Can

 We  Prove  that  Jesus  was  Real  Person?  

Opinions  About  Christ’s  Existence  
What  do  the  “Hunger  Games,”  “Twilight,”  and  the  Bible  all  have  in  common?  All  three  are  fiction  novels  
according  to  the  booksellers  at  Costco.  In  November  2013  a  controversy  arose  when  a  Costco  store  in  
suburban  Los  Angeles  labeled  all  the  Bibles  as  fiction.  Pastor  Caleb  Kaltenbach  made  the  discovery  on  
Friday,  November  15,  2013  as  he  was  shopping  with  his  wife  in  Simi  Valley  California.  “All  the  Bibles  were  
labeled  as  fiction,”  the  pastor  told  Fox  News.  “It  seemed  bizarre  to  me.”  His  first  thought  was  that  the  labels  
on  the  Bibles  were  just  a  mistake.  Every  copy  of  the  Bible  was  had  a  sticker  on  them  that  read  “$14.99  
Fiction.”  1  
 
It  would  be  easy  for  many  American’s  to  cry  out  “persecution”  when  they  hear  about  Costco’s  unfounded  
claims  but  we  aren’t  living  in  China  or  Iran.  The  persecution  we  face  is  not  a  blunt  attack  on  our  believes.  
Rather,  we  live  in  a  county  that  subtly  stabs  out  the  very  fabric  of  our  Bible.  Many  people  assume  that  Jesus  
was  nothing  more  than  another  fantasy  figure  that  various  facets  and  cults  in  society  created  2,000  years  
ago.  Allegedly,  His  name  belongs  with  the  fictional  writings  that  contain  such  fairy-­‐tail  characters  as  Peter  
Pan,  Hercules,  and  Cinderella.  Leading  atheistic  thinker  of  our  day  Richard  Dawkins  says  this:  “We  cannot,  
of  course,  disprove  God,  just  as  we  can't  disprove  Thor,  fairies,  leprechauns  and  the  Flying  Spaghetti  
Monster.”  The  hypothesis  that  Jesus  never  really  existed  has  started  to  gain  more  and  more  credibility  in  
the  “scholarly”  world.  The  list  of  PHD’s  who  claim  that  the  historical  Jesus  is  questionable  at  best  continues  
to  grow  longer.  
§ Elaine  Pagels  (Professor  of  Religion  at  Princeton  University)  –    
o “Some  hoped  to  penetrate  the  various  accounts  and  to  discover  the  “historical  Jesus”.  .  .  and  
that  sorting  out  ‘authentic’  material  in  the  gospels  was  virtually  impossible  in  the  absence  of  
independent  evidence.”  
§ David  Noel  Freedman,  Bible  scholar  and  general  editor  of  the  Anchor  Bible  series  (Bible  Review,  
December  1993,  Vol.  IX,  Number  6,  p.  34)  –    
o “When  it  comes  to  the  historical  question  about  the  Gospels,  I  adopt  a  mediating  position–  that  
is,  these  are  religious  records,  close  to  the  sources,  but  they  are  not  in  accordance  with  modern  
historiographic  requirements  or  professional  standards.”  
§ C.  Dennis  Mckinsey,  Bible  Critic  (The  Encyclopedia  of  Biblical  Errancy)  –    
o “Jesus  is  a  mythical  figure  in  the  tradition  of  pagan  mythology  and  almost  nothing  in  all  of  
ancient  literature  would  lead  one  to  believe  otherwise.  Anyone  wanting  to  believe  Jesus  lived  
and  walked  as  a  real  live  human  being  must  do  so  despite  the  evidence,  not  because  of  it.”  
§ Robert  M.  Price,  professor  of  biblical  criticism  at  the  Center  for  Inquiry  Institute  (Deconstructing  
Jesus,  p.  260)  –    
o “It  is  important  to  recognize  the  obvious:  The  gospel  story  of  Jesus  is  itself  apparently  mythic  
from  first  to  last.”  
 
Liberals  Belief:  There  is  no  valid  verifying  proof  that  Jesus  actually  existed  in  historical  record.  Works  of  
fiction,  aka  the  Bible,  are  not  evidence!  
 
