Jesus Christ --- Lord, Liar or Lunatic?

Jesus' claim to be God must either be true or false. If it is true, then He is Lord, and we must either accept or reject His Lordship. We are "without excuse".

If Jesus' claim to be God are false, we have two alternatives. He either knew his claim was false, or he didn't:

LIAR? If, when Jesus made his claims He knew that He was not God, then he was lying. But, if He was a liar, then He was also a hypocrite, because He told others to be honest, whatever the cost, while Himself teaching and living a colossal lie ?

More than that, He was a demon, because He told others to trust Him for their eternal destiny. If He could not back up His claim, and knew it, then He was unspeakably evil!

He would also have been a fool, because it was His claims of being God that led to His horrible crucifixion and death on the cross.

How could He do this, while never losing the even balance of His mind; sailing serenely over all the troubles and persecutions; who always returned the wisest answer to tempting questions; and calmly and deliberately predicting His own death on the cross, resurrection on the third day, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the founding of the Church, the destruction of Jerusalem --- predictions which have been literally fulfilled?

Someone Who Lived as Jesus Lived, Taught as Jesus Taught, and Died as Jesus Died --- Could Not Have Been a Liar !!!

LUNATIC? Sincerely Deluded?
If it is not reasonably possible for Jesus to have been a liar, then could He have thought He was God and been mistaken? After all, it is possible to be both sincere and wrong!

But we must remember that for someone to think that he was God, especially in a culture that was fiercely monotheistic, and then to tell others that their eternal destiny depends on believing in Him, was no slight flight of fancy, but the thoughts of a lunatic in the fullest sense. Was Jesus Christ such a person?

Some famous quotes:
Peter Kreef (Fote, pg. 60-61): “Jesus has in abundance precisely those three qualities that lairs and lunatics most conspicuously lack: (1) His practical wisdom, His ability to read human hearts (2) His deep and winning love, His passionate compassion, His ability to attract people and make them feel at home and forgiven, His authority “not as the scribes.” (3) His ability to astonish, His unpredictability, His creativity. Liars and lunatics are so dull and predictable! No one who knows both the Gospels and human beings can seriously entertain the possibility that Jesus was a liar, a lunatic, or a bad man.”

Napoleon Bonaparte (Grounds, ROH, 37): “I know men: and I tell you Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity ... between Him and everyone else in the world there is no comparison. He is truly a being by Himself. His ideas and sentiments, the truth which he announces. His manner of convincing are not explained either by human organization or by the nature of things... His religion is a revelation from an intelligence which certainly is not that of man ... One can absolutely find nowhere, but in Him alone, the imitation or the example of His life ... I search in vain to find the similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the Gospel. Neither history, nor humanity, nor the ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it.”

William Channing (Schaff, TPOC, 98-99) “The charge of an extravagant, self-deluding enthusiasm is the last to be fastened on Jesus. Where can we find the traces of it in His history? Do we detect it in the calm authority of His precepts? In the mild, practical and beneficial spirit of His religion; in the unlabored simplicity of the language with which He unfolds His high powers and the sublime truths of religion; or in the good sense, the knowledge of human nature, which He always discovers in His estimate and treatment of the different classes of men with whom He acted? ... The truth is, that remarkable as was the character of Jesus, it was distinguished by nothing more than by calmness and self-possession. This trait pervades His own excellencies.”

Philip Schaff (Schaff, TPOC, 97-98): “Is such an intellect --- clear as sky, bracing as the mountain air, sharp and penetrating as a sword, thoroughly healthy and vigorous, always ready and always self-possessed --- liable to a radical and most serious delusion concerning his own character and mission?”

The truth is, Jesus was not only sane, but the council He provided gives us the most concise and accurate formula for peace of mind and heart. The psychiatrist T. Fisher brings this out: “If you were to take the sum total of all authoritative articles ever written by the most qualified of psychologists and psychiatrists on the subject of mental hygiene --- if you were to combine them and refine them and cleave out all the excess verbage --- if you were able to take the whole of the meat and none of the parsley, and if you were to have these unadulterated bits of pure scientific knowledge concisely expressed by the most capable of living poets, you would have an awkward and incomplete summation of the Sermon on the Mount... For nearly two thousand years the Christian world has been holding in it’s hands the complete answer to it’s (humankind’s) restless and fruitless yearnings. Here ... rests the blueprint for successful human life with optimism, mental health, and contentment.”

LORD?IS JESUS GOD?
If Jesus of Nazareth is not a liar nor a lunatic we have but one choice, He is who He said He is: the Son of God --- God incarnate!

ISAIAH 9:6-7
"For unto a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of peace."

ISAIAH. 7:14
"... the Lord Himself will give you a sign ;Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

JOHN 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

TITUS 2:13
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ."

Matthew 16:16
“Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

John 11:27
“She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God,
who is to come into the world.”

