What if a Christian was faced with this?

Question

What would you do if you were a theologian or a professional apologist, and you were invited to browse through the Vatican Archives with unlimited access, so you could research early Christian records - and you came across documents that showed detailed plans of how Christianity was completely made up, and that Jesus had just been an ordinary man who the early Church writers simply used in their story? Suppose you had the documents verified by every reliable source and that there was no question as to their authenticity and that the more you researched, the more evidence came up to support it! Suppose the Vatican was horrified that you made the discovery and you found out that it was a gigantic cover up and that the whole idea behind Christianity was political!

How would you respond to this?

This is for my Christian school ethics class. I have to pretend it's all true.

Answer 1

They would still have to account forthe historical records of jesus that exist outside the vatican. Such writings of a number of Roman Historians including Tacitus and a number of others. Then they would also have to contend with the Jewish historian Josephus who fought against Rome and later became a friend of Rome but he mentions Jesus as well. I hate to say this assignment seems rather contrived and that you have been given an answer with little room for you own indepdant conclusion. I would also suggest a book called what leading lawyers say about the ressurrection. It is not easy to obtain but I won a copy and it is on the library of congress. Interestingly some of histories greatest legal minds from both past to current have concluded there is more than sufficeint evidence for the resurrection of Jesus accounts to be acceptable evidence. These names include Hugo Grotius the father of international law Simon Greenleaf who was recognized as the foremost North American authority on common law evidence. he wrote a treatise on the law of evidence and the testimony of the evangelists examined by the rules of evidence administered in courts of justice. Sir Robert Anderson was the assisstant commisioner of Scotland Yard Knighted by Queen Victoria and made Knight commander by King edward VII. Of the testimony of the witnesses of the gospels he said that it would be accepted by any fair tribunal in the world. And that the evidence would withstand the test of discussion and verifaction. Sir Lionel Luckhoo the most successful lawyer n history said "I have spent more than 22 years as a trial lawyer appearing in many parts of the world. I have been successful in aquiring a number of jury trials (245 sucessive wins) and I say unequivecally that the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt. I could add to this list Lord Haisham, Lord Lundhurst, Wendell R. Byrd, and a whole slew of others. Hope this helps. I would like to add there would still be the manuscript problem to contend with. There are so many copies of new testament manuscripts in part and whole and dating back to very close to the time of the events. And in many different languages. Some have bben uncovered as recent as the 1970's dead sea scrolls. They would have to explain how Rome had managed to bury these documents all over. Add to that yo would have to account for who these conspiratoors were and how they actually changed the new testament documents. This would have to be provable not just conjecture.The gnostic gospels ae considered credible as the the four gos[els were written by people who actually knew Jesus not just heard stories about him. So then it would have to be proven that these conspirators actually knew Jesus. How can you claim ot know the real truth about Jesus unless you knew him personally.

Answer 2

First I would research and check out the authenticity of the "early christian records."
I would then do some research to find out how and why the apostles not only gave up all but died for their belief in an empty tomb.
If they lied, if the tomb was not empty if this is made up then Jesus would not be who he said he was, God's son and the christ who died for the sins of the world.
But we do have non christian evidence to show the man Jesus was here and he had a following of "christians" many who died for him.
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Answer 3

What is this to prove that the Bible is God inspired or what are you trying to prove? Probably the Vatican has all sorts of papers that would prove your claim, as the Catholic church has been the greatest persecuter of true christianity in all of history. Maybe this is the answer you are looking for: The Bible: no other book has been the target of so much vicious opposition and hatred throughout history. Reading of the Bible has been punished with fines and imprisonment even in modern times. In the past such 'crimes' often led to torture and death. In contrast, the devotion the Bible has inspired. Many have perservered in reading it despite persecution. William Tyndale, a 16th Century Englishman, loved the Bible, he is only one of a great number of people who have sacrificed everything in order to read the Bible or make it available to others. No other book has inspired so many ordianry men and women to rise to such heights of courage. The Bible is truly without equal.

Answer 4

I would not trust anything that comes from the Vatican. In response to the ethics question, I would respond that I would not say anything because I know that Christ gave me the Holy Spirit which lives within me, and the Holy Spirit confirms that Jesus is the Christ, regardless of any record of man.

Answer 5

I would question the writer(s) of those documents because based on my own experience through communion with God after accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I'd have to seriously doubt what was found in the Vatican. It would take more than some former Dan Brown type guy to shake my faith in Christ. He was put here for one reason and one reason only-to redeem mankind of our sins. Not to marry, not to have children. To die and rise again.

Answer 6

Releasing this information would upset the basis of many cultures' entire social system. Although people say that they just want to know the truth, this is one time where they could not accept it! As a catholic christian myself, I can honestly say that I would want to know about it, but that is because I put the Church and its actions in proper historical context so I can more readily accept and discern fact from fiction. However, the only real consideration is this, do you really want to deprive people of the hope and solace and direction that their faith provides them? Is hope of something better not the foundation of the courage to carry on in their day-to-day struggles?

Answer 7

There is enough independent evidence about the life and teachings of Jesus from other sources to make this an absurd question.

Along the lines of "What if we found out that water is indeed not wet"

Peace and Good Luck.

Answer 8

No. many times lower back in the scriptures, God is telling His persons that we would desire to continually no longer worship Him in an identical way the fake gods are worshiped. there is by no capacity any mandate or command to worship or pray dealing with any particular direction. I even have at the instant discovered that the "Apostles coaching" lists first and premiere that prayer ought to be carried out in direction of the east and costs a verse from Jesus in Matthew 24:27. This verse isn't referencing how we would desire to continually pray and that i've got not got self belief it even has to do with the direction of the east. i've got self belief it fairly is speaking extra approximately how Christ would be considered whilst He returns and not the direction. We do, although, have a sturdy verse to apply whilst speaking approximately praying or worshiping in direction of the east...Ezekiel 8:sixteen..."And he extra me into the indoors court of the Lord's residing house, and, behold, on the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, have been approximately 5 and twenty men, with their backs in direction of the temple of the Lord, and their faces in direction of the east; and that they worshipped the solar in direction of the east." dealing with the east in prayer or worship has no longer something to do with Christianity and has each little thing to do with Mithraism or pagan solar god worship.

Answer 9

Then find a new school. If Christianity, particularly the Resurrection, were proven false an honest Christian would have to stop believing.

Answer 10

being a grad student of theology and a parochial school attendee my entire life. I would tell you that I highly doubt any class (parochial or secular) would ask a question like this, especially since ethics is a subset of religion. This is not how ethics is taught.