How  do  those  of  us  who  believe  in  a  historical  Jesus  respond  to  such  allegation?  The  historicity  of  the  man  
Christ  concerns  the  analysis  of  the  historical  evidence  to  determine  whether  Jesus  of  Nazareth  existed  and  
whether  the  major  milestones  in  his  life  as  portrayed  in  the  Gospels  can  be  confirmed  as  actual  historical  
events.  

                                                                                                               
1  http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/11/18/costco-­‐bible-­‐is-­‐fiction/  
  
As  we  can  see  there  are  many  “scholars”  today  and  a  much  larger  group  of  internet  commenters  that  
maintain  that  Jesus  never  existed.  Proponents  of  this  position  claim  that  Jesus  is  purely  a  mythical  figure  
invented  or  at  the  very  least  copycatted  by  the  New  Testament  authors.  Here  are  three  reasons  why  I  am  
assured  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  a  real  person.    
 
1.  “JESUS  MYTHERS”  HAVE  NO  HISTORICAL  BACKING  
Explanation:  There  have  been  those  who  claim  that  most  historian,  both  Christian  and  secular,  do  not  
really  believe  that  Jesus  was  a  historical  person.  People  who  hold  to  this  belief  could  be  referred  to  as  
“Jesus  Mythers.”  These  small  number  of  researchers  have  painstakingly  attempted  to  promote  the  
unverified  belief  that  Jesus  never  existed.  These  theories  are  based  on  an  abuse  of  source  documents,  
an  incredible  lack  of  scholarly  research,  and  just  in  general  bad  scholarship.    
 
They  make  some  seriously  flawed  claims:  
a. Claim  #1:  None  of  the  contemporaries  of  Jesus  confirm  the  resurrection  or  wrote  about  
Jesus.  
 
Explanation  of  Claim:  Jesus  Myther  claims  that  the  historical  sources  are  secondary  at  best.  
They  claim  that  Paul  was  a  contemporary  of  the  Apostles  and  not  of  Jesus  and  he  only  saw  a  
risen  Christ  in  a  vision  but  not  in  person.    
 
Refutation:  Paul  was  a  high  ranking  Pharisee  before  his  conversion.  He  studied  at  Jerusalem  
under  Gamaliel.  It  is  unlikely  that  Paul  did  not  debate  with  Jesus  during  his  earthly  ministry.  We  
know  Paul’s  history  from  the  book  of  Acts  and  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  perport  that  Paul  
was  not  aware  of  what  Christ  was  doing.  Further  proof  that  Paul  was  a  contemporary  of  Jesus  is  
that  Luke,  a  companion  of  Paul,  records  Jesus’  encounter  with  the  Pharisees.  Paul  never  seeks  to  
contradict  or  correct  Luke’s  record.  The  weight  of  evidence  leans  toward  the  belief  that  Paul  
was  in  fact  a  contemporary  of  Jesus.  
 
The  claim  that  none  of  Christ’s  contemporaries  wrote  about  Jesus  or  his  resurrection  is  dubious  
at  best.  Consider  the  following  facts  and  think  about  that  claim:  
§ Matthew  (disciple  of  Jesus):  eyewitness  account  of  Jesus  
§ Mark  (follower  of  Jesus):  eyewitness  account  of  Jesus  
§ Luke  (follower  of  Jesus):  Interviewed  eyewitnesses  
§ John  (disciple  of  Jesus):  Wrote  the  Gospel  of  John,  1,  2,  3  John,  and  Revelation  which  all  
affirm  the  existence  of  Jesus  and  were  all  eyewitness  accounts  
§ Peter  (disciple  of  Jesus):  Wrote  2  letters  about  Jesus  and  preached  His  death,  burial,  and  
resurrection  
§ Paul  (opponent  of  Jesus  converted  upon  meeting  the  risen  Christ):  Wrote  13  books  of  
the  NT  
 
b. Claim  #2:  Historical  evidence  is  invalid.  
Explanation  of  Claim:  This  claim  starts  with  the  presupposition  that  Christ  didn’t  exist.  This  
presupposition  leads  them  to  conclude  that  any  historical  documents  saying  Christ  did  exist  are  
clearly  flawed  and  should  be  thrown  out.  
 
