You guys do realize that Jesus is a proven historical figure, right?

Question

Ok, you can debate weather or not he was the son of God, or weather God even exists, but it surprises me how many people I have seen lately who have said that Jesus "might have existed" or "never existed." Actually, the Romans kept very accurate records, and they have the record of many accounts simialr to those from the Gospels of Jesus ministry and his death, and also accounts of the commotion that was created when a crowd of over 500 people "claimed" to have seen him walking around after he had been crucified. You ask me to show you proof? I have posted these links before, and I will do it again here now, but the fact is if you want to know the truth you will actively seek it for yourself. This is the stuff they don't teach you in history class people...

Here is one link; I could post more, but if you are truly interested all you have to do is search yahoo for "proof of Jesus' existance" or, "roman court records regarding Jesus."

http://www.ucgstp.org/lit/gn/gn044/proof.htm

Sorry the previous link didn't work, must not have highlighted the whole thing.

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=64959.msg973457

http://www.youdebate.com/cgi-bin/scarecrow/topic.cgi?forum=13&topic=182

http://www.geocities.com/metacrock2000/Jesus_pages/topos.htm

And an interesting quote I just found:

"The problem is that when one attaches religious significance to a document some certain group of people will decide that this is intrinsically to be doubted. What these people don't understand is that 90% of what we know about the ancient world comes to us from documents that one could doubt for the same reasons that atheists usually doubt the Bible (because they are recorded in religiously polemical documents)."- From the last link I posted.

Ok, once again people, like I said before, you can debate who he was or what he did, but my point was to those who say he never existed. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, but that doesn't mean everyone is right...

And by the way, everyone who is computer literate enough to be on Y/A knows that if a link does not work, all you have to do is cut the end /'s off and go to the home page and look from there. The fact that a link did not work as posted does not hold on bearing on my post or the point I am trying to get across. If you were really interested, you could have gone to the home page, but it is likely you were just too scared to do so.

Ok, this is the last comment I will add. I am not trying (right now) to make anyone believe what i believe about Jesus, I was just pointing out that he did exist, contrary to some peoples ignorance. It is amazing how people who don't believe in Jesus get so angry and offensive and start spitting out totally unrelated opinions just because I posted yet another fact which supports the Bible. By the way, the exitance of Jesus is not the only account from the Bible which has been proven by science and/or other historical books. Get a grip people, and do some real research rather than just accepting what you are taught in public school about science and our world.

Answer 1

Thanks for posting this. I know Jesus exists. No doubt in my mind. He answers my prayers. He is the King of Love.

Answer 2

lol. That a preacher named Jesus likely existed is not that surprising. However, that he's the son of god, born of a virgin mother, can walk on water, change water into wine, and rise from the dead, is.

Did you know that Robin Hood is real too? That's right, he is. So is King Arthur. But Robin Hood is the name that was used for any outlaw during his time period and King Arthur is probably a Celtic Cheiftain. Do you really think that Arthur had a magical wizard named Merlin, a magical Island named Avalon, and a magic sword named Excalibur.

Honestly, a new leg is added every time a story is told and you people need to learn to understand that fact instead of just accepting everything blindly.

Answer 3

Yeah! Finally someone who actually believes he was a historical person (To say the least).

Josephus was a very important Jewish historian of the first century. He was a priest, a pharisee, and somewhat egotistical. Most importantly he was NOT A CHRISTIAN. Look into his books "The Antiquities" and the "Testimonium Flavianum".

In Josephus' book "The Antiquities" you will find that he describes how a high priest named Ananias took advantage of the death of the Roman governor Festus-who is also mentioned in the NT- in order to have James killed. This work was completed in A.D. 93 which is approximately 63 years from the time of Jesus' ascension, which is considered very early and thus reliable.
He says, "He convened a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought before them 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 delivered them up to be stoned."

The Testimonim Flavianum says this," About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared."

These references from Josephus are highly significant especially since his accounts of the Jewish War have proved to be very accurate; for example they've been corroborated through archaeological excavations at Masada as well as historians like Tacitus.

Also look at authors like Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Thallus (quoted by Julius Africanus), and the Talmud.

