Not interested in short yes or no answers. Please back up your opinions with websites, book titles, facts, etc. if you have them. I am just beginning my quest to find the real answer after a VERY strange thing happened in my life! Please help. P.S. I've been an ambiguous agnostic my entire life.
2006-08-16 06:59:28 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jesus most likely is a composite character of many would be Messiahs at the time of the second Temple
2006-08-16 07:04:47 · answer #1 · answered by Quantrill 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would argue that the historical Jesus did exist.
(1) The argument aganist Jesus as a historical figure usually focuses on a lack of evidence. But it's not like the ancient wold had birth and death certificates. You can't find much evidence that any particular person from the ancient world exists, unless that person was a ruler or a prolific author or the like.
(2) If Jesus didn't exist, how did people become convinced to be Christian martyrs?
(3) If Jesus were entirely fictional, Why don't the earliest accounts of Jesus make reference to the virgin birth? If the argument is that Jesus was simply a pagan fertility deity repackaged, then the virgin birth should be amongst the oldest parts of the story, not later additions.
2006-08-16 07:12:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus has been around for quite some time . Genesis 1:26 is the beginning verse to tell us that He has been around since the beginning of time . Okay , I know that I am using only Scriptures , but there is a reason behind it . Let's go to John 1:1 . Notice :( In the beginning was the Word) . Now drop down to verse 14 of the same chapter . (And the Word became flesh) . Jesus is the living Word . Every time you pick up the Bible it is Jesus in written form . Colossians 1:15-18 . Look at the great sacrifice He did for all of mankind . He changed things to make it easier for man to be saved from his short comings . He took the form of a servant to show us that no one is better than another . Philippians 2:5-8 . The Book of John best describes Him and shows us that He exists for those who believe in Him . Look at the way He acted when He was on this earth . He committed no sin to show us an example . 1st Peter 2:21-24 . He is sitting at the right hand of God as we speak and waiting for you to believe that he is real and true . He is Lord . Praise Him and Glorify Him . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved . Peace to you and may God bless you and your family .
2006-08-16 07:30:42 · answer #3 · answered by robinhoodcb 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus did exist. The Bible is a history book to a point, everything that can physically happen (the various wars, this person born or that person born, various rulings of the leaders like Moses or David) did happen. The major problem atheists have is that the Bible put religious overtones to those occurrences of history, and they don't believe God actually existed to do those things. In essence, they attribute it to either chance or human nature rather than God's hand behind the scenes guiding things.
Which means that Jesus did exist, the only question is whether he was the Son of God and that he died for our sins, or if he was a human like any other and he simply died (and not for our sins). But Jesus did exist, whether you believe he was just human or the son of God.
2006-08-16 07:10:37 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The last 2000 years of our World History has been shaped by Christianity. To think that it was shaped by someone who never even actually existed is absurd. The Romans kept meticulous records and even though most of them do not exist today because of the simple fact that time has destroyed them. This is no way would lead you to think they did not exist during the time Constantine when he converted Rome to Christianity in 303 AD. Furthermore the bible makes specific mention of the Romans taking Census during the life of Jesus. Early Christians could of easily checked the records to see if he had actually been born. The Roman world was a world of order and a very advanced civilization not unlike our today.
2006-08-16 07:18:40 · answer #5 · answered by malisimo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a Christian, nor am I Atheist, but I know that there is some documentation about Jesus outside of the Christian Bible. However, there is no evidence that he was the son of God, and what he accomplish on Earth didn't fulfill the prophecy about him. (He was supposed to start a revolution, that's why the Bar Kokhba revolution occurred later, because he was also believed to be the messiah.) Because Jesus didn't do everything he was prophesied to do, the idea that he would "come back" started.
2006-08-16 07:17:02 · answer #6 · answered by Mrs. Pears 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christians, Muslims, and Jews all acknowledge that Jesus was real but we disagree on his role.
Christians believe he is the son of God and Savior. Muslims see him as a profit. I do not fully understand the Jewish take on him.
A book that may interest you:
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
By: Lee Strobel
2006-08-16 07:20:01 · answer #7 · answered by hazydaze 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think he existed. My reason for thinking so is that some of His miracles and facts about His life were so small-time and unimpressive, compared to the average deity, that I cannot see any reason why anyone would have bothered to write about them, except the writers must have thought He was such a remarkable figure in some respects, that everything about Him was worth recording, even if it sounded trivial. For example, if He had been fictitious, then instead of saying He healed only a couple of dozen sick people (or whatever it was), then, to picture Him as a big hero in that regard, they could have said that He healed everyone on the South Side of town, or maybe even everyone in the county.
2006-08-16 07:13:59 · answer #8 · answered by yahoohoo 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Jesus was a historical person but I don't believe he was god
The Creator is not a man or a woman. Neither do I believe that the Creator came down as a man and had twelve male apostles - this is sadly an attempt to justify a patriarchal social structure.
2006-08-16 07:14:57 · answer #9 · answered by bregweidd 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There is scant historical evidence of his existance, outside of the bible. The few references that mention him are hearsay, anectodal, or possibly revised by the church.
Ironically, there is much more historical evidence of John the Baptist than of Jesus.
Some links below are a good starting point.
The movie, although a bit biased, presents some solid views by both sides.
For me, I don't believe he really existed, except as an allegorical figure... just as many other saviors before him.
2006-08-16 07:08:30 · answer #10 · answered by joetho 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