John 20:28
“And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Mark 1:1“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”

Hebrews 1:3“who (Jesus) being the brightness of His (God’s)glory and the express image of His (God’s)person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

The Scriptures testify of Jesus Christ Deity. You can choose to accept the Truth or deny it. Heaven or Hell hangs in the balance --- but the choice is yours! But God wants you to be in Heaven with Him --- that’s why He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die so that your sins could be forgiven and you can be in heaven with Him --- if you will but follow the Plan of Salvation as given in God's Word the Bible.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

WE WELCOME YOU Following the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.

Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com or 253-396-0290 for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.

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The Historical Jesus --- Fact or Fiction?

by Kyle Butt, MA Most children and adults easily recognize the name of Jesus Christ. Many even can recount the story of His life. Also easily recognizable are the names of Peter Pan and Rumpelstiltskin. And most people can relate the "facts" of these fairy tales as well. Is Jesus of Nazareth a fictional character who deserves to be included in a list containing mystifying magicians, daring dragon slayers, and flying boy heroes? The world-famous medical doctor and lifelong critic of Christianity, Albert Schweitzer, answered with a resounding "yes" when he wrote:

"The Jesus of Nazareth who came forward publicly as the Messiah, who preached the ethic of the Kingdom of God, who founded the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth, and died to give His work its final consecration, never had any existence. He is a figure designed by rationalism, endowed with life by liberalism, and clothed by modern theology in an historical garb." (1964, p. 398).

In more modern times, former-preacher-turned-atheist Dan Barker has suggested that "the New testament Jesus is a myth" (1992, p. 378). Are such views based upon historical evidence and therefore worthy of serious consideration? Or do they represent merely wishful thinking on the part of those who prefer to believe --- for whatever reason-that Christ never lived? Was Jesus Christ a man whose feet got dirty and whose body grew tired lust like the rest of humanity? Fortunately, such questions can be answered by an honest appeal to the available historical evidence.

What is a "historical" person? Martin Kahler suggested: "Is it not the person who originates and bequeaths a permanent influence? He is one of those dynamic individuals who intervene in the course of events" (1896, p. 63). Do any records exist to document the claim that Jesus Christ "intervened in the course of events" known as world history? Indeed they do!

HOSTILE TESTIMONY
Interestingly, the first type of records comes from what are known commonly as "hostile" sources --- writers who mentioned Jesus in a negative light or derogatory fashion. Such penmen certainly were not predisposed to further the cause of Christ or otherwise to add credence to His existence. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

They rejected His teachings and often reviled Him as well. Thus, one can appeal to them without the charge of built-in bias. In his book, The Historic Figure of Jesus, E.P. Sanders stated:
"Most of the first century literature that survives was written by members of the very small elite class of the Roman Empire. To them, Jesus (if they heard of him at all) was merely a troublesome rabble-rouser and magician in a small, backward part of the world" (1993, p. 49, parenthetical comment in orig.).

It is now to this "small elite class of the Roman Empire" that we turn our attention for documentation of Christ's existence.

Tacitus (c. AD. 56-117) should be among the first of several hostile witnesses called to the stand. He was a member of the Roman provincial upper class with a formal education who held several high positions under different emperors such as Nerva and Trajan (see Tacitus, 1952, p. 7). His famous work, Annals, was a history of Rome written in approximately AD 115. In the Annals he told of the Great Fire of Rome, which occurred in AD 64. Nero, the Roman emperor in office at the time, was suspected by many of having ordered the city set on fire. Tacitus wrote:

"Nero fabricated scapegoats-and punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called). Their originator, Christ, had be en executed in Tiberius' reign by the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilatus. But in spite of this temporary setback the deadly superstition had broken out afresh, not only in Judea (where the mischief had started) but even in Rome" (1952, 15.44, parenthetical comments in orig.).

Tacitus hated both Christians and their namesake, Christ. He therefore had nothing positive to say about what he referred to as a "deadly superstition." He did, however, have something to say about it. His testimony establishes beyond any reasonable doubt that the Christian religion not only was relevant historically, but that Christ, as its originator, was a verifiable historical figure of such prominence that He even attracted the attention of the Roman emperor himself!

Additional hostile testimony originated from:
Suetonius, who wrote around AD. 120. Robert Graves, as translator of Suetonius work, The Twelve Caesars, declared
"Suetonius was fortunate in having ready access to the Imperial and Senatorial archives and to a great body of contemporary memoirs and public documents, and in having himself lived nearly thirty years under the Caesars. Much of his information about Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero comes from eye-witnesses of the events described." (Seutonius, 1957, p. 7).

The testimony of Suetonius is a reliable piece of historical evidence. Twice in his history, Suetonius specifically mentioned Christ or His followers. He wrote, for example:
"Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbance at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Claudius, KB] expelled them from the city" (Claudius, 25:4; note that in Acts 18:2 Luke mentioned this expulsion by Claudius) Sanders noted that Chrestus is a misspelling of Christos, "the Greek word that translates the Hebrew 'Messiah.' "(1993 pp. 49-50). Suetonius further commented: "Punishments were also inflected on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief" (Nero, 16:2).