Refutation:  The  presupposition  that  led  them  to  throw  out  historical  records  is  unfounded.  No  
credible  historian  would  side  step  such  a  mountain  of  evidence.  Jesus  is  probably  the  most  well  
established  figure  in  the  history  of  mankind.  When  we  look  at  the  documentation  of  Jesus  as  a  
 real  historical  figure  we  see  that  it  is  far  more  reliable  than  just  about  every  other  accepted  
historical  work.  
Ancient  Writing2   Extant  Manuscripts  
Homer’s  Illiad   643  
Sophocles  (combined  writings)   100-­‐193  
Aristotle  (combined  writings)   49  
Tacitus  (A.D.  56-­‐117)   20  
Caesar’s  Galactic  Wars   10  
Euripides     9  
Herodotus  (484-­‐425  B.C.)   8  
Thucydides   8  
Plato  (428-­‐348  B.C.)   7  
Catallus  (84-­‐54  B.C.)   3  
New  Testament  Greek  MSS   5,752  (as  of  Dec.  2008)  
New  Testament  Latin  MSS   10,000+  
Quotes  from  Church  father  before  A.D.  325   32,000  quotations  
Quotes  from  Church  fathers  in  all  MSS   Over  1  million  quotations  
 
Ancient  Writing3   Earliest  Complete  Manuscript  
Josephus  –  Antiquities   1,300  years  after  author  died  
Tacitus  –  Annals   800  years  after  author  died  
Caesar  –  Gallic  Wars   900  years  after  author  died  
New  Testament   300  years  after  author  died  
 
While  the  Jesus  Mythers  make  the  claim  that  the  NT  is  not  a  good  historical  source,  they  will  
have  to  forget  Socrates,  Plato,  Aristotle,  and  Euripides.  They  will  have  to  ignore  that  Josephus,  
Tacitus,  and  Caesar’s  works  are  all  older  than  the  NT  works  we  have  available  to  us.  The  
uncomfortable  fact  they  will  have  to  face  is  that  the  NT  writers  are  attributed  to  real  mean  who  
lived,  ate  and  worked.  They  are  all  better  sources  than  the  other  ancient  works.  The  bulk  of  the  
evidence  weighs  heavily  in  the  favor  of  those  who  claim  that  Jesus  was  a  real  person.    
 
c. Claim  #3:  Christianity  finds  its  roots  in  mythology  
Explanation  of  Claim:  Jesus  mythers  claim  that  certain  gospel  stories  carry  similar  attributes  to  
those  of  dying-­‐and-­‐rising-­‐gods,  demi-­‐gods,  or  other  divine  men  such  as  Mithra.  The  key  
mythycist  argument  is  that  Jesus  is  a  loosely  based  story  of  Mithraism,  an  ancient  Pagan  
religion.  The  claim  is  basically  that  Mithra  was  born  of  a  Virgin  on  Dec.  25th,  he  had  12  disciples  
celebrated  Eucharist,  was  called  “Messiah,”  was  crucified  then  buried  in  a  tomb,  and  finally  rose  
again  on  the  3rd  day.  
 
Best  selling  book  The  Davinci  Code  makes  this  stunning  claim,  “Nothing  in  Christianity  is  original.  
The  pre-­‐Christian  God  Mithras  –  called  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Light  of  the  World  –  was  born  on  
December  25,  died,  was  buried  in  a  rock  tomb,  and  then  resurrected  in  three  days.”4  
 
                                                                                                               
2  Statistics  on  Classical  writings  from  F.F.  Bruce,  The  New  Testament  Documents:  Are  They  Reliable  

(Downers  Grove:  InterVarsity  Press,  1972),  16-­‐17;  Bruce  Metzger,  The  New  Text  of  the  New  Testament  
(Oxford:  Oxford  University  Press,  1968),  34.  
3  Ibid.      
4  Dan  Brown,  The  Davinci  Code  (New  York:  Anchor  Books,  2009),  232.  
 Refutation:  These  claims  are  some  of  the  most  factually  base  claims  every  made.  Very  little  is  
recorded  in  history  about  Mithraism.  What  we  do  have  recorded  makes  it  clear  that  Jesus  is  not  
a  story  ripped  off  from  Mithraism.  Notice  what  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica  has  to  say:    
“There  is  little  notice  of  the  Persian  god  [Mithra]  in  the  Roman  world  until  the  beginning  of  the  
2nd  century,  but,  from  the  year  AD  136  onward,  there  are  hundreds  of  dedicatory  inscriptions  
to  Mithra.  This  renewal  of  interest  is  not  easily  explained.  The  most  plausible  hypothesis  seems  
to  be  that  Roman  Mithraism  was  practically  a  new  creation,  wrought  by  a  religious  genius  
who  may  have  lived  as  late  as  c.  AD  100  and  who  gave  the  old  traditional  Persian  ceremonies  a  
new  Platonic  interpretation  that  enabled  Mithraism  to  become  acceptable  to  the  Roman  
world.”5  
This  seems  to  indicates  then  that  Mithraism  has  not  inspired  Christianity.  The  Gospel  accounts  
of  Jesus  were  written  before  then.    
 
