment, Inc.]]
|designer =
|engine =
|released = [[Image:Us flag large.png|22px|United States of America]] [[September 29]], [[1996]]
|genre = [[Platform game]]
|modes =
|ratings =
|platforms = [[Sega Saturn]]
|media = 1 [[Saturn double-speed CD-ROM drive|CD-ROM]]
|requirements =
|input =
}}
'''''Bug!''''' is a [[video game]] for the [[Sega Saturn]]. It was released in the [[United States|U.S.]] and [[Germany]] in 1995. It was one of the earliest 3D [[platform game]]s. It was later ported to Windows 3.x in 1996 by Beam Software.

{{videogame-stub}}

Bug!

2005-10-13T04:05:44Z

Shawnc: creation

{{Infobox CVG| title = Bug!
|image =
|developer = [[Realtime Associates, Inc.]]
|publisher = [[Sega|SEGA Entertainment, Inc.]]
|designer =
|engine =
|released = [[Image:Us flag large.png|22px|United States of America]] [[September 29]], [[1996]]
|genre = [[Platform game]]
|modes =
|ratings =
|platforms = [[Sega Saturn]]
|media = 1 [[Saturn double-speed CD-ROM drive|CD-ROM]]
|requirements =
|input =
}}
'''''Bug!''''' is a [[video game]] for the [[Sega Saturn]]. It was released in the [[United States|U.S.]] and [[Germany]] in 1995. It was one of the earliest 3D [[platform game]]s. It was later ported to Windows 3.x in 1996 by Beam Software.

{{stub}}