Paul1405,

You raise an interesting point there.

I read a book when doing my BA written by a leading historian of Rome in which the author presented Jesus and the disciples as a political movement rather than a new religious movement. It was a Jew versus Jew struggle to win the will of the locals and gain political ascendancy in the local political arena which had all to do with which Jewish denomination one belonged to. Apparently Jesus and his guys were seen by the principal Jewish authorities as a bunch of dangerous radicals who were opposed to the Jewish State.

So they arranged to have Jesus and his crew brought before the Romans on trumped up charges bordering on treason and conspiracy with the aim of eradicating them from the local political system.

I think the author was Michael Crawford, or someone on that level.

It was a very convincing essay and well worth the read.

and the usual false advertizing, the Cross Buns were advertized as being 'hot' but they were all cold.