PROOF OF CHRIST #7 For those of you with some time on your hand. We are always hearing those who dont believe saying, There is no other evidence of Jesus, than in the bible. Now we all know that isnt true. Men were there from the whole known world, from Spain to the far side of India, Asia Minor, Mesopitamia, all the Arab world, Africa to the Atlantic Ocean and south to Ethiopia and everything in between. Here is a set of proof for you to study and keep in mind, there is scientific truth and this just begins to touch the proof. Marion L. Collins III WHY IS THERE NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OR PERSONAL WRITINGS TO VERIFY JESUS HISTORICITY? The Bible has been accused on several occasions of committing historical errors but has later been proven accurate through archaeological finds. For instance, the Old Testament mentions a tribe of people known as the Hittites. Skeptics pointed out there was no such civilization in history yet in the 19th century records of the Hittites were discovered within Assyrian ruins. Today we know a lot about the Hittites such as their language, craftsmanship, geography, and empire chronology. The New Testament mentions the pool of Bethesda as a place where Jesus healed a paralytic. No such location was known to exist until it was discovered in Jerusalem as a place where the sick would gather to seek healing. Just because an artifact has not yet been recovered does not mean none exist. Lastly, though the discovery of an artifact may be interesting, it would never be enough for the devout skeptic. Even a non-biased archaeologist would have a hard time proving a relics authenticity. In regards to personal writings, Socrates, for example, exists only in the writings of his students. There is not a single document still in existence that contains his original works. If we apply the same logic with Socrates skeptics use to determine Jesus historicity, we must assume Socrates was a figment of the imagination of his students. But if we are to accept Socrates as a historical figure based on four secondary accounts, we must also accept Jesus as a historical figure whose life was documented by His disciples, historians, and those who rejected His divine claims. When skeptics claim there is a difference between a man such as Socrates and Jesus, they would be absolutely correct- Jesus had more accounts written about Him. ARENT THE WRITINGS THAT REFER TO JESUS JUST HEARSAY ACCOUNTS? Critics claim because some accounts were recorded after Jesus life they cannot be considered historically reliable. But this skepticism comes from a misunderstanding of antiquity. We need to place ourselves in a time where 95% of the population was illiterate. If I really wanted to get this research across to the typical English speaking American, I would not post this website in Latin! Likewise, documenting the Gospels preserved the accounts for future generations but oral evangelism was the practical method in making the Gospel available to the current population. Whether the accounts were written the day after Jesus ascension or 30 years later, the fact is they were still penned by either the original witnesses or during the lives of the original witnesses who could confront heretical accounts. Jesus also concentrated His ministry in various provinces of Judea- not secular hubs of the ancient world like Rome or Alexandria. Christianity spread into the surrounding areas after the life of Jesus. I would be far more suspicious of a Roman historian writing an excerpt about Jesus in 30 A.D. rather approximately 95 A.D. when Christianity had reached Rome. When critics argue the only first hand accounts of Jesus life are found in the Bible, it makes me wonder where else they think should be. Jesus ministry only lasted three years and was limited to Judea (considered the ghetto of the Roman Empire). There would have been no reason given the short time frame and limited area of Jesus ministry to have been exhaustively recorded in Roman literature without the accusation of forgery.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 11:42:15 +0000
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