the sayings of Christian scholars deny the crucifixion:

Sub-section Three: the sayings of Christian scholars deny the crucifixion:

a. Professor Robert W. Funk, Director of the Westar Institute and founder of the Jesus Seminar Forum,[1] says: “The story of arresting Christ, trying and crucifying him is mostly the work of imagination.” (HTJ “Honest to Jesus: Jesus for a New Millennium, Robert Funk, 1996, Harper Collins, P. 127”)[2]

b. Professor Burton Mack[3] says: “As to the story of Crucifixion and Resurrection, Mark—the first to write the story—borrowed the main idea from the myth of christos.” (Mack WWNT “Who Wrote the New Testament”, P. 153.)[4]

[1] Convened in 1985 by Robert W. Funk, the Jesus Seminar has become a lightning rod for international debate about the "historical Jesus" - that is, the real facts about the person to whom various Christian gospels refer. The Seminar's on-going project has been to evaluate the historical significance of every shred of evidence about Jesus from antiquity (about 30-200 CE). Over the past seventeen years more than 200 scholars from North America & beyond have participated in its semi-annual meetings. Seminar Fellows include prominent scholars from Canada, Great Britain, Germany, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as the U.S. For a roster of active participant. (See Internet.) (Translator)

[2] Al-Zain, Muhammad Faruq Faris, Al-Masihiyyah wa al-Islam wa al-Istishraq, p. 215.

[3] In this groundbreaking and controversial book, Burton Mack brilliantly exposes how the Gospels are fictional mythologies created by different communities for various purposes and are only distantly related to the actual historical Jesus. Mack's innovative scholarship 'which boldly challenges traditional Christian understanding' will change the way you approach the New Testament and think about how Christianity arose. “Who Wrote the New Testament? The Making of the Christian Myth by Burton L. Mack.” (Translator)

[4] Ibid.