$7.

95
VOLUME TWO Y-JESUS
ARTICLE 1:

BORN
IDENTITY
WAS JESUS A REAL PERSON?
INSTRUCTIONS
To view the layout and graphics, click on the Facing icon on the
right side of your bottom tool bar in your Acrobat Reader© file. Try viewing at 75%.

To read the article, click on the Single Page icon on the bottom right of your
Acrobat Reader© file.

To enlarge the print for easier viewing, click on the “+” by the
magnifcation percentage in the middle of the tool bar at the top of the page.

To move from one page to another, use your side scroll bar or click on the
left or right arrow in the bottom tool bar.

CLICK HERE to see other articles from Y-Jesus Magazine at www.y-zine.com

Chief Editor: Larry Chapman

Project Coordinator: Helmut Teichert
Editorial Director: Rick James
Design: Hydragraphik ® Studio ( www.hydragraphik.com )
Sun Mountain Productions
Article Editors: Rick James, Eric Stanford
Copy Editor: Eric Stanford
Writers: Larry Chapman, Rick James, Eric Stanford

Y-ZINE
PO Box 6017
Great Falls, MT 59405

Copyright 2006 by Bright Media Foundation and B & L Publications. All rights reserved.
ISBN 0-9717422-3-5

2 • Y-JESUS
 Born Identity
Click on the e-article title for contents

WAS JESUS A REAL PERSON? Page 5

MYTH VS. REALITY Page 6

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS ABOUT JESUS Page 8

THE NEW TESTAMENT Page 8

EARLY NON-CHRISTIAN ACCOUNTS Page 10

HISTORICAL IMPACT Page 10

TANGIBLE EVIDENCE Page 11

SCHOLARS’ VERDICT Page 13

NEWSFLASH Page 13

THE GOSPELS IN BRIEF Page 13

THE WONDER YEARS Page 14

PUBLIC MINISTRY Page 14

DEATH AND RESURRECTION Page 15

ENDNOTES Page 15

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to Dr. Bill Bright, who passed away before this project was finished. Dr. Bright enthusiastically endorsed and
contributed to the development of the material presented in this endeavor.

Special thanks are also due to Rick James and Eric Stanford, who have both spent countless hours clarifying some of the concepts
presented.

Several others have contributed greatly to the writing of these articles, including Dr. Henry Brandt, Dave Chapman, Dr. Bert
Harned, and New Testament scholar, Dr. Ron Heine. The valuable input from Brian Ricci, ‘Jamin Latvala, and the Campus Crusade
staff at the University of Washington were especially helpful and constructive. Special thanks also are due Helmut Teichert of
Bright Media, who has been the overall director of the project. Finally I would like to thank my wife, Marianne, for inspiring me to
undertake this effort.

Larry Chapman

TABLE OF CONTENTS • 3
4 • ARTICLE ONE • BORN IDENTITY
Born
Identity
Was Jesus a real person?
“Well, I’m here to give the reality point of view, I guess,” declared Ellen Johnson, president
of American Atheists. “Because the reality is, there is not one shred of secular evidence
there ever was a Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ and Christianity is a modern religion. And Jesus
Christ is a compilation from other gods: Horas [sic], Mithras, who had the same origins, the
same death as the mythological Jesus Christ.”

Johnson and a blue-ribbon panel of religious leaders were discussing the question, “What
happens after we die?” on a Larry King Live CNN broadcast. The usually unflappable King
paused reflectively and then replied, “So you don’t believe there was a Jesus Christ?”

