The Librarian

if Jesus was GOD why did He Pray?
 

You know, this claim does not seem to come from Hislop and I'm having trouble tracking down where it originated from (beyond just repetition on the interwebs).

Main article on Stephen Lett:
 

Hahaha...  ALL can see, its totally FAKE - EASTER  eggs !  

I have no interest in celebrating Easter, and it's obvious that the rabbit and egg fertility symbols are completely out of place. I'm glad that the Watchtower points these things out. But there does come a point when, just because we don't like something, we tend to believe anything bad about it. In fact, one of the source sites for this information is here: https://warriorsoftheruwach.com/easter/
That site has all the info that Bible Speaks includes, and then some:
Here is my favorite:
 
 

OUR READERS ASK . . .
Is Easter Really a Christian Celebration?
Easter is described in the Encyclopædia Britannica as the “principal festival of the Christian church that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” However, is it a Christian celebration?
To establish the authenticity of an artifact, attention to detail is critical. Similarly, for us to see whether Easter is a Christian celebration, it is essential that we take a look at the details related to Easter.
First of all, Jesus asked his followers to commemorate, not his resurrection, but his death. The apostle Paul called this occasion “the Lord’s Evening Meal.”—1 Corinthians 11:20;Luke 22:19, 20.
Additionally, many of the Easter traditions “have little to do” with Jesus’ resurrection, states the Britannica, “but derive from folk customs.” For instance, regarding the popular Easter symbols the egg and the rabbit, The Encyclopedia of Religion says: “The egg symbolizes new life breaking through the apparent death (hardness) of the eggshell.” It adds: “The rabbit was known as an extraordinarily fertile creature, and hence it symbolized the coming of spring." 
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2015165
Easter. “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament,” states The Encyclopædia Britannica. How did Easter get started? It is rooted in pagan worship. While this holiday is supposed to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection, the customs associated with the Easter season are not Christian. For instance, concerning the popular “Easter bunny,” The Catholic Encyclopedia says: “The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility.”
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102005163
EASTER—FERTILITY WORSHIP IN DISGUISE
Promoted as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection, Easter is actually rooted in false religion. The name Easter itself has been linked to Eostre, or Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn and of spring. And how did eggs and rabbits come to be associated with Easter? Eggs “have been prominent as symbols of new life and resurrection,” says the Encyclopædia Britannica, while the hare and the rabbit have long served as symbols of fertility. Easter, therefore, is really a fertility rite thinly disguised as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection.*
Would Jehovah condone the use of a filthy fertility rite to commemorate his Son’s resurrection? Never! (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18) In fact, the Scriptures neither command nor authorize the commemorating of Jesus’ resurrection in the first place. To do so in the name of Easter, therefore, is to be doubly disloyal.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102008072

References
* Barnhart, Robert K. (1995). The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology: The Origins of American English Words. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-270084-7
* Billson, Charles J. (1892). "The Easter Hare" as published in Folk-Lore, Vol. 3, No. 4 (December 1892). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises Ltd.
* Boyle, John Andrew (1974). "The Hare in Myth and Reality: A Review Article" as published in Folklore, Vol. 84, No. 4 (Winter, 1973). Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises Ltd.
* Cusack, Carole M. (2008). "The Return of the Goddess: Mythology, Witchcraft and Feminist Spirituality" as published in Pizza, Murphy. Lewis, James R. (Editors). Handbook of Contemporary Paganism. Brill Publishers. ISBN 9004163735
* Diesel, Andreas. Gerten, Dieter (2007). Looking for Europe: Neofolk und Hintergründe. Index Verlag. ISBN 3-936878-02-1
* Grimm, Jacob (James Steven Stallybrass Trans.) (1882). Teutonic Mythology: Translated from the Fourth Edition with Notes and Appendix Vol. I. London: George Bell and Sons.
* Grimm, Jacob (James Steven Stallybrass Trans.) (1883). Teutonic Mythology: Translated from the Fourth Edition with Notes and Appendix Vol. II. London: George Bell and Sons.
* Hubbard, Benjamin Jerome. Hatfield, John T. Santucci, James A. (2007). An Educator's Classroom Guide to America's Religious Beliefs and Practices. Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 1-59158-409-4
* Giles, John Allen (1843). The Complete Works of the Venerable Bede, in the Original Latin, Collated with the Manuscripts, and Various Print Editions, Accompanied by a New English Translation of the Historical Works, and a Life of the Author. Vol. VI: Scientific Tracts and Appendix. London: Whittaker and Co., Ave Maria Lane.
* Mallory, J. P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (1997). Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1-884964-98-2.
* Shaw, Philip A. (2011). Pagan Goddesses in the Early Germanic World: Eostre, Hreda and the Cult of Matrons. Bristol Classical Press. ISBN 978-0-7156-3797-5
* Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, fifth edition, illustrated. Springer. ISBN 3-540-00238-3
* Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-513-1
* Wallis, Faith (Trans.) (1999). Bede: The Reckoning of Time. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-693-3
* Watkins, Calvert (2006 [2000]). The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-08250-6
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ēostre

