Crucifixion What The Bible Really Says Author:Arthur Frederick Ide Early documents suggest that Jesus was more of a symbolic figure than a historical person. There is evidence that the early church fathers shared the view that there was no historic Jesus, but sometime in the third and fourth centuries, it was decided that the creation of an historic figure would give the emerging international religion of Chris... more »tianity a distinctive quality not possessed by the powerful pagan faiths it was competing with. This volumes looks at the possibilities of this speculation, and why and how such a change was introduced and accepted.« less