BORN IDENTITY • ARTICLE ONE • 5

With an air of certainty, Johnson respond- Is it possible that the Jesus so many believe MYTH VS. REALITY
ed, “There was not. It is not what I believe; to be real never existed? In The Story of
there is no secular evidence that JC, Jesus Civilization, secular historian Will Durant Let’s begin with a more foundational ques-
Christ, ever existed.” posed this question: “Did Christ exist? Is tion: What distinguishes myth from reality?
the life story of the founder of Christianity How do we know, for example, that Alexan-
King had no follow-up and went to a com- the product of human sorrow, imagina- der the Great really existed? Supposedly, in
mercial break. No discussion of any evi- tion, and hope—a myth comparable to the 336 B.C., Alexander the Great became king
dence for or against Jesus’ existence was legends of Krishna, Osiris, Attis, Adonis, of Macedonia at 20 years of age. A military
forthcoming. The international television Dionysus, and Mithras?”3 Durant pointed genius, this handsome, arrogant leader
audience was left wondering.1 out how the story of Christianity has “many butchered his way through villages, towns,
suspicious resemblances to the legends of and kingdoms of the Greco-Persian world
Fifty years earlier, in his book Why I Am pagan gods.”4 until he ruled it all. In a short eight years
Not a Christian, atheist Bertrand Russell Alexander’s armies had traversed a total of
shocked his generation by questioning So, how can we know for sure that this 22,000 miles in his conquests.
Jesus’ existence. He wrote: “Historically man, whom many worship and others
it is quite doubtful whether Christ ever curse, was real? Is Johnson right when she It has been said of Alexander that he cried
existed at all, and if He did we do not know asserts that Jesus Christ is a “compilation when he ran out of worlds to conquer. (I’m
anything about Him, so that I am not con- from other gods”? And is Russell right when thinking, this is not the person I want to
cerned with the historical question, which he says that Jesus’ existence is “quite play Monopoly with.)
is a very difficult one.”2 doubtful”?
Before he died at age 32, Alexander report-
edly accomplished greater mili-
tary deeds than anyone
in history, not only
of the kings
who had
lived

6 • ARTICLE ONE • BORN IDENTITY

����������������
�������������������������������������������
before him, but also of those who followed,
down to our own time. But today, other
than cities named Alexandria, a boring film
by Oliver Stone, and a few books, his legacy
is all but forgotten. In fact, the name Colin
Farrell had more drawing power at the box
office than Alexander’s.

In spite of the box office flop, historians cite

three primary reasons they believe Alexan-
der really existed:

• written documentation from early

historians
• historical impact
• historical and archaeological
evidence

HISTORICAL
DOCUMENTS
ABOUT
JESUS

The historicity of Alexander the Great and

his military conquests is drawn from five
ancient sources, none of whom were eye-
witnesses. Although written 400 years after
Alexander, Plutarch’s Life of Alexander is
the primary account of his life. Keeping Alexander as a reference point, record Jesus’ life and words from different
we’ll note that for Jesus there are both perspectives. These accounts have been
Since Plutarch and the other writers were religious and secular historical accounts. heavily scrutinized by scholars both inside
several hundred years removed from the But we must ask the question, were they Christianity and outside it.
events of Alexander’s life, they based written by reliable and objective historians?
their information on prior accounts. Of the Let’s take a brief look. Even New Testament critic John Dominic
twenty contemporary historical accounts on Crossan of the Jesus Seminar believes that
Alexander, not one survives. Later accounts THE Jesus Christ really lived.
exist, but each presents a different “Alex- NEW
ander,” with much left to our imagination. TESTAMENT The consensus of most historians is that the
But regardless of the time gap of several Gospel accounts give us a clear picture of
hundred years, historians are convinced The 27 New Testament books claim to Jesus Christ. Whether the New Testament
that Alexander was a real man and that the be written by authors who either knew accounts are trustworthy is the subject of
essential details of what we read about his Jesus or received firsthand knowledge of another article (See “Jesus.doc”).
life are true. him from others. The four Gospel accounts

8 • ARTICLE ONE • BORN IDENTITY

“It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned
nature’s numbers to make the Universe...The
impression of design is overwhelming.”
Paul Davies, theoretical physicist
To confirm Jesus’ existence we need to He was the Messiah.”6 Although there is • Jesus was believed by his
hear the opinions of non-Christian histori- dispute about some of the wording in the disciples to have died and risen
ans during Jesus’ time as well as today. We account, especially the reference to Jesus from the dead three days later.
also need to measure the historical impact being the Messiah (scholars are skepti- • Jesus’ enemies acknowledged
of his life. cal, thinking that Christians inserted this that he performed unusual feats
phrase), certainly Josephus confirmed his they called “sorcery.”

