Asking “Who is Jesus?”
is probably the most important question you can ask in your lifetime because depending on how you answer it changes everything. The Russian Communist dictionary allegedly stated that Jesus is a “mythical character”, but no serious historian today would deny that Jesus of Nazareth really did live and die 2000 years ago. But can we really believe what we read about Jesus?...
is probably the most important question you can ask in your lifetime because depending on how you answer it changes everything. The Russian Communist dictionary allegedly stated that Jesus is a “mythical character”, but no serious historian today would deny that Jesus of Nazareth really did live and die 2000 years ago. But can we really believe what we read about Jesus?...
People who study ancient writings say the Bible is… “one of the most trustworthy ancient documents", the gospel accounts of Jesus portray the real world of
the first century (not fairy tales!) that agree with other sources. Take a minute to read this
- Historians of the day: Josephus(b. AD37) a Jewish historian in Palestine and Rome wrote about the people portrayed in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). The Roman historian Tacitus (AD56-120) confirms Jesus was crucified.
- Archaelogy gives us plenty of evidence for the Roman empire that the gospels portray: sculptures of Tiberius the emperor; Arch of Titus depicting the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70AD; inscription of Pilate (who crucified Jesus) found Caesarea 1961; Temple buildings in Jerusalem; Galilee; The New Testament of the Bible, written in 1st century has 5000 manuscripts, going back to 2nd, 3rd, 4th centuries.
- An unlikely invention: the accounts of Jesus in the bible go back to eyewitnesses and they knew they had witnessed something life changing: The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15; ‘If Christ has not been raised..your faith is vain..you are still in your sins..those who have died as Christians have perished..we are of all people most to be pitied’
- Jesus claimed to be God many times eg Matthew 16: 13-20, so he cannot be “just a good man” as so many like to say. He was, as CS Lewis said, either MAD i.e. claimed to be God but was deluded OR he was BAD i.e. claimed to be God but was devious OR he was GOD i.e. claimed to be God and was God !
- A resurrection: Jesus claimed “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies” John 11:25. Frank Morrison, a lawyer, wrote a book “Who moved the stone?” setting out to disprove the resurrection of Jesus based on evidence, but found that the evidence actually supported the resurrection of Jesus: -He really died; the tomb was really empty; he was really seen; people really changed; the Church really grew ; death has been swallowed up (it’s not the end!). Jesus is the "Christ" (=King) and you can really meet Him today.
