Edwin Johnson (historian)

Edwin Johnson (born November 9, 1842 Upton near Andover (Hampshire) , † October 3, 1901 ) was a British theologian and historian. According to his research, there is no evidence of the historical existence of Jesus Christ in the sense of the Jesus myth . He also questioned the authenticity of Paul's letters , which he brought into the vicinity of Markion , similar to some authors of the Dutch radical criticism , some of whom referred to him.

Life

Edwin Johnson was born the second son of Reverend Alfred Johnson, a congregational pastor. In 1859 he studied at New College (London), St. John's Wood. He received three scholarships and continued his studies in London, where he obtained a Masters in " Classics ". He received his first pastoral assignment in Forest Hill near London. The marriage followed in 1865. A trip took him to continental Europe, he visited France, Switzerland, Northern Italy and Germany. On his return in 1870 he received an appointment in the Borough of Boston , where he had enough time for his historical research. In Antiqua Mater (1887) Johnson deals extensively with the beginnings of Christianity . Herein he states that there is no evidence of the historical existence of Jesus Christ and the apostles, a view similar to that of Bruno Bauer . Rather, Christianity developed from a movement of the Jewish diaspora , which he calls Hagioi , which advocated a liberal interpretation of the Torah , simplified rituals and a high level of spirituality . Both ideas of Gnosis and of Bacchus played into Christianity.

In The Pauline Epistles and The Rise of English Culture , Johnson suggests that the Church falsified entire centuries of history, namely the Dark Ages . Isaac Newton , Wilhelm Kammeier , Jean Hardouin , Robert Baldauf and Christoph Marx had similarly critical views on Christianity . His theses are among the foundations of today's chronology criticism .

Work (selection)

Antiqua Mater: A Study of Christian Origins (PDF; 656 kB) (1887)
The Pauline Epistles: Re-studied and Explained (PDF; 414 kB) (1894)

Individual evidence

^ Edwin Johnson: Antiqua Mater. Who were the first Christians? Frans-Joris Fabri, Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-839163146 , p. 242 f.
^ Hermann Detering : Staged forgeries. The Pauline letters in the Dutch radical criticism. Independently published, 2017, ISBN 978-1-980-21225-6 , p. 199; 216
^ Edwin Johnson: Antiqua Mater. Who were the first Christians? translated by Frans-Joris Fabri, Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-839163146 , p. 10.

personal data
SURNAME	Johnson, Edwin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	English historian, biblical scholar, theologian
DATE OF BIRTH	November 9, 1842
PLACE OF BIRTH	Upton
DATE OF DEATH	October 3, 1901

[1] Edwin Johnson: Antiqua Mater. Who were the first Christians? Frans-Joris Fabri, Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-839163146 , p. 242 f.

[2] Hermann Detering : Staged forgeries. The Pauline letters in the Dutch radical criticism. Independently published, 2017, ISBN 978-1-980-21225-6 , p. 199; 216

[3] Edwin Johnson: Antiqua Mater. Who were the first Christians? translated by Frans-Joris Fabri, Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-839163146 , p. 10.