Again, it is evident that Suetonius and the Roman government had feelings of hatred toward Christ and His alleged mischievous band of rebels. It is equally evident that Suetonius (and, in fact, most of Rome) recognized that Christ was the noteworthy founder of a historically significant new religion.

Along with Tacitus and Suetonius,
Pliny the Younger must be allowed to take a seat among hostile Roman witnesses. In approximately AD. 110-111, Pliny was sent by the Roman emperor Trajan to govern the affairs of the region of Bithynia. From this region, Pliny corresponded with the emperor concerning a problem he viewed as quite serious. He wrote: "I was never present at any trial of Christians; therefore I do not know the customary penalties or investigations and what limits are observed"(as quoted in Wilken, 1990, p. 4). He then went on to state: "This is the course that I have adopted in the case of those brought before me as Christians. I ask them if they are Christians. If they admit it, I repeat the question a second and a third time, threatening capital punishment; if they persist, I sentence them to death." (as quoted in Wilken P 4). Pliny used the term "Christian" or "Christians" seven times in his letter, thereby corroborating it as a generally accepted term that was recognized by both the Roman Empire and it's emperor. Pliny also used the name "Christ" three times to refer to the originator of the "sect." It is undeniably the case that Christians, with Christ as their founder, had multiplied in such a. way as to draw the attention of the emperor and his magistrates by the time of Pliny's letter to Trajan.

In light of this evidence, it is impossible to deny the fact that Jesus Christ existed and was recognized by the highest officials within the Roman government as an actual, historical person.

Celsus, a second-century pagan philosopher, produced a vehement attack upon Christianity by the title of True Discourse (c. AD. 178). In that vile document, Celsus argued that Christ owed his existence to the result of fornication between Mary and a Roman soldier named Panthera. As he matured, Jesus began to call himself God --- an action, said Celsus, which caused his Jewish brethren to kill him. Yet as denigrating as his attack was, Celsus never went so far as to suggest that Christ did not exist.

Some have attempted to negate the testimony of these hostile Roman witnesses to Christ's historicity by suggesting that the "Roman sources that mention him are all dependent on Christian, reports" (Sanders, 1993, p. 49). For example, in his book, The Earliest Records of Jesus, Francis Beare lamented:
"Everything that has been recorded of the Jesus of history was recorded for us by men to whom he was Christ the Lord; and we cannot expunge their faith from the records without making the records themselves virtually worthless There is no Jesus known to history except him who is depicted by his followers as the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior to the World' (1962, p. 19).

Such a suggestion is as outlandish as it is outrageous. Not only is there no evidence to support such a claim, but all of the available evidence mitigates against it. Furthermore, it is an untenable position to suggest that such upper class Roman historians would submit for inclusion in the official annals of Roman history (to be preserved for posterity) facts that were related to them by a notorious tribe of "mischievous,' "depraved," "superstitious" misfits.

Even a casual reader who glances over the testimony of the hostile Roman witnesses who bore testimony to the historicity of Christ will be struck by the fact that these ancient men depicted Christ as neither the Son of God nor the Savior of the world. They verbally stripped Him of His Son-ship, denied His glory, and belittled His magnificence. They described Him to their contemporaries, and for posterity, as a mere man. Yet even though they were wide of the mark in regard to the truth of Who He was, through their caustic criticism they nevertheless documented that He was. And for that we are indebted to them.

TESTIMONY OF JESUS AMONG THE JEWS
Even though much of the hostile testimony regarding the existence of Jesus originated from witnesses within the Roman Empire, such testimony is not the only kind of hostile historical evidence available.

Anyone familiar with Jewish history will recognize immediately the Mishnah and the Talmud. The Mishnah was a book of Jewish law traditions codified by Rabbi Judah around the year AD. 200 and known to the Jews as the "whole code of religions jurisprudence" (Bruce, 1953, p. 101).

Jewish rabbis studied the Mishnah and even wrote a body of commentary based upon it known as the Gemares. The Mishnah and Gemares are known collectively as the Talmud (Bruce, 1953, p. 101). The complete Talmud surfaced around AD 300.

If a person as influential as Jesus had existed in the land of Palestine during the first century, surely the rabbis would have had something to say about him. Undoubtedly, a man who supposedly confronted the most astute religious leaders of His day, and won, would be named among the opinions of those who shared His rabbinical title.

As Bruce declared:
"According to the earlier Rabbis whose opinions are recorded in these writings, Jesus of Nazareth was a transgressor in Israel, who practiced magic, scorned the words of the wise, led the people astray, and said that he had not come to destroy the law but to add to it. He was hanged on Passover Eve for heresy and mis-leading the people. His disciples of whom five are named healed the sick in his name." (1953, p. 102).

First century Judaism, in large part, refused to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of the God. Yet it did not refuse to accept Him as a historical man from a literal city known as Nazareth or to record for posterity crucial facts about His life and death.

Josephus is another important Jewish witness. The son of Mattathias, he was born into a Jewish upper class priestly family around AD. 37. His education in biblical law and history stood among the best of his day (Sanders, 1993, p. 15).