EARLY existence. • Jesus’ small band of disciples

NON-CHRISTIAN multiplied rapidly, spreading as
ACCOUNTS What about secular historians—those who far as Rome.
lived in ancient times but weren’t religious- • Jesus’ disciples denied poly-
So, which first-century historians who wrote ly motivated? There is current confirmation theism, lived moral lives, and
of Jesus did not have a Christian agenda? of at least 19 early secular writers who worshiped Christ as God.
First of all, let’s look to Jesus’ enemies. made references to Jesus as a real person.7
Theologian Norman Geisler remarked,
His Jewish opponents had the most to One of antiquity’s greatest historians, “This general outline is perfectly congruent
gain by denying Jesus’ existence. But the Cornelius Tacitus, affirmed that Jesus had with that of the New Testament.”9 All of
evidence points in the opposite direction. suffered under Pilate. Tacitus was born these independent accounts, religious and
“Several Jewish writings also tell of His around 25 years after Jesus died, and he secular, speak of a real man who matches
flesh-and-blood existence. Both Gemaras of had seen the spread of Christianity begin up well with the Jesus in the Gospels.
the Jewish Talmud refer to Jesus. Although to impact Rome. The Roman historian Encyclopedia Britannica cites these various
these consist of only a few brief, bitter pas- wrote negatively of Christ and Christians, secular accounts of Jesus’ life as convinc-
sages intended to discount Jesus’ deity, identifying them in 115 A.D. as “a race of ing proof of his existence. “These indepen-
these very early Jewish writings don’t begin men detested for their evil practices, and dent accounts prove that in ancient times
to hint that he was not a historical person.”5 commonly called Chrestiani. The name was even the opponents of Christianity never
derived from Chrestus, who, in the reign doubted the historicity of Jesus.”10
Flavius Josephus was a noted Jewish of Tiberius, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
historian who began writing under Roman Procurator of Judea.”8 HISTORICAL
authority in 67 A.D.. Josephus, who was IMPACT
born just a few years after Jesus died, The following facts about Jesus were writ-
would have been keenly aware of Jesus’ ten by early non-Christian sources: An important distinction between a myth
reputation among both Romans and Jews. • Jesus was from Nazareth. and a real person is how the figure impacts
In his famous Antiquities of the Jews (93 • Jesus lived a wise and virtuous life. history. For example, the Olympic Games
A.D.), Josephus wrote of Jesus as a real • Jesus was crucified in Palestine originated on Mount Olympus in Greece,
person. “At that time lived Jesus, a holy under Pontius Pilate during the home of the temple of the Greek god Zeus.
man, if man he may be called, for he per- reign of Tiberius Caesar at Pass- But Zeus has not changed governments,
formed wonderful works, and taught men, over time, being considered the laws, or ethics.
and joyfully received the truth. And he was Jewish king.
followed by many Jews and many Greeks. The historian Thomas Carlyle said, “No

“Regardless of what anyone may personally think great man lives in vain. The history of the

or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been world is but the biography of great men.”11

the dominant figure in the history of Western cul- As Carlyle notes, it is real people, not
ture for almost twenty centuries….” myths, who impact history.

Jaroslav Pelikan,
Yale historian
10 • ARTICLE ONE • BORN IDENTITY
As a real person, Alexander impacted his- • The elevated role of women in on history, he replied, “By this test Jesus
tory by his military conquests, altering na- Western culture traces its roots stands first.”13
tions, governments, and laws. But what of back to Jesus. (Women in Jesus’
Jesus Christ and his impact on our world? day were considered inferior Documentary evidence and historical im-
and virtual nonpersons until his pact point to the fact that Jesus did exist. If
The first-century governments of Israel and teaching was followed.) Jesus did really exist, we also would expect
Rome were largely untouched by Jesus’ life. • Slavery was abolished in Brit- to discover his footprints imprinted within
The average Roman didn’t know he existed ain and America due to Jesus’ the details of history. Myths don’t leave
until many years after his death, Roman teaching that each human life is such confirming details.
culture remained largely aloof from his valuable.
teaching for decades. It would be several • Former drug and alcohol depen- TANGIBLE
centuries before killing Christians in the dents, prostitutes, and others EVIDENCE
coliseum became a national pastime. The seeking purpose in life claim
rest of the world had little, if any, knowl- him as the explanation for their Despite the scrupulously historical film Elf,
edge of him. Jesus marshaled no army. He changed lives. a trip to the North Pole quickly puts the
didn’t write a book or change any laws. • Two billion people call them- myth label on Santa Claus. And in spite of
The Jewish leaders hoped to wipe out any selves Christians. While some are Tom Hanks’s assertions of Santa’s reality
memory of him, and it appeared they would Christian in name only, others in the movie Polar Express, all there is at
succeed. continue to impact our culture by the North Pole is ice. No reindeer or toy
teaching Jesus’ principles that all factories. No little men in red suits. The evi-
Today, however, ancient Rome lies in ruins. life is valuable and we are to love dence of confirming details just isn’t there.
Caesar’s mighty legions and the pomp of one another. (Please keep the contents of this magazine
Roman imperial power have faded into away from minors.)
oblivion. Yet how is Jesus remembered Remarkably, Jesus made all of this impact
today? What is his enduring influence? as a result of just a three-year period of
public ministry. If Jesus didn’t exist, one
• More books have been written must wonder how a myth could so alter his-
about Jesus than about any other tory. When world historian H. G. Wells was
person in history. asked who has left the greatest legacy
• Nations have used his words
as the bedrock of their govern-
ments. According to Durant, “The
triumph of Christ was the begin-
ning of democracy.”12
• His Sermon on the Mount estab-
lished a new paradigm in ethics
and morals.
• Schools, hospitals, and humani-
tarian works have been founded
in his name. Harvard, Yale, Princ-
eton, and Oxford are but a few
universities that have Christians
to thank for their beginning.

