Virtual Methodist

I was listening briefly to Michael Scott's documentary series "Spin the Globe" on Radio 4 yesterday afternoon whilst driving. It is a series that looks at key dates in history (eg 1066, 1914) and what was happening elsewhere in the world at that time. Yesterday he was looking at 0 AD, and what was happening in Guatemala, Korea and Rome when the main event was, from a western Christian perspective, happening in Bethlehem... I didn't actually hear the rest of the programme (may do so  on the iplayer's Listen Again function ), but by way of introduction he looked at the historicity of Jesus' existence (if not the exact date and circumstances of his birth... that hoary old subject for features editors, bloggers and preachers at this time of year) and a Dermot McCullough, Professor of Church History at Oxford University suggested that the most convincing evidence for the life of Jesus are the "various casual mentions " of him in passing in other works ...