Did a man called Jesus of Nazareth actually exist on the face of the earth? Discussions over whether the figure known as the “Historical Jesus” actually existed primarily reflect disagreement among atheists. There are many non-spiritual historians who lived in the century after the death of Jesus Christ who have confirmed his existence. The evidence is primarily the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and the various epistles written by those who claim to have been with Christ, i.e., Romans, Hebrews, James, Jude, etc. However, some will say these documents are not reliable or are fabrications, written too long after the fact. Therefore, they don’t constitute proof. It does not mean we cannot present some basic evidence, that is visible …show more content…
Later Josephus writes: “But the younger Ananus…followed the party of the Sadducees, who are severe in judgment above all the Jews…assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, and having accused them as law-breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned.” Josephus considered one of the greatest historians of antiquity, and again, independently provides proof and evidence that Jesus was a real person who did exist and also confirms the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross under the orders of Pontius Pilate, thus confirming the Biblical account as well.
Another important source of evidence about Jesus and early Christianity can be found in the letters of Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan. Pliny was the Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor. In one of his letters, dated around 112 A.D, he asks Trajan's advice about the appropriate way to conduct legal proceedings against those accused of being Christians. Pliny says that he needed to consult the emperor about this issue because a great multitude of every age, class, and sex stood accused of
Sidonius’s Letters are a series of letters written by Sidonius various times during the 5th century. He wrote to plenty of bishops and wrote about Christianity and political figures. Through his letters we can learn about how early Christianity was organized, the feeling of superiority in Christians, the qualities of Christians due to his discussion of Christian codes to follow, and we learn about Christian’s belief in miracles showing us how faithful Christians in 5th century Rome could be. Although there is a bias due to Sidonius being a bishop, we gain a different perspective of 5th century Rome.
Gerhard Lohfink, in his book, “Jesus of Nazareth” believes that Jesus’ person and ministry are intertwined, or actually one and of the same. After Lohfink clarifies the difference between the "reign of God" as distinct from the “Kingdom of God,” he asserts that in Jesus, there is this active, ongoing reign which is not only revealed, but is manifested in all He says and does. Lohfink states, that Jesus is “not just preaching about the reign of God, but He is announcing it,” going on to indicating that Jesus is manifesting this reign in His own self disclosure and the actions of His ministry. Jesus ways of teaching and interactions with others, is shown as compassionate, gentle, direct and personal, as well as definitive and bold. As we also find in Ch. 3, “All that is happening before everyone’s eyes. The reign of God is breaking forth in the midst of the world and not only within people.” (51) And for Lohfink, this is taking place in the actual preaching, actions and life of Jesus Christ. Simply, we are personally and collectively and actively a part of establishing this “reign” right here, right now. A “reign” of mercy, compassion, forgiveness, self-giving, sacrificial love, as well as of justice and peace.
say that due to the way Jesus reacted at his arrest and the fact that
In John's gospel the account, of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus shows that this was not just another false messianic movements.
Even quite exaggerated stories about him had a characteristic stamp” (124). Beginning (Interrogation) • Andreas, son of John, was in Jerusalem when an outbreak occurred. Andreas had come up from Sepphoris in Galilee for Pentecost to visit an old friend, Barabbas, when he noticed Roman soldiers dressed as normal citizens; they had then pulled out their clubs and started hitting people during the demonstration. The demonstration was for Pilate, and Andreas just happened to get into the middle of all the action. “The demonstration was because Pilate wanted to take money from the temple treasury to build a new aqueduct for Jerusalem” (4).
This paper is written to discuss the many different ideas that have been discussed over the first half of Theology 104. This class went over many topics which gave me a much better understanding of Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible. I will be addressing two topics of which I feel are very important to Christianity. First, I will be focusing on the question did Jesus claim to be God? This is one of the biggest challenges of the Bibles that come up quite often. Secondly, I will focus on character development.
... Trajan was a codependent one, a worker and his supervisor. I am not shocked by Emperor Trajan's orders to kill Christians, however I do believe they were unnecessary and sadistic spurred from sheer trepidation of losing control of those he ruled. However, I am surprised that Trajan told Pliny not to seek them out or to bring anonymously posted allegations into the prosecutions. Nonetheless, Trajan's actions towards the Christians were unjust and immoral, no matter how accurate his fear might have been.
Several non-biblical and non-Christian sources are available to help bear out the fact that Jesus actually did exist as a historical person. These sources are of an array of backgrounds: Josephus, a Jewish historian; Tacitus, a Roman writer; Pliny the Younger, a Roman writer; and Suetonius, also a Roman writer, all spoke of Jesus of Nazareth in their records.