Pictured  is Isis “Queen of Heaven” holding her baby son Horus. The Roman Emperor Constantine renamed this image “Mary & Baby Jesus” in the 3rd Century, but this image is none other than the original Queen of Heaven named Semiramis and she is holding her baby son Tammuz. When Nimrod and Semiramis’s religion migrated to other parts of the world, she took on different names. Another one of her aliases is “Easter.” This is the true identity of EASTER and her son Nimrod who was later supposedly reincarnated as Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14). Mythology purports that she spends six months each year in the underworld, but on Easter “Sun” day (named after the sun-god) she resurrects in the “East” because the sun rises in the East, and the pagans worship the sun.
Her name started out as Semiramis, but then it was changed in other cultures. She is also known in other cultures as Isis, Diana, Astarte, Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus, Easter and also as the false deified version of the “Catholic Mary.” Her baby son Nimrod (later reincarnated as Tammuz) also had other names in various cultures because this Babylonian religion migrated around the world. He is also known as Horus, Apollo, Sol, Krishna, Hercules, Mithra, and many others.
This image of Isis Queen of Heaven with baby Horus the sun-god is the true identity of the Catholic “Mary & baby Jesus” that is worshipped by Catholics unawares through icons and graven images.
 

"TWO BABYLONS" ALARM TRIGGERED!

Carefully back away, people, and make your way to the factual part of the internet.
https://www.gotquestions.org/easter-origins.html
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2009/april/was-easter-borrowed-from-pagan-holiday.html

I see. Downvotes. Hey, I've done the serious, 'let's explain why this is fake history' approach many times. I've done the short, sharp, 'THIS IS TOTAL BUNKUM!' approach. Both approaches have not prevented further dissemination of this arrant nonsense on this forum. 
So I'm trying humor for a change 

Constantine was not an emperor in the 3rd century.

