Who would you say was the greatest man who ever lived?

Answer 1

The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."-MATTHEW 16:16.

WHO do you think is the greatest man who ever lived? How do you evaluate a man's greatness? By his military genius? his superior mental abilities? his physical strength?

Various rulers have been called Great, such as Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, and Charlemagne, who was termed "the Great" even during his own lifetime. By their formidable presence, men such as these wielded great influence over those whom they ruled.

Interestingly, historian H. G. Wells described his test for measuring a man's greatness. Over 50 years ago, he wrote: "The historian's test of an individual's greatness is 'What did he leave to grow? Did he start men to thinking along fresh lines with a vigor that persisted after him?' By this test," Wells concluded, "Jesus stands first." Even Napoléon Bonaparte noted: "Jesus Christ has influenced and commanded His subjects without His visible bodily presence."

Yet, some have objected that Jesus is not a historical person but a myth. At the other extreme, many have idolized Jesus as God, saying that God came to earth as Jesus. However, basing his conclusions solely on the historical evidence regarding Jesus' existence as a man, Wells wrote: "It is interesting and significant that a historian, without any theological bias whatever, should find that he cannot portray the progress of humanity honestly without giving a foremost place to a penniless teacher from Nazareth. . . . A historian like myself, who does not even call himself a Christian, finds the picture centering irresistibly around the life and character of this most significant man."

Did Jesus Really Live?

But what if someone told you that Jesus never really lived, that he was, in effect, a myth, an invention of some first-century men? How would you answer this charge? While Wells acknowledges that "we do not know as much about [Jesus] as we would like to know," he nevertheless observes: "The four Gospels . . . agree in giving us a picture of a very definite personality; they carry a conviction of reality. To assume that he never lived, that the accounts of his life are inventions, is more difficult and raises far more problems for the historian than to accept the essential elements of the Gospel stories as fact."

The respected historian Will Durant reasoned in a similar way, explaining: "That a few simple men [who called themselves Christians] should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels."

Thus, you could reason with such a skeptic: Could a mythical character-a person who never really lived-have affected human history so remarkably? The reference work The Historians' History of the World observed: "The historical result of [Jesus'] activities was more momentous, even from a strictly secular standpoint, than the deeds of any other character of history. A new era, recognised by the chief civilisations of the world, dates from his birth." Think about it. Even some calendars today are based on the year that Jesus was thought to have been born. "Dates before that year are listed as B.C., or before Christ," explains The World Book Encyclopedia. "Dates after that year are listed as A.D., or anno Domini (in the year of our Lord)."

By his dynamic teachings and by the way he lived his life in harmony with them, Jesus has powerfully affected the lives of untold multitudes of people for nearly two thousand years. As one writer aptly expressed it: "All the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully." Still, say the critics: 'All that we really know about Jesus is found in the Bible. No other contemporary records concerning him exist.' Yet, is this true?

Although references to Jesus Christ by early secular historians are meager, such references do exist. Cornelius Tacitus, a respected first-century Roman historian, wrote that the Roman emperor Nero 'fastened the guilt for the burning of Rome on Christians,' and then Tacitus explained: "The name [Christian] is derived from Christ, whom the procurator Pontius Pilate had executed in the reign of Tiberius." Suetonius and Pliny the Younger, other Roman writers of the time, also made mention of Christ. In addition, Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, wrote in Antiquities of the Jews regarding the death of the Christian disciple James. Josephus said in explanation that James was "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ."

The New Encyclopædia Britannica thus concludes: "These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries."

Who Really Was Jesus?

Essentially, though, all that presently is known about Jesus was recorded by his first-century followers. Their reports have been preserved in the Gospels-the Bible books written by two of his apostles, Matthew and John, and by two of his disciples, Mark and Luke. What do the accounts of these men reveal regarding the identity of Jesus? Who really was he? Jesus' first-century associates pondered that question. When they saw Jesus calm a wind-whipped sea with a rebuke, they wondered in amazement: "Who really is this?" On a later occasion, Jesus asked his apostles: "Who do you say I am?"-Mark 4:41; Matthew 16:15.

If you were asked that question, how would you answer? Who really was Jesus? Of course, many in Christendom would say that he was Almighty God in human form, God incarnate. Yet, the personal associates of Jesus never believed that he was God. The apostle Peter called him "the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) And search as you may, never will you read that Jesus claimed to be God. Rather, he told the Jews that he was "God's Son," not God.-John 10:36.

When Jesus walked across a stormy sea, the disciples were impressed by the fact that he was not a man like any other man. (John 6:18-21) He was a very special person. This was because he had previously lived as a spirit person with God in heaven, yes, as an angel, identified in the Bible as the archangel. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 9) God had created him before He created all other things. (Colossians 1:15) Thus, for untold ages of time, before even the physical universe was created, Jesus enjoyed intimate fellowship in heaven with his Father, Jehovah God, the Grand Creator.-Proverbs 8:22, 27-31; Ecclesiastes 12:1.