BORN IDENTITY • ARTICLE ONE • 11

The details of Alexander’s life, however, are never been confirmed as real. No rebuttal probably a lie, until two centuries turned
chronicled by Plutarch and other historians, was possible until the mid-20th century. it into legend. News of Christianity, on
providing evidence of his existence. The the other hand, took off faster than gossip
aftermath of his conquests resulted in more Archaeologists in 1962 confirmed Pilate’s about Brad and Jen’s breakup. Had Jesus
than 70 cities being named Alexandria. existence when they discovered his name not existed, those who opposed Christianity
included in an inscription on an excavated would certainly have labeled him a myth
Names of his generals, places he con- stone. Likewise, the existence of Caia- from the outset. But they didn’t.
quered, and other details known to history phas was uncertain until 1990, when an
paint a picture of a real person. ossuary (bone box) was discovered bearing Such evidence, along with the early written
his inscription. Archaeologists have also accounts and the historical impact of Jesus
Yet the extensive details surrounding the discovered what they believe to be Simon Christ, convince even skeptical historians
life of Jesus Christ far surpass those of Peter’s house and a cave where John the that the founder of Christianity was neither
Alexander. The following details have con- Baptist did his baptizing. myth nor legend. But one expert on myths
vinced most scholars that Jesus did exist: wasn’t so sure.
Finally, perhaps the most convincing
• historical New Testament sites historical evidence that Jesus existed was Like Muggeridge, Oxford scholar C. S.Lewis
• confirmation of New Testament the rapid rise of Christianity. How can it was initially convinced that Jesus was
characters be explained without Christ? How could nothing more than a myth. Lewis once
• suddenness of Christianity’s rise this group of fishermen and other working-
men invent Jesus in a scant few years?
One skeptic who thought Jesus was a myth Will Durant answered his own introductory
was British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge. question—did Christ exist?—with the fol-
But on a television assignment to Israel, lowing conclusion:
Muggeridge was faced with evidence about
Jesus Christ that he didn’t know existed. That a few simple men should in
As he checked out historical places—Jesus’ one generation have invented
birthplace, Nazareth, the crucifixion site, so powerful and appealing a
and the empty tomb—a sense of Jesus’ personality, so lofty an ethic
reality began to emerge. and so inspiring a vision of
human brotherhood, would be a
Later he stated, “It was while I was in the miracle far more incredible than
Holy Land for the purpose of making three any recorded in the Gospels.
B.B.C. television programmes on the New After two centuries of Higher
Testament that a … certainty seized me Criticism the outlines of the life,
about Jesus’ birth, ministry and Crucifixion. character, and teaching of Christ,
… I became aware that there really had remain reasonably clear, and con-
been a man, Jesus, who was also God.”14 stitute the most fascinating feature
in the history of Western man.15
Some German higher-critical scholars in stated, “All religions, that is, all mytholo-
the 18th and 19th centuries had questioned One key for Durant and other scholars is the gies … are merely man’s own inven-
Jesus’ existence, stating that such key time factor. Myths and legends usually take tion—Christ as much as Loki.”16 (Loki is an
figures as Pontius Pilate and chief priest Jo- hundreds of years to evolve—the story of old Norse god. Like Thor, but without the
seph Caiaphas in the Gospel accounts had George Washington never telling a lie was ponytail.)