COMENTARIOS DE LOS ABOGADOS DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN EN EL JUICIO EN RUSIA.
Información no publica.
"El libro Beneficiese de la Escuela del Ministerio Teocratico (prohibido por ser extremista), está diseñado para mejorar la capacidad de hablar. No sabemos sobre qué base se declaró extremista. El tribunal no permitió que los testigos de Jehová participaran en el caso. Nunca tuvimos la oportunidad de revisar los materiales del caso. Ni siquiera fueron invitados a participar en el ensayo. Si todos los casos se consideran de esta manera, Rusia se quedara sin ningún libro.”- Abogado para los testigos de Jehová, Victor Zhenkov
“¿Cómo se puede incitar al odio? No nos fijamos en alguien por su camino equivocado Algunos expertos han indicado que las publicaciones de los testigos de Jehová afirman que tienen la única religión verdadera, los testigos de Jehová incitan al odio y la enemistad.”- Abogado para los testigos de Jehová, Victor Zhenkov
“No son los testigos de Jehová los que violan la ley. Es la siembra de pruebas fabricadas por las autoridades lo que viola la ley.”- miembro del Comité del Centro Administrativo de los Testigos de Jehová en Rusia, Sergey Cherepanov
“El fiscal general, que en los años 90 ha rehabilitado creyentes, ha estado recopilando información acerca de los testigos de Jehová y ademas información sobre sus propiedades. Esto se comprueba por los volúmenes de los documentos presentados junto con la solicitud de liquidación. Esto demuestra que el Fiscal General ha estado coordinando una campaña nacional para reunir información sobre los testigos de Jehová. Lo mismo ocurrió en la década de 1950 cuando nuestros hermanos en la fe fueron exiliados a Siberia.”- miembro del Comité del Centro Administrativo de los Testigos de Jehová en Rusia, Sergey Cherepanov
“Si el tribunal vuelve al camino que ofrece el Ministerio de Justicia para liquidar el centro administrativo y todos los LROS (Organizaciones religiosas locales), vamos a volver al pasado oscuro. Me gusta lo que dijo un funcionario, “ 'Usted puede liquidar una entidad legal, pero nunca la fe de alguien.' - miembro del Comité del Centro Administrativo de los Testigos de Jehová en Rusia y víctima de la represión era soviética, Vasiliy Kalin
“En la época soviética estábamos frente a la acusación de ser un 'enemigo del Estado'; Ahora estamos siendo acusados de 'extremismo'. Quiero recordar al Ministerio de Justicia que su petición para prohibir los testigos de Jehová dañaría las mismas personas que le desean una vida tranquila, feliz.”- miembro del Comité del Centro Administrativo de los Testigos de Jehová en Rusia y víctima de la represión de la era soviética, Vasiliy Kalin.

Please start a new thread.

...... 
 
https://images.sunfrogshirts.com/2014/09/30/m_Keep-Calm-Let-The-Librarian-Handle-It.jpg

here is something funny from the internet  !!! 

 
some more things about "the librarian" 

 
and the last , for the moment ....
 

 

I read  a book by one of Saddam Hussein's Christian advisors (he survived Saddam by always speaking the truth and giving frank advice) and he says they did have chemical weapons. Georges Sada wrote a book.  Read on this page what he said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMD_conjecture_in_the_aftermath_of_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq - also read his biography on Wikipedia.
I had a bible study whose family was hit by the chemical bombs. Saddam used chemical weapons against the Kurds - on one occasion something like 23,000 died.  Sada says that they were expecting the Iraq invasion (I remember at the time the media was preparing the people for invasion - I was living in UK - it took about 6 months of talk before they went in)   They took so long to invade that Saddam had time to smuggle the weapons into Syria in emergency aid vehicles (fake red cross/moon) and planes. England's population were against the invasion but Blair went in despite their opposition and this eventually cost him his premiership - he had to step down.
I often wonder where those weapons are in Syria and who has control of them now - because these "unknown"  owners can be using them. Apparently one only needs a small caravan (small space) to make these weapons.
 

Bolivian Ambassador Remembers The U.S. Saying Iraq Had Chemical Weapons!


