Was Jesus a real person in history? How do we know? We know in the same way that we know any ancient person lived in history. How do we know Aristotle or Alexander the Great was real? How ‘bout King Tut, Julius Ceasar, Socrates, Plato, or Cleopatra? We know these ancient people were real historical figures because we have EVIDENCE.
We have written records on scrolls and manuscripts, in government records for property, birth, marriage and death records. We have stories and battle records written in stone and pottery and on buildings and religious temples.
We have eye witness evidence who were there when these people were alive. Do you think that if you walked with a guy who did amazing things for 3 years, that you could write them down?
We have nonbiblical records, one going back to Josephus in 93 AD. While discussing the period in which the Jews of Judaea were governed by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, Josephus included the following account:
“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people who accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.”
- Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63 (Based on the translation of Louis H. Feldman.)
We have archeological evidence in the ruins of ancient civilizations that portray how things were in ancient times. We also have ancient coins depicting kings, artifacts, religious items and important themes in different cultures, including Christian culture during the Roman empire.
We have artistic evidence in figures and busts of people named in the bible that are carved in stone. We also have sculptures, figurines, and artifacts made from metal, from iron to gold and precious stones. There are tile mosaics and fresco paintings dating back to 200 AD found in Roman catacombs depicting bible stories and Jesus Himself. Some of the oldest paintings in the world are on the walls of ancient Roman catacombs.
It would take days to discuss in detail all this historical evidence, but trust us, there is ample evidence, and we can confirm, that Jesus was a real man in history. (If you want to dive into the details check out a book called Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. It’s also available in a free pdf file online.
2 – Is there a Creator, or has everything come about by chance? Can everything come from nothing? Can Life come from non-life? Can order come out of chaos? If you don’t believe there is a God, then this is what you believe. It all just happened by chance, but this can’t be, because science tells us that everything is tending toward disorder (entropy).
The evidence of a Creator is creation itself, in the same way that a painting is the evidence that there was a painter, and a building is the evidence that there was a builder.
3 – Is the world evil? Are people primarily selfish and “looking out for #1?”
4 – Are you a moral person? Where does your morality come from? How do you know that stealing or murdering people is bad?
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