Historical Jesus, Biblical Jesus

[Bucky Ball]

Jesus was set against a greedy, corrupted and hypocritical priesthood and Temple. He didn't have too much anger against Rome because there weren't any Roman forces in Galilee which was govern med by Antipas.

You actually have no evidence or knowledge of the moral state of the priesthood or the temple, at that time, or any other time. Acts says the disciples continued to go to the temple to pray, daily.
You bought the Christian propaganda. In fact it was a very very successful economic system, and had been for a long long time, ever since the Jerusalem priests, (in one sense the ENTIRE Jewish history is really a tale of feuding priest groups), in order to oppose rival priest groups in other worship sites, (Beth-el, Dan, Shiloh). Jews had become used to travel to Jerusalem for many of the "festivals", and packed in the temple with their sacrifices, of which as they had always done, the priests had taken their rightful "cut". It's how they paid them to perform their valuable service. The sacrificial system was the absolute center and life-blood of the economy of Jerusalem. Everything going on in the city was centered on it. If there is any kernel of truth in the NT, it's that this wandering preacher proved to be a threat to that, and was executed according to the (Roman) "standing order" in the Pax Romana, that troublemakers were summarily executed. There was no trial. No Galilean peasants were afforded a trial, and certainly not before Roman aristocrats. The passion myths all differ in GREAT detail and contradict themselves in fundamental ways. Jerusalem was an occupied city, in the Roman occupation. The Jews didn't have the right to execute anyone.

The Gospel of Mark (with Christian additions binned) is the account closes to truth, I think. Many of the 'miracles' have natural explanations.

We don't need any explanations. It was an age of miracles. Literacy was low. There were any number of "miracle workers" running around supposedly doing their miracles, including Emperor Vespasian, who according to Josephus in his book, attempted to demonstrate that Vespasian was the messiah, (which is but one of many reasons the famous interpolation could not possibly be real, .... why would Josephus say that in the very book he wrote to demonstrate Vespasian was the messiah ?) Do we have to explain any other miracles ? No. This Jesus is no exception. The original end of Mark has no resurrection. Just an empty (metaphorical ??) tomb.

Other miracle workers :
the Apostle Paul (and other disciples of Jesus for that matter)
Honi the Circle Drawer (Jewish charismatic)
Hanan (Jewish charismatic; grandson of Honi and probably an elder contemporary of Jesus)
Abba Hilkiah (also a grandson of Honi and Jewish charismatic rainmaker)
Hanina ben Dosa (Jewish charismatic)
Eleazar (Jewish exorcist)
Simon Magus (magician)
Apollonius of Tyana (neo-Pythagorean)
Augustus (emperor)
Vespasian (emperor)
Book of Acts; see also Paul the Miraculous by Twelftree
Josephus, Ant. 14:22-9. mTaan. 3:8; bTaan. 23a; Genesis Rabbah 13:7
bTaan. 23b