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Did Jesus Really Exist?
By Matthew
Christensen
There are some
out there that doubt that the Jesus of the Bible really existed.
Most people, including atheists, wouldn’t deny the existence of
Jesus. They would only ny dhis deity and miracles. The reason for
this is that there is a large amount of evidence for his existence,
both Christian and secular. In this article I will show extra
biblical accounts for Jesus to show that he existed beyond a shadow
of a doubt. It doesn’t prove that Jesus is God but it does show that
at least the man really existed.
Extra Biblical Accounts of Jesus
Cornelius Tacitus
Cornelius Tacitus
was a 1st century Roman historian. In his famous work
Annals he makes mention
of an executed Jesus who has followers called Christians.
Annals 15:44
"Nero created scapegoats and subjected to the
most refined tortures those whom the common people called
'Christians'....Their name comes from Christ, who, during the reign
of Tiberius, had been executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate"
Pliny
the Younger
Pliny the Younger, also known as
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, was an author, lawyer and natural
philosopher of Rome in the 1st century. In one of his letters to
the Emperor Trajan he talks extensively about Christians and their
worship to Christ.
Letters
10.96-97
It is my practice, my lord, to refer to you all matters concerning
which I am in doubt. For who can better give guidance to my
hesitation or inform my ignorance? I have never participated in
trials of Christians. I therefore do not know what offenses it is
the practice to punish or investigate, and to what extent. And I
have been not a little hesitant as to whether there should be any
distinction on account of age or no difference between the very
young and the more mature; whether pardon is to be granted for
repentance, or, if a man has once been a Christian, it does him no
good to have ceased to be one; whether the name itself, even without
offenses, or only the offenses associated with the name are to be
punished.
Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as
Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated
these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I
interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with
punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no
doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and
inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were
others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman
citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.
Soon accusations spread, as usually happens, because of the
proceedings going on, and several incidents occurred. An anonymous
document was published containing the names of many persons. Those
who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked
the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and
wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this
purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed
Christ--none of which those who are really Christians, it is said,
can be forced to do--these I thought should be discharged. Others
named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then
denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some
three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five
years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods,
and cursed Christ.
They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or
error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day
before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and
to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit
fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to
return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was
their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food--but
ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had
ceased to do after my edict by which, in accordance with your
instructions, I had forbidden political associations. Accordingly, I
judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by
torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I
discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition.
I therefore postponed the investigation and hastened to consult you.
For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially
because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every
rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered. For the
contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but
also to the villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and
cure it. It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had
been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the
established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and
that from everywhere sacrificial animals are coming, for which until
now very few purchasers could be found. Hence it is easy to imagine
what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for
repentance is afforded.
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
Gaius
Suetonius Tranquillus was a well known Roman historian in the 1st
century. Short after the time of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion he
wrote the following which is in the
Lives of the Caesars.
Lives of the Caesars
“Since
the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus
(Jesus Christ), he expelled them from Rome. . .”
Claudius Galenus of
Pergamum
Claudius Galenus of Pergamum was a well
known Roman physician in the 2nd century. He made several
references to Christ in De pulsuum differentiis.
De
pulsuum differentiis iii.3 and ii. 4
"One
might more easily teach novelties to the followers of Moses and
Christ than to the physicians and philosophers who cling fast to
their schools."
"...in
order that one should not at the very beginning, as if one had come
into the school of Moses and Christ, hear talk of undemonstrated
laws, and that where it is least appropriate."
Lucian of Samosata
Lucian
of Samosata was a famous 2nd century Roman rhetorician
and satirist. In his
work The Death of
Peregrine he wrote about the Christians who thought the man
(Jesus) crucified was God.
The Death of Peregrine, 11-13
“It was
now that he came across the priests and scribes of the Christians,
in Palestine, and picked up their queer creed. I can tell you, he
pretty soon convinced them of his superiority; prophet, elder, ruler
of the Synagogue--he was everything at once; expounded their books,
commented on them, wrote books himself. They took him for a God,
accepted his laws, and declared him their president. The Christians,
you know, worship a man
to this day,--the distinguished personage who introduced their novel
rites, and was crucified on that account.”
Celsus
Celsus
was a 2nd century Greek philosopher who was hostile to
Christianity. Being hostile gives his writings even more weight for
the existence of Jesus. The writings about Christians and Jesus are
too numerous to post in this article but here is just one quote from
Celsus.
