wow! comments... sorry to be away, looks like I completely missed Jack and WM's comments. sorry 'bout that.

Thanks, WM for finding that quotable and Jack, I don't know. I think there are facts and then there are truths. The facts we can somewhat know but the truth? I mean, there are so many layers. Was Jesus divine? Is there really such a thing? Was he gentle or was he a revolutionary? I think each person has to sort of take the bones of fact and then apply their own truth to re-create Jesus in the flesh for themselves. So... I guess I feel that a true collective truth could never be had. So glad you took the time to comment. Made me think more on this.

Jeff L -- what the hell? But I liked the story missives like narrative haikus. What's with the hyphen in God?

Gary, I've seen that book and have been pondering getting it. I love that sort of light being cast on the context because it just makes the whole mystery that much more real and interesting. Yeah, I guess they didn't teach much reading and writing at carpenter's school... excellent point!

Thanks all!

Oh Sandy! I don't gather very often but I sure do gather good! What a list! My favorites were 3 & 4. Just WHAT was the FBI looking for? Was this person a "serial cleaner"? You absolutely have to tell the story!

I had a feeling you might be one of those non-conformist types!

You know, maybe he did... and they haven't found it yet. My guess is that there wasn't a whole lot of time between his rise to notoriety and the crucifixion. If he did write something, it would have been a bunch of notes and memoirs if that.

Remember, no one really knows who wrote any of the gospels and they were all written outside of the Roman occupation. Additionally, they were all written well after all of the first hand witnesses were dead. You just gotta shake your head at the fact that one of the most influential stories in the history of the world wouldn't even get a hearing in today's courts due to lack of evidence!

Sandy, I was just writing about this at the same time you were! I wouldn't have found you if not for the "judas" tag -- how funny. Your question about what difference Judas' role would make is actually a very good one. PBS' Frontline had a great series called "From Jesus to Christ" and it looked at biblical history from a documentary approach.

I found this film fascinating because there was a lot of political upheavel at the time and Jesus was a bit of a radical who shows up in the area after having been gone for a long time. His teachings really stir the pot and if you take Judas' betrayal as purely Judas' idea, then there was a mole in the organization that makes FOX's 24 seem like a hay ride. But, if Jesus came up with the idea then the question becomes -- was Jesus really orchestrating a grand exit all along for political or ecclesiastical gain? What if they had never crucified him -- would Christianity have made it beyond Jerusalem?

Regardless of whether or not you believe he was the Savior, the story is interesting because Jesus did have some pretty interesting things to say. And given the context -- political uprising, religious persecution and fundamentalism -- how Jesus came to be the great historical figure would only have happend with something dramatic like a crucifixion. And why the people who put together the New Testament didn't include this little gem of information is anyone's guess. Literally, history in the making!