Did the Biblical Jesus really exist?

Question

or was he just a myth? What do you think?

Answer 1

Roman history has preserved records of a man called Jesus of Nazareth who was executed by crucifixion during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. The main source is "The History of the Jewish Wars" by Josephus and various works by Tacitus. What the Bible does not mention is that several men claimed to be the Messiah and were also executed around the time of Jesus. The whole Messiah thing continued after Jesus's execution as several more claimants arose in the following years, including the Emperor Caligula (because he really was the son of Zeus, don't ya know).

So, there are sources (and non-Christian non-Jewish ones at that) that provide strong evidence that a man named Jesus, born in Bethlehem, was crucified (a very common form of execution in Roman times) under the orders of Pilate, as were other so-called Messiahs. But consider this, only this particular Jesus still has followers and everyone except some obscure historians have forgotten about the other ones.

Answer 2

He probably existed. As to whether he was the son of God or not, well the jury is still out on this one. While many Christians accept that Jesus, son of God, did indeed walk the Earth, the Catholic Church does not accept that all of the miricles accredited to Jesus, actually happened. For example, the Catholic Church does not believe that Jesus ever turned water into wine, or that he ever walked upon water. Which is a pity really, because having only recently learnt this, I must confess that my lifetime of booze was always excused by the notion that Jesus had turned water into wine as an encouragement to drink up and enjoy ourselves. In my own church the walking on water bit was explained that Jesus had simply stepped out of the boat he was in and onto a sand bar or sand bank. Okay, I can go for that. But what about making the blind see and the bringing the dead back to life? And, how about rising from the dead himself? Problem is that much of what is in Christian teaching was created probably in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD so as to please the Pagans. For example, we're about the celebrate Easter, which according to Christian belief is a time when Jesus gave his life to the world so that our sins be washed away for ever. Oh death, where is they sting? However, Easter put simply is the Pagan Fest of Eastera - the Pagan [Anglo Saxon] Goddess of Britain. She arrives in the form of a hare [the Easter Bunny], she lays an egg [the Easter Egg] and is then chased and killed by the hounds. The egg hatches and new life comes forth. Really, Easter is a mixed bag of Pagan and Christian rites related to the coming of Spring and new life and birth. Did Jesus exist? Yes.

Answer 3

Well, I just wrote a whole diatribe about this, and then hit a button by mistake and it disappeared without trace ! :-(

The 'godly' will probably say that Jesus was getting me back.

So, sorry, but I'm not doing that all over again. Here's the short version.

Yes, I think he existed, his name was Yashua bin Jusef, his brother James became the first 'Bishop' of the Jerusalem church. Which was, itself, the only true sect based on the teachings of the 'Teacher of Righteousness'. This sect expired to all intents and purposes after the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 ad.

The church of Rome was an ersatz fabrication of the 'great Liar', Saul, the person we know as 'St. Paul', who hijacked the whole Jesus thing, which was a doctrine aimed entirely at the Jews, and never meant for Gentiles, and turned it into a vehicle for his own aggrandisement.

The person released by Pilate under Passover customs was Barrabbas, but who paid attention to his other name, which was, curiously enough, also Jesus. Bar is the patronymic indicator, meaning 'son of', and Abbas is aramaic for 'father'. Thus the released convict was Jesus, son of the father.

So whom got crucified ?

Also, crucifixion usually took several days to kill the victim, which was precisely why it was a fearful death, and reserved only for the very worst offenders against the normally easy-going Romans. 'Jesus' was taken down after only a few hours, according to the Gospel accounts, and was unlikely to have been dead. Many believe that his followers and or family bribed the guards to let them take him down.

Further their are many accounts of his later arrival in the South of France, at the little Camargue village of Les Deux Marie-Saintes de la Mer. The local legend still persists that the two 'saints' Mary ( Jesus mother and the Magdelene ) arrived by small boat, with two men and a small infant.

There are further accounts that Jesus had married the Magdelene and that they had children, the descendants of whom are still living today !

Well, that's quite a bit to digest, I guess, but you asked.

Most people today are familiar with Dan Brown's 'da Vinci Code', but this is but a small and recent version. Research and you will find many authoritative accounts. Try 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail', and 'The Hiram Key'. Both are easy to read and do not require high scholarship to understand. Also take a look at the Nag Hammadi scrolls, you will find that there were more than four 'Gospels, and the suppressed ones are far more telling than the commonly known.

Answer 4

The 'Historical Jesus' is studied by men of science and practical or pragmatic thinking, while the Religious Jesus is studied by men of faith and theology. The study of the religious Jesus can be found in what's called 'Chistology'.

Historically speaking, the only sources on Jesus are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and only Matthew was a witness to the crucifixion. The Gospels were written 60 to 80 years after his death. Jesus wrote nothing down and he left no written record of his existence: diaries, letters, notes, books, or journals. There are no existing documents of his birth, life, education, or work outside of the Gospels. Those who are documented as having mentioned the name of Jesus, such as the Roman emporer or the Jewish historian Josephus, either never met him or were born after Christ died on the cross.

So an objective historian would make the claim that there is no evidence outside of the Gospels that Jesus ever existed. The historian would then view the Gospels as literature and claim the Gospels are guilty of the informal fallacy of petitio principii or 'question begging'. Begging the Question means to claim that something exists without the physical proof that it exists. The Gospels tell a story of a man named Jesus but doesn't give any proof that he existed, such as birth certificates, blood or hair samples, a diary or letters written in Jesus's own hand, etc.

So there are lots of non-Christian historians, using historical methodology, who claim that there is no evidence that Jesus actually existed.

I personally believe he existed out of my own Catholic faith, which I have analyzed and reviewed many times and agree.

Answer 5

Has a historical figure yes as portrayed in the Bible very doubtful so much editing has taken place particularly by the Vatican the New Testament is just a book of religious propaganda based on the odd facts.

Answer 6

Yes Jesus did exist, history has been able to cross reference with the bible and support the Jesus story. For example history has been able to prove the Roman Governor at the time Pilot who washed his hands and condemned Christ to the cross was a real person, there are many more links in the story to back up the story of Jesus.

Answer 7

I belive there was an activist around at the time of Jesus as mentioned in the Bible, but he was not as portrayed in them.
The cults almagamated in the early 5th or 6th Century into a recognised Catholic faith where argued over and only a limited number of testaments, statements and ideals where taken.
The books themselves where written well after the time of Jesus and again are more shall we say liberal with the history of the time.

Answer 8

Yes, Jesus of Nazareth did exist. There are references to him in Roman history. They archived the events leading up to and the actual crucifixion. There are notes from (can't remember the name) of one Roman officer detailing the healing of one of his men. The question of whether he existed has never been in question. The miracles and Resurrection are the sources of controversy.

Answer 9

We accept the existence of countless historical figures on far less evidence. Those therefore who deny the existence of Jesus are as 'exceptionalist' as the most crazed fundamentalist.

Answer 10

There is earthly evidence that he existed. The historian, Josephus (I may have butchered that name, college Bible was years ago) did mention Jesus, and historically, he did exist.

The major turn has to do with whether or not he rose from the dead.