At age nineteen, he became a Pharisee. When Jerusalem rebelled against the Roman authorities, he was given command of the Jewish forces in Galilee. After losing most of his men, he surrendered to the Romans. He found favor in the man who commanded the Roman army, Vespasian, by predicting that Vespasian soon would be elevated to the position of emperor. Josephus' prediction came true in AD. 69 at Vespasian's inauguration.

After the fall of Jerusalem, Josephus assumed the family name of the emperor (Flavius) and settled down to live a life as a government pensioner, it was during these latter years that he wrote Antiquities of the Jews between September AD 93 and September AD 94 (Bruce, 1953, pp. 03-104). Josephus himself gave the date as the thirteenth year of Domitian (Rajak, 1984, p. 237). His contemporaries viewed his career indignantly as one of traitorous rebellion to the Jewish nation (Bruce, 1953, p. 104).

Twice in Antiquities, Jesus name flowed from Josephus' pen. Antiquities 18:3:3 reads as follows:

"And there arose about this time Jesus, a wise man, if indeed we should call him a man; for he was a doer of marvelous deeds, a teacher of men who receive the truth with pleasure. He led away many Jews, and also Greeks. This man was the Christ. And when Pilate had condemned him to the cross on his impeachment by the chief men among us, those who had loved him at first did not cease; for he appeared to them on the third day alive again, the divine prophet' having spoken these and thousands of other wonderful things about him: and even now the tribe of Christians, so named after Him, has not yet died out."

Certain historians regard the some segments of the section as "Christian interpolation." There is, however, no evidence from textual criticism that would warrant such an opinion (Bruce, 1953, p. 110). in fact, every extant Greek manuscript contains the disputed portions. The passage also exists in both Hebrew and Arabic versions. And although the Arabic version is slightly different, it still exhibits knowledge of the disputed sections (see Chapman, 1981, p. 29; Habermas, 1996, pp. 193-196).

There are several reasons generally offered for rejecting the passage as genuine. First, early Christian writers like Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Origen did not use Josephus' statement in their defense of Christ's deity. Habermas observed that Origen, in fact, documented the fact that Josephus (although himself a Jew) did not believe Christ to be the Messiah (1996, p. 192; cf. Origen's Contra Celstum, 1: 47).

However, as Habermas also pointed out, the fourth century writer Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastlcal History (1:11), quoted Josephus' statement about Christ, including the disputed words. And he undoubtedly had access to much more ancient sources than those now available.

Furthermore, it should not be all that surprising that such early Christian apologists did not appeal to Josephus in their writings. Wayne Jackson has suggested: "Josephus' writings may not have been in extensive circulation at that point in time. His Antiquities was not completed until about 93 AD. Too, in view of the fact that Josephus was not respected by the Jews his works may not have been valued as an apologetic tool." (1991, 11:29).

Such a suggestion possesses merit. Professor Bruce Metzger commented: "Because Josephus was deemed a renegade to Judaism, Jewish scribes were not interested in preserving his writings for posterity" (1965, p. 75).
Thomas H. Home, in his Critical Introduction to the Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, referred to the fact that the main source of evidence frequently used by the so-called 'church fathers' was an appeal to the Old Testament rather than to human sources" (1841, 1:46 - 464). The evidence substantiates Home's conclusion. For example, a survey of the index to the eight volumes of the multi-volume set, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, reveals only eleven references to Josephus in the entire set.

The second reason sometimes offered as to why the disputed passage in Josephus' Antiquities might be due to "Christian interpolation" is the fact that it seems unlikely that a non-Christian writer would include such statements as "this man was the Christ" or "if indeed we should call him a man." But while such might be unlikely, it certainly is not beyond the realm of possibility

Any number of reasons could explain why Josephus would write what he did. For example, Bruce allowed for the possibility that Josephus might have been speaking sarcastically (1953, p. 110). Howard Key suggested:
"if we assume that in making explicit statements about Jesus as Messiah and about the resurrection Josephus is merely conveying what Jesus followers claimed on his behalf then there would be no reason to deny that he wrote them" [i.e., the supposed interpolated phrases--KB] (1970, p. 33).

It also should be noted that Josephus hardly qualifies as the sole author of such statements made about Christ by those who rejected His deity. Ernest Renan, for example, was a nineteenth century French historian whose book, The Life of Jesus, was a frontal assault on Christ's deity that received major attention throughout Europe (see Thompson, 1994, 14:5). Yet in that very volume Renan wrote:
"It is allowable to call Divine this sublime person who, each day, still presides over the destinies of the world"(as quoted in Schaff & Roussel, 1868, pp. 116-117).

Or consider H. G. Wells who, In 1931, authored the Outline of History. On page 270 of that famous work, Wells referred to Jesus as "a prophet of unprecedented power." No one who knew Wells (a man who certainly did not believe in the divinity of Christ) ever would accuse his account of being flawed by "Christian interpolation."

The famous humanist, Will Durant, was an avowed atheist, yet he wrote: "The greatest question of our time is not communism versus individualism, not Europe versus America, not even the East versus the West; it is whether man can bear to live without God" (1932).