As  for  the  claim  that  Mithra  was  virgin  historical  evidence  suggests  that  the  Roman’s  taught  that  
he  was  born  as  an  adult  out  of  a  rock  in  a  cave.    
“Wearing  his  Phyrigian  cap,  issues  forth  from  the  rocky  mass.  As  yet  only  his  bare  torso  is  
visible,  IN  each  hand  he  raises  aloft  a  lighted  torch  and,  as  an  unusual  detail,  red  flaims  shoot  
out  all  around  him  from  the  petra  genetrix.”6  
Therefore,  unless  the  rocky  mass  is  a  human  and  virgin,  and  fully  grown  Mithra  is  both  and  
adult  and  a  baby,  it  is  quite  deceptive  to  claim  that  this  is  a  Virgin  birth.  
 
There  is  further  no  record  that  Mithra  was  a  great  teacher  with  12  disciples  nor  is  there  
evidence  to  suggest  that  Mithras  bodily  rose  from  the  dead.  One  myth  about  Mithra  is  that  he  
was  taken  to  paradise  in  a  chariot  alive  and  well  after  he  finished  his  mission  on  earth.  Nothing  
is  mentioned  about  a  crucifixion  or  a  resurrection.    
 
CONCLUDING  THOUGHTS  ABOUT  THE  JESUS  MYTHERS  
§ Jesus  Mythers  use  the  Logical  fallacy  of  false  cause.  
o This  fallacy  is  when  someone  reasons  that  just  because  2  things  exist  side  by  side  one  
must  have  caused  the  other.  Mere  coincidence  does  not  prove  causal  connection  and  
similiarity  does  not  prove  dependence.  
§ Jesus  Mythers  have  a  wrong  chronology.  
o All  the  sources  used  about  pagan  religions  to  influence  early  Christianity  are  dated  very  
late.  Some  writers  even  quote  from  documents  300  years  later  than  Paul  in  an  effort  to  
produce  ideas  that  allegedly  influenced  Paul.    
§ Jesus  Mythers  assume  wrongly  that  Paul  would  borrow  from  pagan  religions.    
o All  of  the  information  we  have  about  Paul  indicates  that  Paul  would  never  allow  himself  
to  be  influenced  by  pagan  sources.    
 
2. EVEN  CRITICS  OF  THE  BIBLE  ADMIT  THAT  JESUS  LIVED  
Explanation:  Even  those  critical  scholars  who  spend  their  time  ripping  the  very  heart  out  of  the  Word  of  
God  admit  that  Christ  was  in  fact  a  historical  person:  
a. Gunther  Bornkamm  –  “To  doubt  the  historical  existence  of  Jesus  at  all  .  .  .  was  reserved  for  an  
unrestrained  tendentious  criticism  of  modern  times  into  which  it  is  not  worthwhile  to  enter  
here.”7  

                                                                                                               
5  Enclyclopedia  Britannica,  Article  Entry:  Mithraism  2004  edition.    
6  Fran  Cumon,  “The  Dura  Mithraeum”  in  John  R  Hinnells  (ed.),  Mithraic  Studies:  Proceedings  of  the  First  

