Just a short time after my 11th birthday, my Mom died suddenly. The pain, anguish, and anger I felt made me question everything I had been taught about God, my experience with Him, and even if He existed.
About two years later, I was at a YMCA camp on Catalina Island, just off the California coast, near Los Angeles. One night, sitting around a crackling campfire, gazing into the heavens that were not obscured by the haze of pollution, the stars appeared so bright and seemed so close, that it was as if I just reached out my hand I could grab one. I remember thinking to myself, “There is no way that this could have just happened on its own. It’s just too magnificent to be the result of random chance.”
In that experience, God had shown me just a tiny glimmer of His glory and caused the beginning of an aching hunger in me to pursue knowing the God of all creation intimately. One year later, while I was Babysitting a neighbor’s kids, I was watching Television, flicking through the few channels available very late in the night, and Billy Graham was on. It was just before the end of his crusade, and he had turned towards the camera and said something to the effect “those of you at home watching this can ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior.” I was quite taken aback by that and felt a divine presence in the room. I asked Jesus to become my Lord and Savior and to forgive my sins. At the very moment of saying that, I suddenly felt light as a feather and profoundly clean from the inside out. It was a radical experience as I moved instantly from darkness into the light of His glory. I have never looked back since that moment 55+ years ago, and the gnawing hunger to know Him more has never ceased to this day.
I feel pretty confident to say that Born-Again Christians believe Jesus existed and haven’t considered the possibility that He never existed. However, there is a growing number of people who don’t believe and need to be shown the evidence. That is your divine responsibility.
“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared (ready) to make a defense (GK: ‘apologia’- as in a court of Law) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 ESV)
In this study, we will look at three areas of evidence; Historical, Prophetic, and Personal.
As we begin, it is important to understand that satan has “blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV).
“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19 ESV)
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1-2 ESV).
The Greek word translated as “work in” is ‘energeó,’ which means to actively energize them to do work for him.
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21 ESV)
Some of you will plant seeds, some of you will water them, and some of you will reap the harvest, but it is God who makes it grow because no one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws them (1 Corinthians 3:6; John 6:44). It is the merciful kindness of God that leads a person to repentance (Romans 2:4).
I. HISTORICAL EVIDENCE
The birth of Jesus divided time, which is why we have the standardized Julian and Gregorian Calendars, which were first proposed in the year AD 525 by Dionysius Exiguus, a Christian monk. BC stands for before Christ, and AD stands for Anno Domini (in the year of the Lord).
In the early 1700s, the letters CE, which stands for the common or current era, and BCE stands for before the common era, were introduced for the sake of religious neutrality as well as that the BC/AD system is objectively inaccurate because the historical birth of Jesus was somewhere between 6 and 3 BC/BCE.
BC should appear after the numerical year, while AD should appear before it (ex: 1100 BC, AD 1066).
BCE and CE should both appear after the numerical year (Ex 1100 BCE, 1066 CE). The use of a period may be used after each letter (ex: 1100 BC, AD 1066, 1100 BCE, 1066 CE).
There is both non-Christian and Christian historical evidence that Jesus existed. Numerous secular authors mention Him within 150 years of His life. There are no archeological findings that disprove the New Testament. Still, there is corroborating evidence that Jesus did exist, even though the purpose of archeology is to uncover the past and not to prove something.
A. NON-CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE
Thallus (AD 55)
Thallus was a Greek Historian and non-Christian who mentioned Jesus. He wrote a three-volume history of the Mediterranean world from before the Trojan War to about AD 50, which predates most of the Gospel writings. Thallus thought it was necessary to counter the argument of Christians about the death of Jesus and provided hostile details about the Crucifixion of Jesus and wrote off the darkness that fell over the land at the time of His death as merely an eclipse and not a supernatural miracle. What can be gleaned from these writings is that the circumstances of Jesus' Crucifixion were known and discussed in Rome in the middle of the first century.