World News

Thank  you  for  the  very  good  work...    WOW !    Professional,  yes

( They  will  have  to  prove  their  innocence  again.)
COMMENTS BY THE ATTORNEYS OF THE ORGANIZATION AT THE TRIAL IN RUSSIA.
Information not published.
"The book Benefited from Theocratic Ministry School (banned for being extremist), is designed to improve the ability to speak.We do not know on what basis it was declared extremist.The court did not allow Jehovah's Witnesses to participate in the case. We were given the opportunity to review the materials of the case and were not even invited to participate in the trial. "If all cases are considered in this way, Russia will be left without any book." - Attorney for Jehovah's Witnesses, Victor Zhenkov
"How can you incite hatred? We do not look at anyone on their wrong path Some experts have indicated that Jehovah's Witness publications claim to have the only true religion, Jehovah's Witnesses incite hatred and enmity. "- Attorney for Jehovah's Witnesses, Victor Zhenkov
"It is not Jehovah's Witnesses who violate the law. It is the sowing of evidence fabricated by the authorities that violates the law. "- Member of the Committee of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Sergey Cherepanov
"The attorney general, who has rehabilitated believers in the 1990s, has been collecting information about Jehovah's Witnesses and information about their property. This is checked by the volumes of the documents presented together with the request for liquidation. This shows that the Attorney General has been coordinating a national campaign to gather information on Jehovah's Witnesses. The same happened in the 1950s when our brothers in the faith were exiled to Siberia. "- Member of the Committee of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Sergey Cherepanov
"If the court returns to the path offered by the Ministry of Justice to liquidate the administrative center and all the LROS (local religious organizations), we will return to the dark past. I like what an official said, "'You can liquidate a legal entity, but never someone's faith.' - member of the Administrative Center Committee of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and a victim of Soviet repression, Vasiliy Kalin
"In Soviet times we were faced with the charge of being an 'enemy of the State'; We are now being accused of 'extremism'. I want to remind the Ministry of Justice that your petition to ban Jehovah's Witnesses would harm the very people who wish you a quiet, happy life. "- Committee member of the Administrative Center for Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and victim of repression of  Was a Soviet,  Vasiliy Kalin.

https://www.ushmm.org/information/press/press-releases/museum-statement-on-jehovahs-witnesses-in-russia
https://www.ushmm.org/information/press/press-releases
April 07, 2017
UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN OVER TREATMENT OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES IN RUSSIA
WASHINGTON – The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is deeply concerned over recent reports of harassment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and the Russian Justice Ministry’s announced intent to ban the religion due to its members engaging in “extremist activities.”
“The Holocaust teaches us the dangers of state-sponsored targeting of any group,” said Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield. “While what is occurring in Russia is not at all comparable to Nazi Germany, it’s important to remember the Nazi Party perceived Jehovah’s Witnesses as a threat to the state and subjected them to intense persecution.”
The Nazis targeted Jehovah's Witnesses because their religious beliefs prevented them from adhering to the requirements of the Nazi state. Witnesses do not swear allegiance to any state or serve in the military. These religious convictions as well as their international connections—the headquarters are in the U.S. and some Witnesses travel abroad for their service–made them a perceived threat to Nazism. Of the 25,000 – 30,000 active Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nazi Germany, about half were convicted and sentenced during the Nazi period. Of those convicted or sentenced, between 2,000 and 2,500 were sent to concentration camps, as were a total of about 700 to 800 non-German Witnesses. An estimated 1,000 German Witnesses and 400 non-German Witnesses died in the camps.
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit ushmm.org.

Although this is Washington news.....
The main thread is around Russia and JW's....
So this main thread is now located here:
 

@ARchiv@L That reference, as you know, includes not just Josephus, but TACITUS. Thanks for the link. I'll copy the paragraph about him.
*** w10 4/1 p. 15 Did You Know? ***
A number of secular writers who lived close to the time of Jesus made specific mention of him. Among them was Cornelius Tacitus, who recorded the history of Rome under the emperors. Regarding a fire that devastated Rome in 64 C.E., Tacitus relates that it was rumored that Emperor Nero was responsible for the disaster. Nero, says Tacitus, tried to place the blame on a group whom the populace called Christians. Tacitus writes: “Christus, from whom their name is derived, was executed at the hands of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius.”—Annals, XV, 44.

Tacitus wrote his Histories and Annals, including this one, closer to the year 116/7. This makes it earlier than that of Seutonius who wrote closer to 122. Also Tacitus is much more clear about who this Christus is and how he relates to Roman history.
 