International  Congress  of  MIthraic  Studies  (Manchester  University  Press,  1975),  173.    
 b. Will  Marxsen  –  “I  am  of  the  opinion  (and  it  is  an  opinion  shared  by  every  serious  historian)  that  
the  theory  [‘that  Jesus  never  lived,  that  he  was  purely  a  mythical  figure’]  is  historically  
untenable.”8  
c. Rudolf  Bultmann  –  “Of  course  the  doubt  as  to  whether  Jesus  really  existed  is  unfounded  and  not  
worth  refutation.  No  sane  person  can  doubt  that  Jesus  stands  as  founder  behind  the  historical  
movement  whose  first  distinct  stage  is  represented  by  the  oldest  Palestinian  community.”9  
d. Michael  Grant  –  “To  sum  up,  modern  critical  methods  fail  to  support  the  Christ-­‐myth  theory.  It  
has  ‘again  and  again  been  answered  and  annihilated  by  first-­‐rank  scholars.’  In  recent  years  ‘no  
serious  scholar  has  ventured  to  postulate  the  non-­‐historicity  of  Jesus’  –  or  at  any  rate  very  few,  
and  they  have  not  succeeded  in  disposing  of  the  much  stronger,  indeed  very  abundant,  evidence  
to  the  contrary.”10  
So  why  is  it  that  even  liberal  and  critical  scholars  of  the  New  Testament  accept  and  agree  that  Jesus  was  
a  real  historical  figure?  Because,  the  facts  are  just  to  stacked  up  to  say  anything  to  the  contrary.  There  is  
no  serious  debate  among  the  vast  majority  of  scholars  in  the  fields  related  to  the  question  of  the  
existence  of  Jesus.  The  view  that  Jesus  existed  is  held  by  virtually  every  scholarly  expert  on  the  planet.    
 
3. ACCEPTED  EXTRA-­‐BIBLICAL  SOURCES  ACKNOWLEDGE  JESUS’  EXISTENCE  
Explanation:  Where  is  the  proof  from  non-­‐Biblical  sources  that  tells  us  that  Jesus  is  indeed  a  real  
person?  Although  the  NT  is  full  of  quotes  that  claim  that  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God  who  really  did  live  on  
earth  many  are  still  reluctant  to  believe  what  it  says  unless  they  see  some  independent  testimony.    The  
fact  is  that  there  is  collateral  proof  available  to  us  that  proves  Christ  really  did  exist.  
 
“Religious  fanatics  want  people  to  switch  off  their  own  minds,  ignore  the  evidence,  and  blindly  follow  a  
holy  book  based  upon  private  'revelation'.”  –  Richard  Dawkins  
 
a. Evidence  from  Tacitus  
Historian  Edwin  Yamauchi  calls  this  “probably  the  most  important  reference  to  Jesus  outside  of  
the  New  Testament.”11  Tacitus  in  A.D.  64  about  the  rumors  spread  about  Nero  burning  Rome  
makes  the  report:  
§ “Nero  fastened  the  guilt  .  .  .  on  a  class  of  hated  for  their  abominations,  called  Christians  
by  the  populace.  Christus,  from  whom  the  name  had  its  origin,  suffered  the  extreme  
penalty  during  the  reign  of  Tiberius  at  the  hands  of  .  .  .  Pontius  Pilot,  and  a  most  
mischievous  superstition,  thus  checked  for  the  moment,  again  broke  out  not  only  in  
Judaea,  the  first  source  of  the  evil,  but  even  in  Rome  .  .  .”12  
From  this  we  can  note  a  few  important  things:  
§ Tacitus  reports  Christian  derived  their  name  from  a  historical  person  called  Christus  
(from  the  Latin)  or  Christ.  
§ Christ  is  said  to  have  “suffered  the  extreme  penalty,”  most  probably  referring  to  the  
Roman  method  of  execution  known  as  crucifixion.  
§ The  crucifixion  of  Christ  is  said  to  have  been  done  during  the  reign  of  Tiberius  and  
was  administered  by  Pontius  Pilot.    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
7  Günther  Bornkamm,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Translated  by  I.  and  F.  McLuskey  with  J.  M.  Robinson  (New  York,  

NY:  Harper  and  Row,  1960),  p.  28.  

8  Willi  Marxsen,  The  Resurrection  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  (Philadelphia,  PA:  Fortress,  1970),  p.  119.  
9  Rudolf  Bultmann,  Jesus  and  the  Word  (London:  Collins/Fontana,  1958),  p.  13.  
10  Michael  Grant,  Jesus:  An  Historian’s  Review  of  the  Gospels  (New  York,  NY:  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  1977),  

p.  200.  
11  Edwin  Yamauchi,  quoted  in  Lee  Strobel,  The  Case  for  Christ  (Grand  Rapids:  Zondervan,  1998),  82.    
12  Tacitus,  Annals  15.44,  cited  in  Strobel,  The  Case  for  Christ,  82.    
  