Comments like those of Kenan, Wells, and Durant document the fact that, on occasion, even unbelievers have written convincingly about God and Christ.

Furthermore, even if the material containing the alleged Christian interpolation is removed, the vocabulary and grammar of the section "cohere well with Josephus' style and language" (Meier, 1990, p. 90). In fact, almost every word (omitting for the moment the supposed interpolations) is found elsewhere in Josephus (Meier, p. 90). Were the disputed material to be expunged, the testimony of Josephus still would verify the fact that Jesus Christ actually lived. Habermas therefore concluded:
"There are good indications that the majority of the text is genuine. There is no textual evidence against it, and, conversely, there is very good manuscript evidence for this statement about Jews thus making it difficult to ignore. Additionally, leading scholars on the works of Josephus." [Daniel-Pops, 1962, p. 21; Bruce, 1967, p. 108; Anderson, l969, p. 20] have testified that this portion is written in the style of this Jewish historian (1996, p. 193).

In addition, Josephus did not remain mute regarding Christ in his later sections. Antiquities 20:9:1 relates that Ananus brought before the Sanhedrin "a man named James the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law, and condemned them to he stoned to death." Bruce observed that this quote from Josephus "is chiefly important because he calls James 'the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ" in such a way as to suggest that he has already made reference to Jesus. And we do find reference to him in all extant copies of Josephus" (Bruce, 1953, p. 109).

Meier, in an article titled "Jesus in Josephus,' made it clear that rejecting this passage as actually having been written by Josephus defies accurate assessment of the text (1990, pp. 79-81). Meier also added another emphatic defense of the historical reliability of the text in Antiquities concerning Christ. "Practically no one is astounded or refuses to believe that in the same book 18 of The Jewish Antiquities Joseph's also chose to write a longer sketch of another marginal Jew, another peculiar religious leader in Palestine John surnamed the Baptist" (Ant. 18.5.2).

Fortunately for us, Josephus had more than a passing interest in marginal Jews (p. 99). Regardless of what one believes about the writings of Josephus, the simple fact is that this well-educated, Jewish historian wrote about a man named Jesus who actually existed in the first century.

Yamauchi summarized quite well the findings of the secular sources regarding Christ:
"Even if we did not have the New Testament or Christian writings, we would be able to conclude from such non-Christian writings as Josephus, the Talmud, Tacitus and Pliny the Younger that:
(1) Jesus was a Jewish teacher;
(2) many people believed that he performed healings and exorcisms;
(3) he was rejected by the Jewish leaders;
(4) he was crucified under Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius;
(5) despite the shameful death, his followers who believed that he was still alive, spread beyond Palestine so that there were multitudes of them in Rome by 64 A. D.;
(6) all kinds of people from the cities and countryside, men and women, slave and free, worshipped him as God by the beginning of the second century" (1995, p. 222).

RELIABILITY OF THE
NEW TESTAMENT
RECORDS
Although the above list of hostile and Jewish witnesses proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus actually lived, it is by no means the only historical evidence available to those interested in this topic.

The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and the other 23 books that form the New Testament, provide more information about Jesus than any other source(s) available. But may these records be viewed as historical evidence, or are they instead writings whose reliability pales in comparison to other types of historical documentation?

Blomberg has explained why the historical question of the Gospels, for example, must be considered. "Many who have never studied the gospels in a scholarly context believe that biblical criticism has virtually disproved the existence, [of Christ-- KB]. An examination of the gospel's historical reliability must therefore precede a credible assessment of who Jesus was" (1987, p. xx).

But how well do the New Testament documents compare with additional ancient, historical documents?

F.F. Bruce examined much of the evidence surrounding this question in his book, The New, Testament Documents --- Are they Reliable? As he and other writers (e.g., Metzger, 1968, p. 36~ Geisler and Brooks, 1990, p.159) have noted, there are 5,366 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament in existence today, in whole or in part, that serve to corroborate the accuracy of the New Testament. The best manuscripts of the New Testament are dated at roughly AD. 350, with perhaps one of the most important of these being the Codex Vaticanus, "the chief treasure of the Vatican Library in Rome," and the Codex Sinaiticus, which was purchased by the British from the Soviet Government in 1933 (Bruce, 1953, p. 20).

Additionally, the Chester Beatty papyri, made public in 1931, contain eleven codices, three of which contain most of the New Testament (including the Gospels). Two of these codices boast of a date in the first half of the third century, while the third slides in a little later, being dated in the last half of the same century (Bruce, 1953, p. 21).

The John Rylands Library boasts of even earlier evidence. A papyrus codex containing parts of John 18 dates to the time of Hadrian, who reigned from AD. 117 to 138 (Bruce, 1953, p. 21).

Other attestation to the accuracy of the New Testament documents can be found in the writings of the so-called "apostolic fathers"--- men who wrote primarily from AD. 90 to 160 (Bruce, 1953, p. 22). Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Tatian, Clement of Rome, and Ignatius (writing before the close of the second century) all provided citations from one or more of the Gospels (Guthrie, 1990, p. 24).