To Salient2: Here are only a few of the peple who saw Jesus after his resurrection:
*Mary Magdalene in John 20:10-18
*the other women in Matthew 28:8-10
*Cleopas and another disciple in Luke 24:13-32
*To 11 disciples and others in Luke 24:33-49
*To 10 apostles and others (Thomas absent) in John 20:19-23
*To Thomas and other apostles in John 20:26-30
*To seven apostles in John 21:1-14
*The Apostles before his Ascension in Luke 24 and Acts 1.

Answer 4

Thank You.
Another person realizes that the Romans kept excellent records, and no one doubts the existence of the Roman Empire.

Answer 5

> The Romans...have the record of many accounts similar to those from the Gospels

Your link didn't work. Please present your Roman accounts.

There are no contemporary literary references to Jesus or archaeological evidence of his historicity. The Gospels and Pauline epistles were written by Jesus's followers decades after his death. References to Jesus by Pliny the Younger, Josephus, Suetonius, and Tacitus are often cited, but they were also written later and only prove that Christians believed such a person existed.

For details, read the following:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/scott_oser/hojfaq.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus

Answer 6

Your assertion went too far. There are comments from Josephus from more or less the same period alluding to a Jesus. (We don't really know if the latter versions were composites of one or more "Jesus.") Unfortunately, even Josephus is suspect - both for his own reporting of unicorns and the like, and the fact that it seems "heavily edited" post facto. As to the 500 observers after his death .. utter nonsense. That does not come from "Roman records" - or from anyone who was there at time.

As an atheist it seems probable to me that (at least one) Jesus existed. Unfortunately the religion using the name of Jesus was founded mainly on the ideas of Paul, not Jesus.

Answer 7

I don't question whether there was a man named Jesus who lived about 2000 years ago and taught that we should all love each other. I think that's very believable. I believe there was a Scottish king named Arthur who lived in the mid 6th century too. I don't believe all the supernatural stuff. It's too Hollywood for me. And there's no evidence anyone ever cheated death and then just floated away. People can't float. And I can prove it!

Answer 8

of route. except that a lot of jesus' tale is composed of entirely conceivable issues that he probably DID do, like his teachings, his debates with the different jewish sects, etc. and one idea used in determining that are probably actual is the criterion of embarrassment. those issues that are somewhat embarrassing to the christians that they although enable slip with the help of are probably actual, f.ex., if jesus replaced into sinless, then he did not favor to be baptized. so the baptism of jesus with techniques from john is a few thing that probably befell. and the omission of this baptism from the gospel of john besides because the perfect way matthew tries to malicious software his way out of it with techniques from getting john protest (understanding that those 2 gospels are later than the others for different causes besides) means that the early christians were embarrassed with techniques from this. so if u ensue to insert on your tale that ur pal ryan had a guy killed so he ought to marry the widow (because the bible tells us of king david), lets probably believe this to be actual, while if u say ur pal stopped the solar, we probably gained't.

Answer 9

Did YOU know it is not a proven fact....

http://www.atheists.org/christianity/didjesusexist.html
http://nobeliefs.com/exist.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcno.htm

Learn both sides of the debate at these sites.

I can see by your late additions you still have not explored the other side of the issue. If you stubbornly adhere to your biased view point without questioning it then there is no point in trying to help you understand. You have closed your mind to Truth in order to protect your flawed and fragile belief system.

Answer 10

Someone with a name similar to Jesus probably did exist, but that is about all.

Most of the Jesus myth is a made up conglomeration of several people.

It is a composite of an itinerant rabbi, healer named Jesua, John the baptist, and Mithra.

Do the reasearch and you will see.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 11

Yes Mr. A, we realize there was an historical figure living around that time who did a lot of philosophical preaching and whom we now refer to as 'Jesus of Nazareth'. Ok? Fine. Yep, there he was. Smart guy. Good guy too, from what I hear. God? No, not so much. But a wise man ahead of his time fer sure.

You can relax now.

P.S. A mob of 500 hyped-up illiterate iron-age Israelites claiming they saw someone who looked just like him after he was executed is just NOT impressive.