12 • ARTICLE ONE • BORN IDENTITY

 Gospels
Ten years after denouncing Jesus as a Few if any serious historians agree with El-
myth, Lewis discovered that historical len Johnson’s and Bertrand Russell’s asser-
details, including several eyewitness docu- tions that Jesus didn’t exist. The extensive
ments, verify his existence.

Jesus Christ has impacted history’s land-

documentation of Jesus’ life by contempo-
rary writers, his profound historical impact,
and the confirming tangible evidence of
in Brief
scape like a massive earthquake. And this history have persuaded scholars that Jesus THE BIRTH
earthquake has left a trail wider than the really did exist. Could a myth have done The Gospel writers all anchored their

Grand Canyon. It is this trail of evidence all that? All but a few extremely skeptical historical narratives in the Old Testament,

that convinces scholars that Jesus really scholars say no. beginning with messianic passages from

did exist and really did impact our world the Hebrew prophets. These passages

2,000 years ago. Dr. Michael Grant of Cambridge has writ- foretold the coming Messiah, using a fulfill-

ten, “To sum up, modern critical methods ment formula stating that “that” is “this.”

SCHOLARS’ fail to support the Christ-myth theory. One such passage is Isaiah 9:6-7.
VERDICT It has ‘again and again been answered and
annihilated by first rank scholars.’ In recent “A child is born to us, a son is given to us.
Clifford Herschel Moore, professor at years ‘no serious scholar has ventured And the government will rest on his shoul-
Harvard University, remarked of Jesus’ to postulate the non-historicity of Jesus.’ ”18 ders. These will be his royal titles: Wonder-
ful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting

Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan declared, Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expand-

“Regardless of what anyone may person- ing, peaceful government will never end.

ally think or believe about him, Jesus of He will rule forever with fairness and justice

Nazareth has been the dominant figure from the throne of his ancestor David.”

in the history of Western culture for (Isaiah 9:6-7, NLT)

almost twenty centuries.... It is from his

birth that most of the human race dates Roughly 700 years after Isaiah uttered this

its calendars, it is by his name that prophecy concerning the coming Messiah,

millions curse and in his name that the Gospels tell us, the long-awaited

millions pray.”19 announcement is heralded by an angel. This

angel came, not to awaiting multitudes, but

NEWSFLASH to a lowly peasant woman, who was told she

would birth the Savior, sans husband.
In February, 2006, a legal challenge to Jesus’
existence wound up being thrown out of an
The young woman, Mary, was engaged
Italian court. The plaintiff, Luigi Cascioli,
72, had argued his hometown priest and to a village carpenter named Joseph. But
historicity, “Christianity knew its Saviour former schoolmate had effectively broken when Mary told Joseph what the angel had
an Italian law by conning the public into spoken, explaining that she was already
and Redeemer not as some god whose
believing that Jesus was a real person.
history was contained in a mythical faith. pregnant with the child, Joseph obviously
… Jesus was a historical not a mythical be- But instead of granting Cascioli his request assumed an illicit relationship and moved
ing. No remote or foul myth obtruded itself to bring the case to court, the judge to quietly dissolve the marriage.
on the Christian believer; his faith was recommended magistrates investigate him
for slandering priest Enrico Righi. Cascioli,

The
founded on positive, historical, and accept- But the Gospel of Matthew tells us that
author of a book called The Fable of Christ,
able facts.” 17
said he would appeal to Italy’s highest an angelic messenger related to Joseph,
court, and then to The Hague. in a dream, that what Mary had claimed