Contra Celsum
1.28
Jesus
had come from a village in Judea, and was the son of a poor Jewess
who gained her living by the work of her own hands. His mother had
been turned out of doors by her husband, who was a carpenter by
trade, on being convicted of adultery [with a soldier named Panthéra
(i.32)]. Being thus driven away by her husband, and wandering about
in disgrace, she gave birth to Jesus, a bastard. Jesus, on account
of his poverty, was hired out to go to Egypt. While there he
acquired certain (magical) powers which Egyptians pride themselves
on possessing. He returned home highly elated at possessing these
powers, and on the strength of them gave himself out to be a god.
Mara
Bar-Serapion
Mara Bar-Serapion was a prisoner in Syria
sometime between the 1st and 3rd century. He
makes casual remarks that look to point to Jesus Christ.
Mara Bar-Serapion: Letter from a Near
Eastern Jail
What
advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death?
Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What
advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras? In a
moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews
gain from executing their wise King? It was just after that their
Kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men: the
Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea;
the Jews, ruined and driven from their land, live in complete
dispersion. But Socrates did not die for good; he lived on in the
teaching of Plato. Pythagoras did not die for good; he lived on in
the statue of Hera. Nor did the wise King die for good; He lived on
in the teaching which He had given
Josephus
Josephus was a well known 1st
century Jewish historian.
Book 20, Chapter 9, Part 1
And now
Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea,
as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood,
and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus,
who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that this
eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who
had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had
himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never
happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus,
who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a
bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect
of the Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all
the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore,
Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper
opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and
Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of
judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called
Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his
companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as
breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for
those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as
were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what
was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send
to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had
already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to
meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and
informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a
sanhedrim without his consent. Whereupon Albinus complied with what
they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he
would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which king
Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled but
three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, high priest
Book 18, Chapter 3, Part 3
*
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to
call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of
such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him
both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ.
And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us,
had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first
did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third
day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand
other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians,
so named from him, are not extinct at this day.
*Some claim that this part of
Josephus’s book was altered to give evidence for Jesus. There is
evidence against this though.
Eusebius of Caesarea, quoted this section in the early 4 century in
Ecclesiastical History, 1:XI. So this is very close to the original
time of writing giving little chance for the text to be corrupted.
Scholars such as F.F. Bruce
and Daniel Rops have also show that this part of the text is
written in the same style as the rest. Finally an Arabic edition of
Josephus works which would have been around the time of the original
show this texts concerning Jesus but don’t show Jesus being the
Messiah. In 1972 Professor Schlomo Pines was quote by times reading
the Arabic version.
"At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his
conduct was good and he was known to be virtuous. And many people
among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate
condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become
his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that
he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he
was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom
the prophets have recounted wonders".
Talmud
The Talmud is a Jewish holy book written between 70 A.D. – 200 A.D. In Sanhedrin 43a these non
Christians give a stunning account of history that backs up what the
Bible has to say about the times of Jesus.
Sanhedrin 43a
There is
a tradition (in a Barraitha): They hanged Yeshu on the Sabbath of
the Passover. But for forty days before that a herald went in front
of him (crying), "Yeshu is to be stoned because he practiced sorcery
and seduced Israel and lead them away from God. Anyone who can
provide evidence on his behalf should come forward to defend him."
When, however, nothing favorable about him was found, he was hanged
on the Sabbath of the Passover.
The Bible
The Bible is often too quickly overlooked as a
historical source to prove the existence of Jesus. We have some text
from the New Testament that was written in the 1st
century so we can be assured that what is written is accurate. The
Bible not only tells us of the countless encounters Jesus had with
people before his crucifixion but also the encounters hundreds of
people had with him after he rose from the dead. Some of these
peoplewere still alive and could testify to this fact.
1 Corinthians 15:4-6
and that He was buried, and
that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures, and that
He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He
was seen by over five
hundred brethren at once,
of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have
fallen asleep.
Conclusion
So in conclusion we can see why even so many
non-Christians believe that Jesus was a real person. The big
question then becomes, who was he? As C.S. Lewis so well put it he
was either liar, lunatic or Lord. Some say there is a fourth option.
That he never said the things attributed to him in the Bible. This
will be addressed in another article.
Copyright (c) 2010 Matthew Christensen All rights reserved.
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