Perhaps the best entry point to a realistic understanding of Christian origins is to ask the question, Where were Jesus's parents living immediately prior to Jesus's birth? I find these days a surprising number of people struggle to give any answer to this question. Nearly everyone knows that Jesus is supposed to have been born in Bethlehem. And many will also know the story that he was born in a manger in a stable, because there was no room at the inn. And that Jesus's parents were staying in an inn because they had come up from Nazareth in Gallilee. So many get to the answer that Jesus's parents lived in Nazareth and hence "Jesus of Nazareth".
The first extraordinary thing to note about these extraordinary events is that two of the four Gospels, the so called good news about Jesus Christ is that two of the Gospels don mention them at all. The second is that the two Gospels, Matthew and Luke that do describe them are completely contradictory in their accounts. Both Gospels want Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, King David's city, but for him to be known as Jesus of Nazareth. In Luke Matthew Jesus's parents live in
¹Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world. ²This census, the first, took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, ³and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴So Joseph set out from the town, of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line, ⁵in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. fn1
³The tradition I handed on to you in the first place, a tradition which I had myself received, was that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures, ⁴and that he was buried; and that on the third day, he was raised to life, in accordance with the scriptures; ⁵and that he appeared to Cephas; and later to the Twelve; ⁶and next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still with us, though some have fallen asleep; ⁷then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles. ⁸Last of al he appeared to me too, as though I was a child born abnormally. fn2So note above that the tradition Paul received, doesn't say anything about crucifixion. If Paul had been told by the proto Christians that preceded him that Jesus had been crucified, surely he would have mentioned it obsessed as he is with crucifixion. I would suggest that what is most likely is that the crucifixion was Paul's invention. The Greek word "ōphthē" is translated as appearance.
The choice of this word is significant because it does not necessarily imply the actual appearance of a person, but may only indicate an unusual phenomena…the use of the word ὤφθη in enumerating other visions in the Pauline lists…excludes such details as prolonged conversations, meals and resumption of ordinary life, on which the gospels dwell. fn3The whole style of the claim in 1 Corinthians, is of someone recounting theological doctrine, not of people giving an account of a historical figure that a good proportion of the leaders would have known. It hardly comes across as many historicists would have us believe, of someone describing the events
1. Luke 2: 1-5, New Jerusalem Bible
2. 1 Corthinians 15: 3-8, New Jerusalem Bible
3. Charles Guignebert, “Jesus” pg. 523