Other witnesses to the early authenticity of the New Testament are the Ancient Versions, which consist of the text of the New Testament translated into different languages. The Old Latin and the Old Syriac are the most ancient, being dated from the middle of the second century (Bruce, 1953, p. 23).

The available evidence makes it clear that the Gospels were accepted as authentic by the close of the second century (Guthrie, p. 24). They were complete (or substantially cornplete before AD. 100, with many of the writings circulating 20-40 years before the close of the first century (Bruce, 1953, p. 16). Linton remarked concerning the Gospels. "A fact known to all who have given any study at all to this subject is that these books were quoted, listed, cataloged, harmonized, cited as authority by different writers, Christian and Pagan, right hack to the time of the apostles.' (1943, p. 39).

Such an assessment is absolutely correct. In fact, the New Testament enjoys far more historical documentation than any other volume ever known. There are only 643 copies of homer's Iliad, which is undeniably the most famous book of ancient Greece. No one doubts the text of Julius Caesar's Gaelic Wars but we have only 10 copies of it, the earliest of which was made 1,000 years after it was written.

To have such abundance of copies for the New Testament from within 70 years of their writing is nothing short of amazing (Geisler and Brooks, 1990. pp. 159-160).

Someone might allege that the New Testament documents cannot be trusted because the writers had an agenda. But this in itself does not render what they said untruthful, especially in the light of corroborating evidence from hostile witnesses. There are other histories that are accepted despite their authors' agendas. An "agenda" does not nullify' the possibility of accurate historical knowledge.

In his work, "The New Testament Documents Are They Reliable?" Bruce offered more astounding comparisons. Livy wrote 142 books of Roman history, of which a mere 35 survive. The 35 known books are made manifest due to some 20 manuscripts, only one of which is as old as the fourth century. We have only two manuscripts of Tacitus' Histories and Annals, one from the ninth century and one from the eleventh.

The History of Thucydides, another well-known ancient work, is dependent upon only eight manuscripts, the oldest of these being dated about AD 900 (along with a few papyrus scraps dated at the beginning of the Christian era). The History of erodotus finds itself in a similar situation. "Yet no classical scholar would listen to an argument that the authenticity of Herodotus or Thucydides is in doubt because the earliest MSS of their works which are of any use to us are over 1,300 years later than the originals"(Bruce, 1953, pp. 20-21).

Bruce thus declared: "It is a curious fact that historians have often been much readier to trust the New Testament records than have many theologians"(l953, p. 19). As Linton put it: "There is no room for question that the records of the words and acts of Jesus of Galilee came from the pens of the men who, with John, wrote what they had 'heard' and 'seen' and their hands had handled of the Word of life'." (1943, pp. 39-40).

CONCLUSION
When someone asks the question, "Is the life of Jesus Christ a historic event?," he or she must remember that "If we maintain that the life of our Lord is not a historical event. we are landed in hopeless difficulties: in consistency, we shall have to give up all ancient history and deny that there ever was such an event as the assassination of Julius Caesar" (Monser, 1961, p. 377).

Faced with such overwhelming evidence, it is unwise to reject the position that Jesus Christ actually walked the streets of Jerusalem in the first century. As Harvey has remarked, there are certain facts about Jesus that "are attested by at least as much reliable evidence as are countless others taken for granted as historical facts known to us from the ancient world." But lest I be accused of misquoting him, let me point out that Harvey went on to say, "It can still be argued that we can have no reliable historical knowledge about Jesus with regard to anything that really matters" (1982. p. 6). Harvey could not deny the fact that Jesus lived on this Earth.

Critics do not like having to admit it, but they cannot successfully deny the fact that Jesus had a greater impact on the world than any single life before or after. Nor can they deny the fact that Jesus died at the hands of Pontius Pilate.

Harvey and others can say only that such facts "do not really matter." I contend that the facts that establish the existence of Jesus Christ of Nazareth really do matter. As Bruce stated, "The earliest propagators of Christianity welcomed the fullest examination of the credentials of their message" (1953, p. 122). While Paul was on trial before King Agrippa, he said to Festus: "For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these were kept from him; for this hath not been done in a corner" (Acts 26:26).

As the earliest apologist of Christianity welcomed a full examination of the credentials of the message that they preached, so do we today. These credentials have been weighed in the balance and not found wanting. The simple fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ did exist and live among men.

It is impossible to say that no one has the right to be an agnostic. But no one has the right to be an agnostic untill he has thus dealt with the question, and faced this fact with an open mind. After that, he may be an agnostic --- if he can! (Anderson, 1985, p. 12).