Thallus was quoted by Julius Africanus in a discussion of the darkness that followed the Crucifixion of Christ (see Luke 23:44-46). In trying to explain away the events of the day of the Crucifixion, he said,
"On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun." (Chronography, 18:1)
Sextus Julius Africanus (AD 160–240)
Africanus also discussed the darkness that accompanied the Crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27:45). Julius stated that Thallus was mistaken in his understanding of the reason for the darkness in a discussion that included the Crucifixion of Jesus and objected to the report of the eclipse of the sun because it cannot occur during a full moon, as was the case when Jesus died at Passover time.
Both the actual writings of Thallus and Africanus have been lost, but Africanus is quoted by Georgius Syncellus, a Byzantine, in his Chronicle, which was written about AD 800.
Mara Bar Serapion (Circa AD 73)
Mara Bar Serapion was a Syrian writer and philosopher who provided one of the earliest non-Jewish, non-Christian references to Jesus. The Romans destroyed the City where Sarapion lived and was taken captive. While captive, He wrote a letter to his son, also called Serapion, inspiring him to pursue wisdom and pointing out that those who persecute wise men are overtaken by misfortune. In it, he gives the examples of Socrates, Pythagoras, and the "wise Jewish king" who Roman soldiers called the "King of the Jews" (Matthew 27:27-29; Luke 23:3; John 19:19), and by some Jews as well (Mark 15:12). He wrote,
"What benefit did the Athenians obtain by putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as judgment for their crime. Or, the people of Samos for burning Pythagoras? In one moment their country was covered with sand. Or the Jews by murdering their wise king?…After that their kingdom was abolished. God rightly avenged these men…The wise king…Lived on in the teachings he enacted."
Phlegon of Tralles (Circa AD 80–180)
Phlegon was a first-century Greek historian who wrote a book of history around the middle of the second century. He said that people thought Jesus had accurately predicted the future, had been crucified during the days of Tiberius Caesar, rose from the grave, and showed people His nail-pierced hands. The writings of Phlegon were referenced by Julius Africanus, who commented on his documentation of the darkness that came over the Earth at the time of the Crucifixion, but that a solar eclipse during the reign of Tiberius Caesar was impossible because there was a full moon that occurred during Passover. Phlegon was also referred to by Origen in 'Contra Celsum' in his mention of an eclipse and in his lack of knowledge about any (similar) eclipse in previous times.
Celsus (Circa AD 176)
Celsus was a Greek Platonist philosopher in the second century who wrote a paper called 'The True Doctrine (AKA The True Word, The True Discourse') that criticized Judaism and Christianity. His work remains primarily through quotations in Origen's rebuttal 'Against Celsus,' written 75 years later. Origen summarizes Celsus's arguments against Christianity by noting that he had used a literary device of imagining a Jew talking with Jesus. Celcius wrote that Jesus was born of a poor virgin, whom he claimed Joseph drove away because of adultery, and he considered Jesus to be a magician who was known to have performed miracles and claimed to be divine (Matthew 1:19).
His work "The True Word" has not survived, but it is quoted and paraphrased in defense of Christianity written by Origen Adamantius of Alexandria (c. 184 - c. 253), "Against Celsus" (c. 248 A.D.). Origen was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism, biblical exegesis, and hermeneutics, homiletics, and spirituality.
Flavius Josephus (Circa AD 26–103)
Josephus was the son of a priest and grew up as an aristocrat in first-century Palestine. He considered himself a devout Jew and celebrated Judaism in his writings. In the early days of the first Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-70 A.D.), he joined the Jewish anti-Roman resistance movement and was in charge of the Jotapata fortress in Galilee. He refused to surrender until his life was guaranteed. Josephus gave a prophecy that Vespasian, who was his family benefactor, would become emperor, which caused him to be granted Roman citizenship and took the name Flavius. He was then commissioned to write a history of the Jewish people around AD 93. He wrote two collations of many historical books called the 'History of the Jewish War' (against Rome) and 'Antiquities of the Jews,' commonly referred to as the 'Testimonium Flavianum,' that were strongly at variance with rabbinic views and written in Greek for educated people and he tried to appeal to aristocrats in the Roman world, presenting Judaism as a religion to be admired for its moral and philosophical depth.