BORN IDENTITY • ARTICLE ONE • 13

was actually true. In fact, it must have THE WONDER YEARS PUBLIC MINISTRY
been quite a dream, for it compelled him to
believe Mary. In the history of unplanned The childhood of Jesus truly was the “won- At about the age of 30, Jesus went to
pregnancies this was probably not the first der years,” for the Gospels, in their silence, Nazareth, where he had been brought up,
time such a story was told. It was, in all leave us to wonder what transpired. Only and on the Sabbath day he went into the
likelihood, the first time it was believed. one story of Jesus’ youth is preserved, in synagogue, as was his custom. As he stood
which his parents (Joseph and Mary) hav- to do the Scripture reading, the scroll of the
The Gospels relate that the child was ing lost him, discovered him in the Temple prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unroll-
born in Bethlehem, this being the town of discussing the things of God with the reli- ing it, he found the place where it was
Joseph’s origin. Everyone needed to return gious leaders—a hint of things to come. written:
to their ancestral home to fulfill the require-
ments of a Roman census. As Bethlehem Other than this Temple incident and the The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
brimmed with returning pilgrims the family details surrounding his birth, many have for he has appointed me to preach
was forced to stay in a barn. Perhaps this wondered why the early years in Jesus’ life Good News to the poor. He has
was God’s plan, or perhaps Joseph just are largely unaccounted for. But the rea- sent me to proclaim that captives
didn’t plan, but we are left viewing irony sons are relatively easy to understand. will be released, that the blind will
itself: Mary gave birth to a son, Jesus, and see, that the downtrodden will be
laid the world’s Messiah in a feeding trough Since Jesus’ public ministry didn’t begin freed from their oppressors, and
for animals. until he was approximately 30 years of age, that the time of the Lord’s favor
there would be virtually nothing in his early has come. (Luke 4:18-19, NLT)
years of consequence to write about. None
of the miracles he performed or sermons he He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to
preached occurred until then. Additionally, the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in
his apostles, the authors of the New Testa- the synagogue stared at him intently. Then
ment, weren’t there to witness his pre-min- he said, “This Scripture has come true
istry life, not joining Jesus until he began today before your very eyes!” (Luke 4:20-21,
his public ministry. NLT)

This, according to the Gospel of Luke,

marked the beginning of Jesus’ public
ministry. The Isaiah passage from which he
read refers to the coming Messiah, and by
declaring, “This Scripture has come true,”
Jesus began his ministry with a gunshot
summoning the attention of all Israel and
beginning a race that would last roughly
three years before it ended in a state-spon-
sored lynching.

One would assume that Jesus’ teaching

was quite diverse, addressing all of the
many social and moral injustices of his day.
This was not the case. With the exception

14 • ARTICLE ONE • BORN IDENTITY

of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught should end in death. In fact, Jesus saw his
one primary message: “The kingdom of God death as inaugurating his reign. But these
is upon you, and I am its king.” were details to be worked out later, as upon
entering Jerusalem, the mechanisms of be-
The ministry of Jesus was laced with trayal were already in high gear and there
miracles, but every miracle was an object was no time left to clarify.
lesson, a 30-second commercial promoting
that one central message. As Jesus predicted, he was betrayed by one
of his own disciples—Judas Iscariot—and 5
D. James Kennedy, Skeptics Answered
For example, in the Old Testament, the arrested. In a mock trial under the Roman (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1997), 76. The
prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah’s governor Pontius Pilate (to whom the Gemaras are early rabbinical commentaries
coming kingdom, describing it in these Jewish leaders brought him since under of the Jewish Talmud, a body of theological
words: “In that day deaf people will hear Roman law they could not carry out their writings, dated a.d. 200–500.
words read from a book, and blind people own executions), he was convicted of 6
Quoted in Durant, 554.
will see through the gloom and darkness” treason and condemned to die on a cross. 7
Durant, 73.
and “When he comes, he will open the 8
Quoted in Durant, 281.
eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of At 3:00 in the afternoon, after hanging on 9
Norman Geisler and Peter Bocchino, Un-
the deaf” (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5). So every time the cross for approximately six hours, Jesus shakable Foundations (Grand Rapids, MI:
Jesus gave sight to the blind and hearing cried out, “It is finished.” And with that Bethany House, 2001), 269.
to the deaf, it was freighted with messianic breathed his last breath. 10
Quoted in Josh McDowell, Evidence
implications. That Demands a Verdict, vol. 1 (Nashville:
The Gospels declare that three days later Nelson, 1979), 87.
Besides telling of his messages and reports began to spread of witnesses who 11
Quoted in Christopher Lee, This Sceptred
miracles to the masses, the Gospels draw had seen Jesus. As the number of wit- Isle, 55 B.C.–1901 (London: Penguin, 1997),
us in to the inner circle of Jesus’ most loyal, nesses grew to several hundred, Jerusalem 1.
though flawed, group of followers: the was in an uproar. It was divided and would 12
Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy (New
disciples. Jesus assumed not just the role remain so—Christianity had been birthed. York: Pocket, 1961), 428.
of Messiah, but that of mentor, training the 13
Quoted in Bernard Ramm, Protestant
disciples to carry on the proclamation of the Christian Evidences (Chicago: Moody
kingdom—and its king—once the king had Press, 1957), 163.
been killed. 14
Malcolm Muggeridge, Jesus Rediscov-
ered (Bungay, Suffolk, U.K.: Fontana, 1969),
DEATH AND ENDNOTES 8.
RESURRECTION 1
Ellen Johnson and Larry King, “What Hap- 15
Durant, Caesar and Christ, Ibid.
pens After We Die?” Larry King Live, CNN, 16
David C. Downing, The Most Reluctant
The ministry of Jesus ended as abruptly as April 14, 2005. Convert (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity,
it had begun. Upon his final visit to Jerusa- 2
Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Chris- 2002), 57.
lem for the Passover, Jesus told his 12 clos- tian (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1957), 17
Quoted in McDowell, 193.
est disciples that he would be betrayed, ar- 16. 18
Michael Grant, Jesus (London: Rigel,
rested, and crucified but also that he would 3
Will Durant, Caesar and Christ, vol. 3 of 2004), 200.
come back to life three days later. Jesus’ The Story of Civilization (New York: Simon 19
Jaroslav Pelikan, Jesus through the Cen-
followers were confused, for it seemed & Schuster, 1972), 553. turies (New York: Harper & Row, 1987), 1.
inconceivable that the Messiah’s reign 4
Ibid., 557.

