RS:<< Perhaps they were more afraid of the consequences of their followers
realizing that they had been deceived.>>
Jim: They HAD no followers TO deceive. We're talking about the BEGINNING
of the
religion. The disciples were the followers of Jesus; after the
crucifiction
they were small in number and relegated to the fringe. They had no
followers
themselves.
It takes only a small mob to kill. After all the coming of christ is
supposedly to have been predicted so quite a few might have taken offense
that this guy had lied and perhaps felt his followers deserved the same
fate ?
<<However, if the stakes were the risk of being stoned or lynched by an
angry
mob who just discovered that they had been deceived, then Pim's argument
has
a great deal of plausibility.>>
Jim: And since they had no followers that could have been deceived, Pim's
argument fails.
No followers at all ? Just Jesus and the 12 disciples ? Is that what you
are stating here ? There was no christian religion which was told about
the return of a savior until after Jesus' death ?
Regards
Pim