In his writings, Josephus provides authentic references to Jesus, which are consistent with the New Testament. He mentioned John the Baptist and the fact that Herod had him executed. He also wrote about James, the brother of Jesus, and confirmed that the High Priest Annas tried Jesus before His Crucifixion.
The shorter of these two references to Jesus (in Book 20) is incidental to identifying Jesus' brother James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem. In the temporary absence of a Roman governor between Festus's death and Governor Albinus's arrival in 62 A.D., the high priest Ananus instigated James's execution. Josephus described it:
"Being therefore this kind of person [i.e., a heartless Sadducee], Ananus, thinking that he had a favorable opportunity because Festus had died and Albinus was still on his way, called a meeting [literally, "sanhedrin"] of judges and brought into it the brother of Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah … James by name, and some others. He made the accusation that they had transgressed the law, and he handed them over to be stoned."
Few scholars have ever doubted the authenticity of this short account. On the contrary, the huge majority accepts it as genuine. The longer passage in Josephus's Jewish Antiquities (Book 18) that refers to Jesus is known as the "Testimonium Flavianum" which said:
"Around this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, [added - if indeed one ought to call him a man]. For he was one who did surprising deeds, and a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was called [added - was] the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who in the first place came to love him did not give up their affection for him, for on the third day, he appeared to them restored to life. The prophets of God had prophesied this and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of Christians, so-called after him, have still to this day not died out."
All surviving manuscripts of the "Testimonium Flavianum" that are in Greek, like the original, contain the same version of this passage, with no significant differences. The vast majority of Scholars believe that it is based on an original report by Josephus that was modified by others, probably Christian scribes, and is not reliable. However, after removing the modifications, the remaining text appears to be pure Josephus.
From these references, it can be justifiably surmised that Josephus accepted the existence of Jesus, who was 'called Christ,' whose conduct was good and acknowledged Pilate crucified Jesus, and that many people became disciples who reported that He was alive and had appeared to them.
Most Jews viewed Josephus as a despicable traitor because Titus, the son of Vespasian, led the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem and burn the Temple in 70 A.D., stealing its contents as spoils of war. The Romans were considered the worst enemies of the Jewish people. After Titus succeeded his father as emperor, Josephus accepted the son's imperial support, as he did of Titus's brother and successor, Domitian.
Cornelious Tacitus (AD 56–117)
Tacitus, or more formally, Caius/Gaius (or Publius) was a historian and a senator for the Roman Empire om AD 112. He was a Roman senator, proconsul of Asia, orator, and ethnographer, and arguably the best of Roman historians. His two major works are the 'Annals,' which covered AD 14-68, and the 'Histories,' which covered AD 69-96. Many portions of them have survived. In his 'Annals,' Tacticus included a biography of Nero, and wrote that "Christus, the founder of the name [Christian], had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus" (Annals, XV, 44). He called the religion of the Christians a destructive superstition and wrote about about the suspicions Nero had that Christians were responsible for the Great Fire of Rome and that they believed the superstition that Jesus had risen from the dead, and Nero tried to deflect on them the blame for the fire that destroyed Rome.
Tacticus also mentioned Christians, whom he dispised, in ‘Annals:’
"Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite punishments on a class hated for their disgraceful acts, called Christians by the populace. Christ, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty (i.e., Crucifixion) during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.
Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus_on_Christ)
The writings of Josephus and Tacitus corroborate or confirm the following statements about Jesus that are found in the New Testament:
1. He existed as a man.
2. His personal name was Jesus.
3. He was called Christos in Greek, which is a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah, both of which mean "anointed" or "(the) anointed one."
4. He had a brother named James.
5. He won over both Jews and Greek Gentiles of the Hellenistic culture, and His followers continued to grow after His death.
