Before we can consider Jesus as God or Jesus as the Son of God, we must first know whether Jesus ever lived at all. Was there a historical Jesus?
Jesus Christ is the most significant figure in all of human history, yet there are some who believe he never existed at all. Is there sufficient evidence to prove that Jesus was real? What can we know about the life of Jesus Christ?
The Mystery of Ancient History
There is a reason why the History Channel does more documentaries on World War II than the Punic Wars. Television is a visual medium, and we have no film footage of the Punic Wars. We don't even have still images from that period, since photography wasn't invented until the 19th century. What's more, we have no eyewitnesses to the Punic Wars still alive to interview for any such documentary.
Does this mean, however, that ancient history is unknowable? Or that the quest for truth in the pages of our distant past is a hopeless endeavor?
Standards of Evidence for Ancient History
Only an extreme cynic who doubts everything and mistrusts everyone will say that ancient history is unknowable. Such a disparager, however, is incapable of honest inquiry, since he or she has long since given up on the very possibility of truth. Most people, fortunately, do not fall into such a category, and are willing to accept that at least some truths can be ascertained from the study of ancient history.
European scholar Amy Orr-Ewing decisively refutes the skepticism surrounding the study of history. (You can listen to her presentation here). She argues that history is knowable via a critical analysis of the following:
Moreover, while we can readily acknowledge bias in ancient historians, this does not mean they are completely untrustworthy. Eusebius, a chronicler of early church history, was shamelessly biased in favor of Constantine. This leads us to certainly bring a higher critical scrutiny to Eusebius' claims concerning Constantine, but doesn't mean that Eusebius was a fraud and a liar. It certainly doesn't mean that everything Eusebius wrote deserves to be cast aside. In short, much can be learned from ancient history, utilizing those sources available to us from the past.
What about Jesus?
This brings us to Jesus. What evidence is there from ancient history to point us to the reality of a historical Jesus? In addition to the numerous references to Jesus in ancient religious literature (references that range from the New Testament to the Gnostic writings to even the Quran), there are references to Jesus by the following:
- Tacitus, the ancient Roman historian, who wrote of "Christus" being "put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius"
- Josephus, a Jewish historian,who made two references to Jesus in his famous Antiquities
- There are also references to Jesus or to early followers of Jesus in the writings of Roman historian Suetonius, second century Greek satirist Lucian, and Syrian philosopher Mara Bar-Serapion.
A note on Josephus: While one of the two references to Jesus was likely tampered with, historians agree there was at least a core reference to Jesus prior to its being edited. Thus, Josephus’ references constitute, at the very least, evidence of the reality of Jesus as a historical figure. In the words of one Princeton Seminary scholar: "We can now be as certain as historical research will presently allow that Josephus did refer to Jesus."
And What about those Religious Documents?
Radical critics of Christianity dismiss religious writings immediately, particularly those from the Bible, saying: "You can't prove the Bible with the Bible." This superficial (and frankly vacuous) argument misses an obvious point. Before the Bible was "the Bible," it was (and, in the eyes of the skeptic, still is) a collection of ancient writings.
Accordingly, those ancient writings deserve (at the very least) to be analyzed by the same standards as any other ancient document. The Gospel of Luke, for example, cannot be embraced by mainstream, secular historians as "divinely inspired." Such a term means little to the practicing historian. But the Gospel of Luke CAN and SHOULD be assessed as a first century document authored by a man who believed in Jesus and counted himself among Jesus' followers.
Looking at all the New Testament writings with this critical (but intellectually fair) standard reveals much about Jesus, which can be accepted as true. These facts include:
- his real existence in first century Jewish Palestine,
- his ability to draw crowds,
- that many claimed he performed miracles,
- that he was crucified, and
- that many of his followers believed he rose from the dead.
It is the overwhelming consensus of historical scholars - both biblical and non-biblical, Christian and non-Christian, conservative and liberal - that the first century figure known as Jesus of Nazareth really lived. The late English scholar Michael Grant wrote:
[I]f we apply to the New Testament, as we should, the same sort of criteria as we should apply to other ancient writings containing historical material, we can no more reject Jesus' existence than we can reject the existence of a mass of pagan personages whose reality as historical figures is never questioned.
Scholar R.T. France writes: “Non-Christian evidence…substantiates the fact of Jesus’ existence, his popular following, his execution and the rough date.”
The Bottom Line
While some may argue that Jesus' life has been embellished, it is an absurd to deny the existence of the historical Jesus. British New Testament scholar I. Howard Marshall says it best: “It is not possible to explain the rise of the Christian church or the writing of the Gospels and the stream of tradition that lies behind them without accepting the fact that the Founder of Christianity actually existed.”
*****Sources for this article included:
Article: "Did Jesus Exist?" by Gary Habermas
The Evidence for Christianity by Josh McDowell
Jesus for the Non Religious by John Shelby Spong
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
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