Then, nearly two thousand years ago, God transferred his Son's life to the womb of a woman. He thereby came to be a human son of God, born in the normal manner through a woman. (Galatians 4:4) While Jesus was developing in the womb of his mother, Mary, and later when he was growing up as a boy, he was dependent upon those whom God had selected to be his earthly parents. Eventually Jesus reached manhood, and evidently then he was granted memory of his previous association with God in heaven. This occurred 'when the heavens were opened up to him' at his baptism.-Matthew 3:16; John 8:23; 17:5.

Truly, Jesus was a unique person. He was, nonetheless, a man, the equal of Adam, whom God originally created and placed in the garden of Eden. The apostle Paul explained: "'The first man Adam became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." Jesus is called "the last Adam" because, like the original Adam, Jesus was a perfect human. But after Jesus died, he was resurrected, and he rejoined his Father in heaven as a spirit person.-1 Corinthians 15:45.

How Best to Learn About God

Think for a moment of the marvelous privilege that some enjoyed as personal associates of Jesus when he was on the earth! Imagine listening and talking to, watching, and even working with the One who had spent perhaps billions of years as an intimate companion of Jehovah God in heaven! As a faithful son, Jesus copied his heavenly Father in everything that he did. In fact, Jesus imitated his Father so perfectly that he could tell his apostles shortly before his execution: "He that has seen me has seen the Father also." (John 14:9, 10) Yes, in every situation he encountered here on earth, Jesus did just as his Father, Almighty God, would have done if He had been here. Thus, when we study the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, we are, in effect, learning just what kind of person God is.

Therefore, the serial "Jesus' Life and Ministry," which ran in successive issues of The Watchtower from April 1985 to June 1991, not only provided a fine picture of the man Jesus but also taught a great deal about his heavenly Father, Jehovah God. After its first two segments, a pioneer minister wrote the Watch Tower Society in appreciation, saying: "What better way to draw closer to the Father than to get to know the Son better!" How true that is! The Father's tender care for people and his largeheartedness are magnified in the life of the Son.

The love of Jesus for his Father, as manifested by his complete submission to his Father's will, is indeed beautiful to observe. "I do nothing of my own initiative," Jesus told the Jews who were seeking to kill him, "but just as the Father taught me I speak these things." (John 8:28) So, then, Jesus was not the author of the Kingdom message that he preached. Jehovah God was! And Jesus time and again gave his Father the credit. "I have not spoken out of my own impulse," he said, "but the Father himself who sent me has given me a commandment as to what to tell and what to speak. . . . Therefore the things I speak, just as the Father has told me them, so I speak them."-John 12:49, 50.

Yet, Jesus did not simply speak or teach what the Father told him. He did much more. He spoke it or taught it in the way the Father would have spoken it or taught it. Moreover, in all of his activities and relationships, he behaved and acted just as the Father would have behaved and acted under the same circumstances. "The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative," Jesus explained, "but only what he beholds the Father doing. For whatever things that One does, these things the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19) In every way, Jesus was a perfect reflection of his Father, Jehovah God. So it is no wonder that Jesus was the greatest man who ever lived! Surely, then, it is of vital importance that we consider closely this most significant man!

Answer 2

I would say it would be Jesus. In fact I recently gave a book to someone I was corresponding with through emails, he says he is an avid believer in/fan of Jesus, so when I saw him at a recent SciFi convention, I gave him a copy of the book "The Greatest Man Who ever Lived", along with another book "What does the Bible really teach". Not sure if he will read them, but will be interesting to see if he does, and if so, what he thinks of them.

Answer 3

It's absurd to assume that there was ONE man greater than every other man who ever lived. You're also giving a bunch of different criteria for "great" -- making things even murkier: accomplishments, honorability, most important (in a way you've left vague). It's just not the cse that people can be aboslutely ranked in this way.

Answer 4

Jesus is the greatest man that ever lived and next to that MAN is the greatest man that ever lived because we developed a world worth living in and a world worth dying in.

Answer 5

Without a doubt Jesus Christ is the greatest

Answer 6

Norman Bourlag

This humble scientist used genetically engineered crops to feed starving people, and he supposedly saved a billion lives due to his efforts:

Chances are you didn't know the guy's history. He didn't found a new movement, claim divinity, or try to win popularity. He just did the right thing, using tools (science).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tIvNopv9Pa8&mode=related&search=

Answer 7

The most popular religion worldwide is Christianity. Therefore Jesus would be the most spiritually influencial person.

However I'm not a Christian. Personally, the most spiritually influencial person is myself, because Spirit is revealed to me directly.

Answer 8

Not sure. But I am sure it was not David Koresh, Mary Baker Eddy, Joseph Smith, Martin Luther, Calvin, George Fox, Ghandi, Jim Jones, Mother Ann, L. Ron Hubbard, Brigham Young.....or Jesus.

Answer 9

Ralph Amundsen, my old school bus driver.

He didn't run over me 35 years ago when he had the chance, so that I'm here now to brighten your day.

Great guy, wasn't he?

Answer 10

Timothy Jones

Answer 11

Me, of course! I'm the most important man in my life.and in my perception the best looking too.