REFERENCES
Anderson, J. N. D. (1969). "Christianity The Witness of History" (London: Tyndale).
Anderson, Norman (1985), "Jesus Christ The Witness of History' (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press), second edition.
Barker, Dan (1992), "Losing Faith in Faith," (Minneapolis. MN: Freedom From Religion Foundation).
Beare. Francis Wright (1962), 'The Earliest Records of Jesus" (New York: Abingdon).
Bloomberg, Craig L. (1987), "The Historical Reliability of the Gospels" (Downers Grove, IL: lnterVarsity Press).
Bruce, F.F. (1953), 'The New Testament Documents-Are They Reliable?"(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), fourth edition.
Bruce, F.F. (1967), "The New Testament Documents-Are They Reliable?" (Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans), fifth edition.
Chapman, Colia (1981). "The Case for Christianity" (Grand Rapids. MI: Eerdmans).
DanieI—Rops. Henri, (1969), "Silence of Jesus 'Contemporaries, The Sources for the Life of Christ." ed. Henri Daniel-Rops (New York: Hawthorn).
Durant, Will, ed. (1932), "On the Meaning of life" (New York: Long and Smith). Geisler, Norman L and Ronald M. Brooks (1990), "When Skeptics Ask" (Wheaton. IL: Victor).
Guthrie, Donald (1990), "New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).
Habermas, Gary R. (1996), "The Historical Jesus" (Joplin. MO: College Press).
Harvey, A.E. (1982), "Jesus and the Constraints of History" (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster).
Home, Thomas H. (1841). "An Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures" (Grand Rapids, Ml: Baker), 1970 reprint.
Jackson, Wayne (1991), "Josephus and the Bible [Part II]" Reason & Revelation. 11:29-32, August.
Josephus, Flavius (1957 reprint), "The Life and Works of Flavius .Josephus" trans. William Whitson (Philadelphia. PA: John Whitson).
Josephus, Flavius (1988 reprint), "Joseph us: The Essential Writings," trans. Paul L Mater (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel).
Kahler, Martin (1896), "The So-called Historical Jesus and the Historic Biblical Christ," trans. Carl E. Braaten (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress), 1964 reprint.
Key, Howard Clark(1970), "Jesus in History" (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World).
Linton, Irwin H. (1943), "A Lawyer Examines the Bible" (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker). sixth edition.
Meier, John P. (1990), "Jesus in Josephus: A Modest Proposal." The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 52:76-99.
Metzger, Bruce M. (1968), "The Text of the New, Testament" (New York: Oxford University Press).
Monser, J.W. (1961), "An Encyclopedia on the Evidences or Masterpieces of Many Minds" (Grand Rapids, Ml: Baker).
Rajak, Tessa (1984), "Josephus The Historian and His Society" (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress).
Sanders, E.P. (1993), "The Historical Figure of Jesus" (New York: Lane-Penguin).
Schweitzer, Albert (1964), "The Quest for the Historical Jesus" (New York: Macmillan).
Seutonius (1957 reprint), "The Twelve Caesars" trans. Robert Graves (London: Penguin).
Schaff, Philip & N.M. Roussel (1868), "The Romance of M. Renan and the Christ of the Gospels" (New York: Carlton & Lanahan).
Tacitus, Cornelius P. (1952 reprint), "The Annals and the Histories", trans. Michael Grant (Chicago. IL: William Benton), Great Books of the Western World Series, vol. IS.
Thompson, Bert (1994), "Famous Enemies of Christ-Ancient and Modern," Reason & Revelation. 14:1-7.January.
Wells, H.G. (1931), "Outline of History, Being a Plain istory of Life and Mankind" (Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing).
Wilken, Robert L. (1990), "The Piety of the Persecutors," Christian History, 9:16.
Yamauchi, Edwin M. (1995), "Jesus Outside the New Testament: What is the Evidence?", Jesus Under Fire"; ed. Michael J. Wilkins and J.P. Moreland (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).

This Article taken from:
Reason & Revelation 20(1):l
Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive,
Montgomery, AL 36117
A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF
CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES
JANUARY 2000

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

WE WELCOME YOU
Following the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ's body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God's inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Together we seek to maintain "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.

Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com, or 253-396-0290 (cell) for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.

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Looking To Jesus

A big lump of something -- a stone supposedly -- lay for centuries in a shallow, limpid brook in North Carolina. People passing that way saw only a ugly lump, and passed on. A poor man passing one day saw a heavy lump --- a good thing to hold his door ajar --- and he took it home. A geologist who stopped at the poor man's door saw a lump of gold --- the biggest lump of gold ever found east of the Rockies.

Many people looked upon Jesus. Some saw only a Galilean peasant, and turned away. Some saw a prophet, and stopped to listen. Some saw the Messiah, and worshipped. Some saw the Lamb of God, and looked to Him to save them from their sins.

There are people today who see in Jesus simply a perfect man, and they get nothing more from Him than the example of His perfect life. Others looking upon Him see the Lamb of God --- the divinely chosen sacrifice and Savior; and realizing that their greatest need is to be saved from their sins they go to Him for cleansing. When you look at Jesus what do you see?

Consider these words from the inspired Scriptures: "... let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eye on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith ..." (Hebrews 12:1-1).

AUTHOR AND PERFECTER
Jesus is both the source of our faith and the one who makes possible the attainment of the desired goal. When we appreciate Him and fix our eyes upon Him, we find sin less attractive and we cast its encumbering weight aside. We make a persistent effort.