BORN IDENTITY • ARTICLE ONE • 15

“BORN IDENTITY” IS ONE OF SEVEN ARTICLES FROM

Y-JESUS MAGAZINE

Y-Jesus Magazine investigates

the evidence for Jesus Christ.

• Scholars examine the facts

• Relevant illustrations

• Dramatic photos

• Contemporary graphics

• Easy to read and understand

Y-Jesus is a full color, 100 page magazine.

It includes these seven articles:

Born Identity
Was Jesus a real person?

Jesus Complex
Was He crazy, a pathological liar, or the Son of God?

Mona Lisa’s Smirk

The truth behind the Da Vinci conspiracy.

Jesus.doc
Is the New Testament reliable?

The Path Laid By Prophets

Was the Messiah’s identity encrypted within ancient Hebrew prophecy?

Body Count
Is there evidence that Jesus rose from the dead?

Why Jesus?
Is He relevant today?

CLICK HERE to read excerpts from these articles at www.y-Jesus.com

HELPFUL WEBSITES DISCOVER THE LATEST
EVIDENCE FOR A CREATOR
IN YOUR DISCOVERY OF THE REAL JESUS:
IN Y-ORIGINS MAGAZINE

Da Vinci and Jesus

What can you believe, and what book can you trust? Dan
Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” is a book of fiction that
proposes that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God described
in the Bible. But this book is fiction and not fact. The Bible
clearly states that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who gave
His life for you. If you are searching for God and a life that is
full and meaningful, you can find what you are looking for in
Jesus Christ of the Bible.
www.DaVinciAndJesus.com

Jesus: Fact or Fiction

Explore the evidence for Jesus Christ. Hear experts in DISCOVER IN Y-ORIGINS:
history, philosophy, science and theology answer more than
50 of life’s toughest questions. Find the answers to your Leading scientists like Einstein admit to a
“superintelligence.”
questions about Jesus Christ.
www.JesusFactOrFiction.com DNA causes leading atheist to renounce 50
years of unbelief

DNA stuns evolutionists by tracing all

humans to a single parent
Would You Like to Know God New theories predict other dimensions that
Personally? make “miracles” possible
God loves you and wants you to know Him intimately. The Creator has left clues in the cosmos that
Four principles will help you discover how to know God tell us what He is like.
personally and experience the abundant life He promised.
This colorful, easy-to-read magazine provides
www.KnowGodPersonally.org startling insights about our origins from
such leading scientists as Stephen Hawking,
Stephen Jay Gould, Roger Penrose, and Paul
Davies. In his review of Y-Origins Jon Greene
writes,

“Y-Origins is a wonderful work on intelligent

design, designed to appeal to the Y-
generation. For readers who have never
been exposed to the evidence for intelligent
design, Y-Origins is a great introduction.”
WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU. To get a copy of
CLICK HERE to give us comments Y-Origins Magazine
visit www.Y-zine.com
or mail $7.95 per magazine to:

Y-Zine
P.O. BOX 6017
Great Falls, MT 59405

(Shipping & handling is free

within the continental US)