by Mike McDaniel Defender, September 2004

Christianity depends on the historical existence of Christ. The historical Jesus began a religious movement which has shaken this world as has no other. Yet, some writers actually deny the historical existence of Jesus.

The cover of the December 1994 issue of LIFE magazine revealed an artist's rendering of Jesus with the question "Who Was He?" In a short article they stated:

"To some, Jesus is the Son of God, born to a virgin: the anointed, the Christ. To others he is just a man who inspired, through his teachings and exemplary life, 'several faiths now incorporated into Christianity.' And to still others he's a myth, a novelistic invention of Paul, and then, the Gospel writers, who required a charismatic anchor for their nascent (early) churches. He is, they say, an idea."

In this issue of LIFE magazine they interviewed many eminent thinkers. One of them, Jon Murray, the President of American Atheists, stated, "There was no such person in the history of the world as Jesus Christ. There was no historical, living, breathing, sentient human being by that name. The Bible is a fictional, nonhistorical narrative. The myth is good for business."

In spite of this incredible assertion, most respectable scholars, and serious historians do not question the historicity of Jesus. As F. F. Bruce has written, "Some writers may toy with the fancy of a 'Christ-myth,' but they do not do so on the ground of historical evidence. The historicity of Christ is as axiomatic for an unbiased historian as the historicity of Julius Caesar."

There was a real historical person named Jesus of Nazareth who lived, had a tremendous influence upon the people, and died the death of crucifixion. To prove this, notice three lines of evidence. In the first place, notice the New Testament as evidence of the historicity of Christ. The New Testament presents to us the historical Jesus. The Scriptures' representation of Christ cannot be rationalized away or dismissed with the wave of a hand.

The evidence for the New Testament is much greater than the evidence for classical writings. For example, at least 24,633 manuscripts and portions of the New Testaments have been documented. In all of ancient history, the second book in line after the New Testament in manuscript is The Iliad by Homer. Yet it has only 643 surviving manuscripts. Dr. Clark Pinnock in his book, Set Forth Your Case, concluded after extensive research:

"There exists no document from the ancient world, witnessed by so excellent a set of textural and historical testimonies and offering so superb an array of historical data on which an intelligent decision may be made. An honest person cannot dismiss a source of this kind. Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based upon an irrational bias" (58). The New Testament gives an accurate picture of Jesus Christ to us as Son of Man and Son of God.

In the second place, notice these Jewish writers as evidence of the historicity of Christ. Josephus, a Jewish historian, lived from around A.D. 37 to 100. He spoke of John the Baptist. He also wrote: "Ananius, the high priest, assembled the Sanhedrin of judges and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, this brother's name was James, also some of his companions, and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he had them stoned" (Jewish Antiquities, XX, 9.1).

In another passage he wrote: "Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew many after him both of the Jews and the Gentiles. He was Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the chief men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that had previously followed him did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive on the third day. As the divine prophets had foretold these and many other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named after him, is not extinct at this day" (Jewish Antiquities, XVHI, 3.1). Some have questioned this passage as a possible interpolation. In defense of the passage it does appear in every copy of Josephus that has come down to us and was quoted twice by Eusebius as early as A.D. 315.

The Jewish Talmud is the civil law of the Jews consisting of the Mishna (text) and the Gamara (commentary). In the Talmud there are some occasional references to Jesus, but most of them are vulgar and unquotable. They are deliberately intended to contradict events in the Gospel accounts and attack the Lord's credibility. However, the fact that the Jewish rabbis from the close of the first century on down have attempted so many attacks upon Jesus helps us to prove the reality of His earthly life. In their attempts to deny His divinity, they prove His historicity!

In the third place, notice these Roman writers as evidence of the historicity of Christ. Tacitus was a famous Roman historian who lived from around A.D. 55 to 117. Around the turn of the century he wrote his Annals in which he discussed the burning of Rome in A.D. 64.

"At this time Nero had been accused of having burned the city. To suppress the rumor, Nero falsely accused and punished, with the most acute tortures, persons who, already hated for their shameful deeds, were commonly called Christians. The founder of that name, Christus, has been put to death by the procurator, Pontius Pilate, in the reign of Tiberious; but the deadly superstition, though repressed for a time, broke out again, not only through the city (Rome) whither all things horrible and vile flow from all quarters, and are encouraged" (Annals 15:4).

Suetonius, another Roman historian who lived from around A.D. 65 to 135, wrote in his Life of Claudius: "Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, and expelled them from the city." This passage undoubtedly confirms Acts 18:2 that Claudius commanded all Jews to leave Rome. This included Priscilla and Aquila and proves that there were Christians in Rome as early as Claudius. It is well known that the name "Chrestus" was sometimes used of the heathen people for our Savior.

A Roman by the name of Pliny who lived from around A.D. 62 to 114, wrote to Trajan, when Pliny was Governor of Bithynia, to ask what he should do about the Christians.

"They affirmed that the sum of their guilt or error was to assemble on a fixed day before daybreak, and sung responsively a hymn to Christ as to God, and to bind themselves with an oath not to enter into any wickedness, or to commit thefts, robberies, or adulteries, or falsify their work or repudiate trusts committed to them: when these things were ended, it was their custom to depart and on coming together again, to take food, men and women together, yet innocently".

What is the value of these statements of famous Jewish and Roman writers? They are valuable because they help to show absolutely that Jesus of Nazareth was a historical figure. Such evidence is not necessary to one who accepts the New Testament as historically true. But since some who are not Christians will boldly assert that Jesus never really lived among men, this additional evidence proves that Jesus did exist.

Jesus continues to live today. This additional evidence should give us even more reason to accept the Gospel and obey it. Why not surrender your will to his in Gospel obedience today? "What will you do with Jesus my friend? Neutral you cannot be: Someday your heart will be asking, O friend, 'what will he do with me?'"