Controversial Biblical scholar says Romans 'fabricated Christ to pacify poor'

A controversial Biblical scholar has claimed that Jesus Christ's story was created to enslave poor people.

'Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus' author Joseph Atwill said that New Testament was authored by first-century Roman aristocrats and that they fabricated Jesus Christ's story to pacify the subjects of the Roman Empire, the Independent reported.

Atwill will be presenting his story at the 'Covert Messiah' conference, to be held at the Conway Hall in Holborn a week on Saturday.

He explained that acts of insurrection by Jewish sects awaiting the arrival of a so-called 'warrior Messiah' in Palestine was a persistent problem for the Roman Empire and after they had exhausted all means of dealing, they resorted to psychological warfare.

Atwill wrote in his blog that Christ could be the only fictional character in the New Testament whose entire life story can be traced back to other sources.