Conclusion:  All  of  this  witness  confirms  what  the  Gospels  tell  us  about  the  death  of  Christ.    
 
b. Evidence  from  Josephus  
Outside  of  the  Bible  there  are  perhaps  no  more  remarkable  references  to  Jesus  than  those  found  
in  the  writings  of  Josephus.  One  two  occasions  in  his  Jewish  Antiquities,  he  mentions  Jesus.  The  
authenticity  of  one  (Testimonium  Flavianum)  is  debated,  but  the  account  of  the  execution  of  
James  is  accepted.  He  calls  James,  “the  brother  of  Jesus  who  was  called  Christ.”13    
 
The  brief  reference  of  James  is  helpful  but  is  the  astonishing  statement  in  Testimonium  
Flavianum  that  is  particularly  relevant.    
§ “About  this  time  there  lived  Jesus,  a  wise  man,  if  indeed  one  ought  to  call  him  a  man.  For  he  
.  .  .  wrought  surprising  feats.  .  .  .  He  was  the  Christ.  When  Pilate  .  .  .  condemned  him  to  be  
crucified,  those  who  had  .  .  .  come  to  love  him  did  not  give  up  their  affection  for  him.  On  the  
third  day  he  appeared  .  .  .  restored  to  life  .  .  .  And  the  tribe  of  Christians  .  .  .  has  .  .  .  not  
disappeared.”14  
The  question  that  arises  is  whether  or  not  Josephus,  who  was  not  a  Christian,  would  writes  this  
astonishing  passage.  It  seems  likely  that  a  Christian  editor  came  and  added  a  few  choice  phrases  
to  what  Josephus  had  already  said  sometime  between  the  3rd  and  4th  century  A.D.  For  example,  
the  qualifying  phrase,  “if  indeed  one  ought  to  call  him  a  man”  does  not  appear  to  have  been  
written  by  a  careful  historian.  This  phrase  implies  that  Jesus  was  much  more  than  just  a  man.  It  
is  also  unlikely  that  Josephus  would  have  so  clearly  stated  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ  or  that  he  
resurrected  on  the  third  day.  But  even  if  we  disregard  the  questionable  phrases  in  this  passage  
we  are  still  left  with  a  great  deal  of  important  information  about  the  historical  Jesus.  We  read  
that  he  performed  amazing  feats  and  that  although  he  was  crucified,  His  followers  continued  
their  discipleship  and  were  called  Christians.    
 
Conclusion:  Very  few  scholars  have  questioned  that  Josephus  actually  penned  these  words  
which  so  clearly  indicate  that  James  had  a  brother  and  his  name  was  Jesus.  A  rather  detailed  
record  emerges  that  harmonizes  with  the  biblical  record.    
 
c. Evidence  from  Pliny  the  Younger  
Gaius  Plinius  Caecilius  Secundus  (61A.D.  –  ca.  112  A.D.)  better  known  as  Pliny  the  Younger  was  
a  lawyer,  author,  and  magistrate  of  Ancient  Rome.  In  one  of  his  letters,  dated  around  A.D.  112,  
he  corresponds  with  the  emperor  Trajan  and  asks  advice  about  the  action  he  should  take  
against  the  followers  of  Christ.  At  one  point  in  the  letter  he  relates  this  information  about  the  
Christians:  
§ “They  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  on  a  certain  fixed  day  before  it  was  light,  when  they  
sang  in  alternate  verses  a  hymn  to  Christ,  as  to  a  god,  and  bound  themselves  by  a  solemn  
oath,  not  to  any  wicked  deeds,  but  never  to  commit  any  fraud,  theft  or  adultery,  never  to  
falsify  their  word,  nor  deny  a  trust  when  they  should  be  called  upon  to  deliver  it  up;  after  
which  it  was  their  custom  to  separate,  and  then  reassemble  to  partake  of  food-­‐-­‐but  food  of  
an  ordinary  and  innocent  kind.”15  
This  passage  gives  us  some  important  information  to  chew  on:  
                                                                                                               
13  Josephus,  Antiquities  xx.  200,  cited  in  F.F.  Bruce,  Jesus  and  Christian  Origins  Outside  the  New  Testament  

(Grand  Rapids,  Michigan:  William  B.  Eerdmans  Publishing,  1974),  36.    

