To be honest I'm not completely sure that his earliest devotees dreamt that he was the long-awaited Messiah. John the Baptist probably thought so, but how can you take seriously a man who lost his head over a stripper?
I think it's more likely that his earliest followers were swept up by his charisma and by the power of his intellect. Realise that many of them (but not all) were simple, uneducated folk and when they were faced with a teacher who was willing to take on the establishment (Judaism as interpreted by the Pharisees) and who proved to be at least their intellectual equal, they were swept along with him.
Much more interesting is the way the new religion spread through the Roman Empire, largely due to Paul's capable evangelism. It was probably the best piece of international marketing seen until Ronald McDonald conquered the modern world.
Some originally expected him to overthrow Rome's occupation, and free Israel - setting up his kingdom on Earth.
I just learned this is history class!! * pounds it!
They expected him to be put to death, be raised back to life, and asscend into heaven. And one day return again. Because that is what he told his disiples would happen, during his teachings.
Mayy Mayy's answer is correct, read Acts1:6,7 in the new testament section of the Holy Bible.
They expected him to institute God's Kingdom on earth and rule as King, overthrowing the Roman government thereby releasing them from the Roman yolk.
That was hilarious! I hadn't realized that the Romans stuck a big egg over Israel!
Good Jolk!
They all expected him to throw out the Romans, reinstate Jewish sovereignty under a Davidic king, and start an indefinite period of prosperity and peace to Israel. When none of those things happened, some of his followers changed the objective to some obscure heavenly kingdom blah blah.
They expected what Lior and Walt said, but then when it didn't happen, they changed the mission and he became the person to rise from the dead and rescue mankind, otherwise the gospels and other NT biblical information would have been written before 40 years after he died. They had to get their story straight.
Jesus' real name is yahshua. His name couldn't be Jesus because there is no J in the hebrew alphabet.
@Dozy . . . great answer as usual . . .
Before Jesus coming to this Earth . The only way that sin could be forgiven was by the shedding of blood. And Jesus told them that. So Jesus himself knew that this was his mission. Thats why today we don't have to shed blood for our sins. That price has been paid. When Jesus hung on the cross he looked up to heaven and said to his father "it is finish"
Let's use Judas as an example. He thought that by putting Jesus in the position that he betrayed him into that Jesus would establish his kingship before all the people as being the Son of God, and overthrow the Romans (after all, they followed him as king). But, when he saw a bloody and beaten Christ, he realized that he had betrayed a man innocent of charges. Some say it was guilt, but what was in him, left him alone with it. It was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah that this would happen and the coins thrown out in the doorway. The apostle Thomas doubted that Jesus could possibly have risen from death and said the only way he would believe it was him was if he put his hands where he saw them pierce the Lord in his side. Alas, it was proven and he was specifically ASKED to come and put his hands in the wounds. But, they expected him to establish his kingdom. They didn't realize that it required a building of it for generations and would not be complete until all things have been fulfilled.
However, the death of Judas is what is shrouded in mystery. Because the chief priests were saying one thing and the apostles heard something completely different.
Couldn't wait for the Gospel of Judas to be printed and when it did, I read it and was absolutely displeased with what I read.
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Many atheists had a religious upbringing so we got to know the Bible pretty well. Then when we got old enough to think for ourselves we were able to see the improbability, the inconsistencies and the sheer exploitation practised by the various religions. So we have the background knowledge but choose to interpret it more realistically.
Paul wrote (perhaps in Corinthians) "When I was a child, I thought as a child. When I became a man I put aside childish things." I had to agree with him on that, and the childish thing I put aside was religion.
A couple of months ago Virginia summed it up from the point of view of the various religions with a quote from Hinduism: "By whatever name you call me, it is I who will answer."
At 18, I joined the Marines, left my cocoon, and ventured on my own to seek a life which made sense . . . I morphed from Dogma and, within 4 or 5 years, had integrated doubt into my world view . . . it has never left. I often quote "Dubito ergo cogito, Cogito ergo sum." - I doubt therefore I think, I think therefore I am . . . as humans, with a temporary "hall pass" on this earth, the most anyone could ask of us, God or not, is to seek truth and wisdom . . .
I have a favour to ask. Most of my family are long-lifers and, barring accidents, I may manage another fifteen years. Given that last paragraph of yours, if you could find it convenient to pass over sometimes during that period, I might be able to use a good advocate when I reach the Pearly Gates (even though lawyers are all supposed to be in Hell).
I was familiar with "cogito ergo sum" of course, but had never run across "dubito ergo cogito" before. It rounds the idea very nicely.
@Work1ders: First, welcome to Ask. You've chosen a clever name. I like it.
Yes, I have read the Book, and I did know who Salome was, and yes, I am aware that calling her a stripper (because of the Dance of the Seven Veils) was equivalent to calling the Waldorf Astoria a pub, but I have a quirky way of looking at things. But seriously, I think it's unlikely that, the Baptist excluded, Jesus's contemporaries would have dreamt that he could have been the Messiah, which was my main point.
@Sas: My apologies to you, and to those other people you mentioned, because I also know there are many intelligent questions on this site. Even so, in my case I was so badly brainwashed as a kid that learning to think for myself didn't even occur to me. I was in my twenties before I began to see the light ... er, dark.
BTW Sas, I think you might find Work1ders worth following. Clever name and some interesting Q&A (question about on-line plagiarism that I'm going to follow-up on.).
*I do enjoy reading answers from all people, but I think it might be the atheists and agnostics who have a closed mind if they continue to perpetuate that stereotype
*It is such a crying shame that so much religious crap is crammed down peoples' throats-- I didn't grow up that way so it is difficult for me to understand what people are talking about. There is too much hypocrisy in religion and I can see how that would turn people away from it.
Well, I'm off to play bridge with a very thoughtful and intelligent Roman Catholic partner ;-) [We don't always agree on which bid to make either!]
A friend once said of me that being serious was about as natural as a dog walking on its hind legs...