6. Jewish leaders of the day expressed unfavorable opinions about Him.
7. Pilate made the decision that He should be executed.
8. His execution was specifically by Crucifixion.
9. He was executed during Pontius Pilate's governorship over Judea (26-36 A.D.), and the reign of Tiberius.
10. The Christian movement began in Judea and spread as far as Rome and continued on into the beginning of the 2nd century because many of His followers did not abandon their belief in Him even after His Crucifixion.
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (Pliny the Younger) (Circa AD 61/63–113)
Pliny the Younger was the Governor of Bithynia (Turkey) in Asia Minor. In AD 112, he wrote for Emperor Trajan (Letters 10:96) asking for advice on what he considered the most appropriate way to conduct legal proceedings against a great multitude of every age, class, and sex that stood accused of being Christians and how to deal with their "pig-headed obstinacy" and contagious superstition.
Pliny explained that he had tried to force them to curse Jesus and recant, but they would not, so he killed many men, women, boys, and girls, which made him wonder if he should continue executing them and asked for advice about the best way to conduct legal proceedings against them because there was a great multitude of every age, social standing, and sex. He explained:
"Those who . . . repeated after me an invocation to the [pagan] gods, and offered adoration, with wine and frankincense, to your image . . . and who finally cursed Christ ... , I thought it proper to discharge" (Pliny Letters, Book X, XCVI).
At one point in his letter, Pliny relates some of the information he has learned about these Christians:
"They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food – but food of an ordinary and innocent kind."
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (Circa 69 BC–AD 130)
Suetonius was a Roman historian and chief secretary to the Roman Emperor Hadrian (76 BC–AD 138). He wrote that there was a man named Chrestus/Chrestos (i.e., Christ) who lived during the first century (Annals 15.44). He was a friend of Pliny the Younger and served under him for some time. His most important work was a set of biographies on the lives of twelve Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian. He made two references to Jesus in his writing about the life of Claudius and the 'De vita Caesarum' (Lives of Caesars). He confirmed that Christians were present in Rome and that Claudius expelled them because they were constantly disturbing things, which aligned with the departure from Rome by Priscilla and Aquila in AD 49.
Lucian of Samosata (Circa AD 115-180)
Lucian was a second-century Greek writer and an antagonist satirist of Christianity who said he was born in Samosata, which was the former kingdom of Commagene that was absorbed by the Roman Empire and made part of Syria. He referred to Jesus in his work, 'The Death of Peregrine' (Circa after AD 165). He mocked Christians for their ignorance and credulity for worshipping Jesus, who introduced new teachings, including the unity of all Christians, the importance of conversion, and the denial of other gods, which led to His Crucifixion. He mockingly said that from the moment they became a Christian, a person began living according to the laws of Jesus. They had contempt for death and renounced material goods, believing they were immortal.
His writings are full of ridicule and contempt for Christians and their "crucified sophist" (a derisive term used for cheats or for teachers who only taught for money). Lucian despised Christians for worshiping someone thought to be a criminal worthy of death and especially despised "the man who was crucified."
The Babylonian Talmud
The Talmuds and Tosefta (Aramaic for 'supplement,' or 'addition,' was a collection of oral traditions related to Jewish oral law) are rabbinic commentaries on the Old Testament and contain references to Yeshu (Jesus). The Babylonian Talmud is the most cited evidence for the Jesus of the New Testament, which was compiled between AD 70 and 200 and confirmed that Jesus was crucified on the eve of Passover. There were accusations against Him of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy (Sanhedrin 43a). The Jewish Talmud confirms the time, reason, and mode of the execution of Jesus, which is often referred to as 'hanging' to describe the Crucifixion (see Deuteronomy 21:23).
There are a few clear slanderous comments about Jesus in the Talmud, which makes it likely they are historically reliable. The most significant reference to Jesus from this period states:
"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged (a synonym for crucified). For forty days before the execution took place, a herald ... cried, "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy." [The Babylonian Talmud, transl. By I. Epstein (London: Soncino, 1935), vol. III, Sanhedrin 43a, 281, cited in Habermas, The Historical Jesus, 203].