Jesus, a name known by billions throughout the world. To each, this name means something different; savior, friend, philosopher, prophet, teacher, fraud, fake, liar. Some even believe that He is just an imaginary character from the minds of those who wrote about Him. The Westminster Dictionary of Theology describes apologetics as, "Defense, by argument, of Christian belief against external criticism or against other worldly views" (Apologetics 31-32). Though there are still many mysteries that surround the ongoing debate about Christianity, evidence can now prove some of what Christians took by faith before. Now, more than ever, there is information to prove the existence of this man that walked the earth more than two thousand years ago. Little remains of His life and works except for that which is contained within the pages of the Holy Bible. Throughout the past century alone, there have been numerous discoveries, both scientific and archeological; to further prove the existence of a man called Jesus and reinforce the Bible as a legitimate historical document. The validity of Christianity and Jesus Christ himself has been the center of religious controversy for centuries. Though His identity has not and probably never will be proven, He did exist. This paper will use apologetics to prove this so. Sufficient evidence proves the existence of Jesus and forms a firm basis for Christianity.
Crystal, great post. You made some excellent points. Do you think Pilate realized who Jesus really was? "Pilate's mind was in turmoil because he was convinced of Jesus' innocence" (Knight, 2001, pg. 233). Pilate knew in his heart that Jesus innocent and he did want the blood of Jesus on his hands. I think the controversy comes because people were trying to convict Jesus of a crime he did not commit. They were not convince Jesus was not was the Messiah, but they also could not prove he wasn't the Messiah. “Pilate does not see how this question could be of interest to him since he is not a Jew (v. 35). He has not gone looking for Jesus, but rather Jesus has been handed over to him by his own nation and the high priests” (https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/John/Pilate-Interrogates-Jesus).
Throughout the first 400 years that Christianity was present in the world, it changed dramatically. It started small in an area near the eastern Mediterranean area but within these 400 years, it grew to encompass the whole of the Mediterranean and its surroundings. Throughout this time of growth, there was also much change within the beliefs of Christianity, with the main belief centering around Jesus Christ. While Christianity grew and made it to new areas, it was introduced to new people that interpreted the different scriptures and preached what it meant to be a Christian. Some of the most influential writings in these years came from Irenaeus of Lyons, a second-century writer, Christian, theologian, and bishop.
Born in the year 37 C.E., a few years after the time of Jesus, Josephus was born Joseph ben Mattathius, in Jerusalem. He grew up in the Early Common Era, during the time the Romans occupied his Jewish homeland. His father was a priest and his mother was of royal descent.
To explain the role of the Jewish people in the death of Jesus at a dinner party is an extremely daunting task. This task is made increasingly imposing by the entrenched beliefs of the members of the dinner party. The role of Jews in the death of Jesus Christ is a nuanced issue that requires the discussion of two millennia of religious history, as well as an analysis of the historicity of the Gospels themselves. To explain this complicated history to a man who appears to be a faithful, unquestioning Christian (Ted) and a devout Jew (Susan) I must first address the historicity of the Gospels themselves, especially regarding the attribution of the Christ’s crucifixion to Jewish leadership and the removal of blame from Pontius Pilate. Then, I
These three tests when applied to the Bible show it as the most historically reliable text known to man, thus the events found upon the pages of the Bible are actual historically proven events. In light of these facts, there are still many theories other than that of the Biblical account. Three of them include the "Visionary" theory, the theft theory, and the wrong tomb theory. The first theory is that of Strauss, that the appearances of Jesus after His death on the cross were "visions generated by the imaginations of the disciples (Ramsey 48)." This may be the easiest of all the theories to discredit. First of all, it does not take into account the inability of the disciples to grasp this idea that Christ was alive and to recognize Him for who He was (Ramsey 48).
The establishment of Christianity began in Palestine by followers of Jesus of Nazareth (Bryan, 2007, p. 38). Jesus professed to be the Son of God, the promised Messiah who would establish the kingdom of God and remove all wickedness. His work and the results of his ministry were opposed by the Jewish clergy whom he exposed as false teachers (King James Version, Matthew 23). The Jewish religious leaders charged Jesus with crimes against Rome, the ruling power over Palestine, and Pontius Pilate acting as governor pronounced the death sentence in 36 C.E. Jesus followers used the scriptures to preach about his death, resurrection and future kingdom and began a campaign to spread the faith. That faith was called “the Way” by early Christians who believed Jesus death was for their sins and that blessings that would come under his rulership (American Standard Version, Acts 19:9). Many people became followers of Jesus and the faith spread over the Middle East area. Others viewed Jesus as special, such as first century historian Flavius Josephus, who recorded the following: