I appreciate the way the original poster lays out the historicity and argument, along with the countering views of the mostly respectful commenters. I feel the subtle sting in this and other historical-theological issues when (as an ethnic Jew who accepts Yeshua/Jesus as being the promised Messiah) encounter gentile Christianity's intentional or unintentional erasure of the Jewish roots of the Christian doctrine and history. Jesus was not a gentile and there has never been a time when all Christians were. It may not be the Mount of Olives I die on, but from a stance of common sense, historical and semantic accuracy I opt for the B.C.E./C.E. designations.
I appreciate the way the original poster lays out the historicity and argument, along with the countering views of the mostly respectful commenters. I feel the subtle sting in this and other historical-theological issues when (as an ethnic Jew who accepts Yeshua/Jesus as being the promised Messiah) encounter gentile Christianity's intentional or unintentional erasure of the Jewish roots of the Christian doctrine and history. Jesus was not a gentile and there has never been a time when all Christians were. It may not be the Mount of Olives I die on, but from a stance of common sense, historical and semantic accuracy I opt for the B.C.E./C.E. designations.