14  Josephus,  Antiquities  18.63-­‐64  
15  Pliny,  Letters,  transl.  by  William  Melmoth,  rev.  by  W.M.L.  Hutchinson  (Cambridge:  Harvard  Univ.  Press,  

1935),  vol.  II,  X:96,  cited  in  Habermas,  The  Historical  Jesus,  199  
 § Not  only  was  Pliny  aware  of  Jesus,  he  also  knew  of  His  followers.  
§ Early  church  Christians  met  to  worship  this  Christ.  
§ Pliny  was  surprised  that  they  worship  Christ  “as  to  a  god”  which  seems  to  indicate  that  
unlike  other  gods  who  were  worshipped,  Christ  was  a  person  who  had  lived  on  earth.    
Conclusion:  Pliny  demonstrates  that  the  early  Christians  so  clung  to  a  living  Christ  that  even  
under  the  threat  of  execution  they  refused  to  deny  their  faith  in  Jesus.  This  is  remarkable  
evidence  of  Jesus’  existence  outside  of  the  Bible.  
 
Conclusion:    
Throughout  the  1980s  and  1990s  and  on  into  the  early  part  of  the  21st  century  a  group  of  about  150  critical  
scholars  and  layman  met  for  what  they  called  the  “Jesus  Seminar.”  The  seminar  was  under  the  auspices  of  
the  Westar  Institute  and  was  founded  in  1985  by  Robert  Funk.  The  seminar  used  votes  with  colored  beads  
to  decide  their  collective  view  of  the  historicity,  deeds,  and  sayings  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Their  eventual  
reconstruction  of  Jesus  portrayed  him  as  an  itinerate  Hellenistic  Jewish  sage  and  faith  healer  who  preached  
a  gospel  of  liberation  from  injustice  in  startling  parables  and  maxims.  The  Seminar  is  well  known  for  
placing  the  burden  of  proof  on  those  who  would  advocate  for  the  historicity  of  Jesus  as  the  Gospel’s  
described  him.    
 
What  do  we  do  with  such  claims?  If  we  carry  the  burden  of  proof  than  what  is  our  proof?  The  situation  at  
Costco  begs  the  question  as  to  whether  or  not  fiction  or  non-­‐fiction  are  appropriate  labeling  for  the  
Scriptures.  The  events  in  the  New  Testament  were  not  concocted  in  the  minds  of  the  human  authors.  
Instead,  they  were  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  infallibly  record  actual  historical  events.  Most  of  them  died  a  
martyr’s  death,  thereby  verifying  the  veracity  of  their  testimony.  There  are  those  who  scoff  at  the  notion  
that  the  disciples  became  martyrs  for  their  beliefs.  After  all,  many  people  have  died  for  a  lie.  While  its  true  
that  many  people  have  died  believe  in  a  lie  many  have  not  been  in  a  position  to  know  the  truth  about  their  
beliefs.  The  disciples  were  in  such  a  position.  They  knew  whether  or  not  Jesus  had  indeed  risen  from  the  
dead.  They  knew  whether  or  not  they  were  making  this  message  up.  It  smacks  of  absolutely  dubious  works  
to  think  that  the  disciples  would  be  willing  to  become  martyrs  for  a  lie  they  made  up.  Why  would  they  
willingly  endure  a  lifetime  of  persecution  and  beatings  if  their  whole  message  were  a  farce?    
 
In  conclusion,  there  is  clearly  many  good  reasons  to  think  that  Jesus  really  did  exist  and  was  the  founder  of  
a  religious  sect  in  1st  C.  Palestine.  This  includes  evidence  that  we  have  from  extra-­‐Biblical  sources,  the  
Church  fathers,  and  the  first-­‐hand  testimony  of  the  apostles.  I  understand  that  there  is  much  more  that  can  
be  added  to  this  topic  but  I  think  these  three  points  that  we  have  covered  are  a  good  starting  point  for  those  
interested  in  the  debate  over  the  historical  Jesus.