ONLY BEGOTTEN SON
We do well to look to Jesus because no one else is qualified as He is. The phrase, "only begotten Son of God" (John 3:16) means He is unique, the only one of His kind, sent by the Father that we might have eternal life.

WORD
Jesus was the divine incarnation of God's message: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1, 14).

REVEALED GOD
By looking to Jesus we know more about God: "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18).

GOD'S SPOKESMAN
The words of Jesus are authoritative. The decrees of men in councils, synods, conferences, or conventions are not to be heeded! God speaks today through His Son (Hebrews 1:2).
EXAMPLE
We should look to Him for the perfect example of how to live, in thought, attitude and deed. We can walk in His steps because He left an example for us (1 Peter 2:21).

The attitude of humility seen in Jesus is unsurpassed and serves as a continual reminder of the willingness of Jesus to humble Himself on our behalf. We will put others before ourselves if we have the attitude in us which was in Christ when He left His place with God. "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross" (Philippians 2:8).

GAVE HIMSELF
Because Jesus died on our behalf, we look to Him while living lives of faith: "... The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." (The apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20).

HIGH PRIEST
As high priest Jesus is unlike any other because the sacrifice He offered was a perfect sacrifice. He offered Himself and God raised Him to serve as high priest in heaven (Hebrews 7:26-8:2).

MEDIATOR
Jesus mediated between God and man by making atonement for sin. Consequently, He qualified as the one mediator of a new covenant (The New Testament --- Hebrews 9:13-28).

LOVE CONTROLS
The love of Christ causes us to want to live for Him. "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose on their behalf" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

IF WE LOVE
If we love Jesus, we will obey Him. He said, "... If anyone love Me, he will keep My word ..." (John 14:23). His instructions for us include: learning about Him (Matthew 11:28-30), repentance (Turning from sin to follow God's Word --- Luke 15:7), confession (Romans 10:10), belief and baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38), and faithfulness unto death (Revelation 2:10). May we each fix our eyes upon Him.

THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST
"In infancy He startled a king; in boyhood He puzzled the doctors; in manhood He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine, and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book, yet not all the libraries of the country could hold the books that could have been written about Him. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. Great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Death could not destroy Him, the grave could not hold Him." - Forman Linicome

Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com, or 253-396-0290 (cell) for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.

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We See Jesus

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone" --- Hebrews 2:9

WHAT DO WE SEE?
We may see the baby Jesus lying in a manger. But it would be a mistake to see no more than the baby Jesus. We may see Jesus on the cross, but it would be a mistake to see no more than a suffering Jesus on the cross. We need to see Jesus as He is presented in the Scriptures. "... we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death that He might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9) The purpose of His coming was to give His life in payment for our sins.

WE SEE HIS EXAMPLE
Jesus did not sin, "... Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in His steps: 'Who committed no sin ...'" (1 Peter 2:21-22). This qualified Jesus to give Himself as a complete sacrifice for our sins. See 2 Corinthians 5:21. We look to His example as a pattern for daily living and we see Him as the perfect sacrifice for sin.

WE SEE LOVE
We see the greatest love. "Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends" (John 15:13).

WE SEE HUMILITY
Jesus gave up His position of equality with God. He took the form of a servant and humbled Himself, obediently dying on the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). He did not teach us to make a public display of our faith. He said, "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:6). He did not teach His disciples to wear special garments nor to use religious titles. It is strange that some who claim to follow Him have done exactly what Jesus told us not to do. He said, "And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9). When we see the humility of Jesus, we want to follow in His steps.

WE SEE FORGIVENESS
We see Jesus praying on the cross, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). If we would be forgiven, we must forgive, (Matthew 6:14-15).

WE SEE A SERVANT
The standard of greatness presented by Jesus is that of service. He said, "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). On the night of the last supper the disciples of Jesus were concerned about who would be first among them. Jesus girded Himself with a towel and taught a lesson by washing their feet. If we see Jesus as a servant, we will serve others.

WE SEE KINDNESS
Jesus did not return evil for evil. He did not harbor a vengeful spirit. He said, " ... love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you ..." (Matthew 5:44).

WE SEE CONTENTMENT
Jesus said, " ... do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on ... do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25 & 34).

WE SEE JESUS AS LORD
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). We must obey Him as Lord, if we want to go to heaven.

WE SEE THE RISEN LORD
Jesus tasted death for you and for me. He came forth from the tomb victorious over sin and death. He made possible our victory over sin and death. ".. but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). When we are baptized (immersed in water), we are forgiven of sin (Acts 2:38). At the point of baptism we begin a new life. "... we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

WE SEE A UNIQUE JESUS
The uniqueness of Jesus in human history should cause us to realize the importance of seeing Him as He may be seen in the Scriptures. Are we seeing Him as we should? If we perceive Him as we should, we perceive the value of what He did. We are moved by His love because He loved as did no other. Being without sin, He gave Himself that we who sin might have forgiveness for sin.

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