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2010248#h=2

This particular reference to Jesus is more often considered to be a true part of the original work of Josephus. There is another Josephus reference that is almost always considered to be a forged interpolation. This one appears to not have the "earmarks" of a forged interpolation, but there are still questions about it.
Another reference or two is found in the Talmud, and these are polemic and from a couple hundred years later, potentially, which makes them less valuable as contemporary history.
There is also SEUTONIUS, a Roman historian alive from about 69 to 122 who wrote: "The Lives of the Twelve Caesars." When writing about the reign of Claudius, who ruled from 41 to 54 (the period from 8 to 21 years after Jesus died), he included the line:
"Iudaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantis Roma expulit"
The line is considered genuine, and is most likely translated, in the ways it is shown in Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius_on_Christians
"He expelled from Rome the Jews constantly making disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus"
"Since the Jews constantly make disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome."
The same article in Wikipedia matches it to Acts 18:2:
(Acts 18:2) And he found a Jew named Aqʹui·la, a native of Ponʹtus who had recently come from Italy with Pris·cilʹla his wife, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. . . .
This appears to blame the expelling of the Jews on the many disturbances between "Hebrew" Jews and "Christian" Jews. Historians specializing in the early history of Christianity have been postulating that these disturbances were of greater importance historically than previously recognized. Such disturbances mentioned in the book of Acts, especially in the area of Jerusalem, might provide some Biblical evidence of how easily these disturbances flared up.
(Acts 2:5-10) 5 At that time devout Jews from every nation under heaven were staying in Jerusalem....[including]... sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
(Acts 6:1-7) 6 Now in those days when the disciples were increasing, the Greek-speaking Jews began complaining against the Hebrew-speaking Jews,. . .  7 Consequently, the word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples kept multiplying very much in Jerusalem; and a large crowd of priests began to be obedient to the faith.
(Acts 13:5) 5 When they arrived in Salʹa·mis, they began proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.. . .
(Acts 13:45) 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began blasphemously contradicting the things Paul was saying.
(Acts 13:50) 50 But the Jews incited the prominent women who were God-fearing and the principal men of the city, and they stirred up persecution . . .
(Acts 14:1-4) . . .. 2 But the Jews who did not believe stirred up and wrongly influenced the people of the nations against the brothers. . . .  4 However, the multitude of the city was divided; some were for the Jews but others for the apostles.
(Acts 16:3) 3 Paul expressed the desire for Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
(Acts 16:20, 21) 20 Leading them up to the civil magistrates, they said: “These men are disturbing our city very much. They are Jews, 21 and they are proclaiming customs that it is not lawful for us to adopt or practice, seeing that we are Romans.”
(Acts 17:1-5) . . .where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 So according to Paul’s custom he went inside to them,. . .  4 As a result, some of them became believers and associated themselves with Paul and Silas, and so did a great multitude of the Greeks who worshipped God, along with quite a few of the principal women. 5 But the Jews, getting jealous, gathered together some wicked men who were loitering at the marketplace and formed a mob and proceeded to throw the city into an uproar.. . .
(Acts 20:3) . . .because a plot was hatched against him by the Jews when he was about to set sail for Syria. . .
(Acts 21:20, 21) . . .“You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the Law. 21 But they have heard it rumored about you that you have been teaching all the Jews among the nations an apostasy from Moses. . .
(Acts 21:27, 28, 30) 27 Now when the seven days were about to end, the Jews from Asia, on seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and they seized him, 28 shouting: “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our Law and this place. . . . 30 The whole city was in an uproar,
Some historians have begun to look at some of these references to "Jews" and now see a few of them as references to "Christian Jews" who were the ones hatching plots against Paul and others. While this may not be true of these references from Acts, there are literary evidences of Christians who believed Paul was teaching apostasy.
I only bring it up to show how and why either Seutonius or Claudius may have conflated the disturbances among Jews with those of followers of Christ. Most Christians of the time, even in Asia Minor and Italy had still come from the Greek-speaking supporters of the Jewish synagogues, where it was Paul's custom to  preach, everywhere he traveled.

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS
(c. 37-100 C.E.) This Jewish priest and historian states that Annas, a Jewish high priest who continued to wield political influence, “convened the judges of the Sanhedrin [the Jewish high court] and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ.”—Jewish Antiquities, XX, 200.
 

Outside of the Bible is there any archilogical or written evidence that Jesus Christ actually existed that has already not been proven to be forgeries or based on myth?