The New York Times published an interview Saturday between opinion columnist Nicholas Kristoff and author Elaine Pagels in which Kristoff probed her assertion that Jesus may have been the product of rape and not a virgin birth.
Pagels, a religious historian and professor at Princeton University, alluded to a Roman soldier named Panthera, who she claims may have fathered Jesus, possibly through rape, in her forthcoming book “Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus.”
Though Pagels called the evidence “circumstantial” during the interview, she also said it shouldn’t be ignored.
Kristoff, however, noted that in her book she concedes that many of the historical accounts claiming Jesus was the son of Panthera were from early writers trying to disparage Jesus.
“Yes, these stories circulated after Jesus’ death among members of the Jewish community who regarded…
