FACT: Jesus was a man, He lived and breathed and walked the earth alongside other men. Some people cringe at the thought, but most faithful historians would agree. Many of them would suggest He was was only that, they would emphasize that Jesus was just a man. Nothing more.
This fact alone should be enough information for the average person to chew on honestly. History doesn’t favour many peoples memory, as most will disappear into the unknown portion of history. I probably fall into that category, with nothing more than perhaps this blog to remember me by in 100 years time. You also possibly fall into that category.
Jesus, on the other hand? The memory of Jesus and the historical fact of His existence have been preserved throughout thousands of years. Beyond that, tales of His life and teachings have literally shaped societies and cultures for the same amount of time. An incredible feat really. CLICK HERE to listen to our episode on the subject
The memory of Jesus and the historical fact of His existence has been preserved throughout thousands of years”
Sure, there are others who have held similar prestige throughout the ages. Some might site Buddha, Mohamed, or possibly feared leaders such as Adolf Hitler or Alexander the Great. Some people simply change the world in irreversible ways, and Jesus of Nazareth would rank pretty high on that list.
Consider the History
Josephus, a 1st Century Historian, spoke of Jesus of Nazareth in a very famous piece called the ‘Testimonium Flavianum’. Before we get into it, there are some very valid criticisms against some of the recorded statements in this text. I will in turn ignore those specific pieces of the text for the sake of this discussion.
“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man… For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks… And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease… And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” (Translation from Loeb Classical Library)
It is also clear from his statements that he believed this Jesus to be the same man spoken of in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This is not to say he believed those records to be truthful, but he surely would have agreed that they were speaking of the same man. Josephus records that; Jesus had disciples who followed Him, did surprising deeds and was ultimately sentenced to death by crucifixion.
The link between this extra-biblical historical account and the Biblical account is part of what makes this such a beautiful thing to ponder.
Perhaps there is a chance that Josephus was going along with the narrative he was hearing of Jesus for some political gain of sorts. While this is incredibly unlikely, Josephus was a pretty selfish guy with a clear agenda in his writings
Implications of the History
Even in this absolute worst scenario for the case of the historical evidence of Jesus of Nazareth, what one needs to consider is that there is no period rebuttal against this mention of Jesus. This 1st Century historian was not a nobody.
He was a well known author and historian. Surely if he used Jesus of Nazareth as part of his historical record knowing full-well that Jesus never existed, someone somewhere would have called him out on that gross misinformation.
Yet, while it seems relatively obvious that Josephus was a man with an agenda, and that his versions of historical events are not 100% without presuppositions, as far as we can tell nobody produced any literature recording any major issues with his historical process.
There seems to be very little doubt that according to Josephus and his peers; Jesus of Nazareth existed, did surprising deeds, was sentenced to death by crucifixion, and had disciples who followed him even after his death.
The implications of those facts alone should be enough for one to pause when considering the life of Jesus.
One cannot ignore the details pertaining to these facts recorded in scripture. It would be unwise to consider all of scripture to be tales and fables, when we know these four important facts about Jesus to be historically true.
At the very least, we should isolate every scripture that deals with; Jesus and his disciples as He does surprising deeds, as well as the verses pertaining to His crucifixion. Isolate and study those alongside these facts we find in history.
More than just a man
I wonder what one would conclude if all four Gospels were studied in this limited capacity, but treated as historical facts. One can only hypothesize. I’m sure, however, that even in such a limited capacity, the story of Jesus would change lives. As it did mine and continues to do so every day.
I’m sure, however, that even in such a limited capacity, the story of Jesus would change lives”