# Does Batman or Jesus seem more real to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338 "2015-03-18T23:32:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/61 "2015-03-20T19:51:05Z")
Maybe the better comparison would be between Ra’s al Ghul, the grandfather of Batman’s son, and Jesus. Jesus was only 33 when he was crucified and buried inside a tomb. Ra’s al Ghul was over 600 years old when came back to life after being cremated. Which story seems more credible? > **[Ra's al Ghul](https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Ra%27s_al_Ghul)** > > Ra's al Ghul, sometimes written Rā's al Ghūl, is a supervillain and enemy of Batman. A former healer who's name translates to "head of the demon", he is a criminal mastermind and leader of the League of Assassins. In most stories, Ra's' goal is to... ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/62 "2015-03-20T21:13:13Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There was a preacher named Jesus in the holy land, though he certainly didn’t have supernatural powers (and IIRC, never claimedthem). So he’s a real historical figure. Wait, Jesus never claimed supernatural powers? In the Gospels, he performs miracles everywhere he goes. For example, resurrecting Lazarus from the dead: [QUOTE=John 11, New Living Translation] 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” 12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. 14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. [/quote] Do you mean there are no extra-biblical sources where Jesus claimed supernatural powers? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/63 "2015-03-21T00:33:10Z")
> [@Paxx](#): > > So you’re not convinced that Jesus was entirely mythical. > Okay. 🆒 Correct. > [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > What ‘admitted fictions’ (in the New Testament specifically are you referring to? The parables. The example stories that work like fairy tales or metaphors to represent ideas. Though I didn’t mention anything about the New Testament. I said “The Bible”. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/64 "2015-03-21T02:11:31Z")
> [@Abner\_Ravenwood](#): > > Jesus was only 33 when he was crucified and buried inside a tomb. Ra’s al Ghul was over 600 years old when came back to life after being cremated. Which story seems more credible? I _know_ people who have been cremated. Not so much with the crucifixion thing though. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/65 "2015-03-21T02:45:41Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I can not believe any one person getting about 20% of the planet to think he is an embodiment of a god. Yet they do. Though to be fair it was his fanclub once they got organized who got to make it so. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/66 "2015-03-21T02:52:19Z")
I picked Jesus, for two reasons: First, it’s absolutely certain, to the extent that anything in history can ever be absolutely certain, that Jesus really existed, while it’s likewise absolutely certain that Batman does not and has not. Second, Batman has been written by so many authors that the character is a muddled, inconsistent mess, which hinders his “reality” even as a literary character. Jesus has a similar problem (he’s depicted very differently by John than by the other three gospel writers, for instance), but not nearly to the same degree. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/67 "2015-03-21T04:17:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > . . . Batman has been written by so many authors that the character is a muddled, inconsistent mess . . . The same is true of Al Capone. ---
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/68 "2015-03-21T04:48:49Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I _know_ people who have been cremated. Not so much with the crucifixion thing though. Yeah, but did any of them cheat death by transferring their mind into another person’s body? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338/69 "2015-03-23T18:46:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Second, Batman has been written by so many authors that the character is a muddled, inconsistent mess, which hinders his “reality” even as a literary character. Jesus has a similar problem (he’s depicted very differently by John than by the other three gospel writers, for instance), but not nearly to the same degree. I think it is fair to say Jesus also had a lot of writers when you consider that what got written down was initially an oral history and then went through x-number of translations on the way to your particular edition of the Bible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-batman-or-jesus-seem-more-real-to-you/715338.md?page=3)