Could Jesus not have existed

Answer 1

It is POSSIBLE that He never existed. It is POSSIBLE that nobody besides yourself exists and that this world was only created by your mind. It is even POSSIBLE that YOU do not even exist yourself! In terms of documented and historical evidence, however, there is far more tangible proof that Jesus Christ existed than that Julius Caesar, Alexander the great, John Adams, ever lived. Think about it. What proof would we have 2000 years after your death that you existed? Yet there is all sorts of evidence that Jesus existed.

The Bible itself is the most complete record (obviously); however we will not stop here. To believe a significant historical figure existed just because one book says he did is not reasonable nor is it responsible. Even though the Bible is a compilation of many books today's skeptics prefer to view it as one source. This way makes it easier for them (the skeptics) to dismiss multiple accounts.

Communists taught that Jesus never even existed. Are Christians foolishly relying on a made-up story about a Jesus that never even existed? Do Christians believe that Jesus exists or existed only because "the Bible says so" or are there other reasons for believing in Jesus' existence?

Well, actually, Jesus is mentioned by early historians who were not Christians. Let's see what we can learn from them about Jesus.

1. Josephus - a Pharisee and Jewish historian

The Jewish historian Josephus gives a very important account even though some controversy exists about one passage appearing to have insertions made by Christians at a later date. Some Atheist groups such as the "Rational Response Squad" shout fraud at his name but Josephus is a valuable source for reputable scholars when studying Jewish history. This passage called the "Testimonium Flavianum" Josephus writes:

About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.

This quote from Josephus is really the only contested passage. Modern scholarship does not claim that this is a fraud but rather as an original text that has several insertions placed by a later source. The reason for this belief is because of two main reasons. The first reason begins with Eusebius a fourth century church historian. Eusebius sites this text in three of his own writings. However an earlier historian Origen seems to be familiar with Josephus's knowledge of James Jesus' brother and a separate passage about John the Baptist. But Origen doesn't seem to know about the "Testimonium Flavianum" . Therefore we must assume that the passage was modified during the 100 years in between these men. The second reason this passage is contested came about in 1971. An Israeli scholar known as Schlomo Pines brought a comparison of the Greek and Arabic versions of the text to light. There were three main differences when compared. The first difference was the Arabic version assert the humanity of Jesus rather than the divinity. The second is that this version doesn't refer to miracles only Jesus' character. Third the appearance of Jesus after his death is mentioned as a report rather than a fact. In conclusion it is apparent that Josephus was aware of Jesus living in this time.

Schlomo Pines' Arabic version of the Testimonium Flavianum:

At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. His conduct was good and (he) was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon hi discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive;

This Arabic version of Josephus' writing is considered to be very credible. From this we can learn that Josephus did know that Jesus lived in the early first century and we can learn details about Jesus' death, his character, his disciples and the fact that his resurrection story was wide spread even at the time of this early writing.

Writing about Ananias, a high priest mentioned in the Book of Acts in the Bible, Josephus, the most significant Jewish historian of the period wrote:

"He convened a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned." (Josephus, The Antiquities 20.200)

The Bible teaches that Mary had other sons after she bore Jesus. One of them was James. According to the New Testament, James did not even believe in Jesus before his crucifixion. Paul, in 1 Corinthians, says that Jesus appeared to James. It seems that this made a believer out of James. This passage from Josephus confirms important details in the New Testament and directly mentions Jesus, called the Christ.

Remember that not all Jews liked Jesus, and Josephus was not a Christian. He was known as an accurate historian. We have evidence then, apart from the Bible, that Jesus really did exist as a historical person, and that some called him 'the Christ', which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word Mashiach, or Messiah.

2. Tacitus - A Roman Historian

In A.D. 115, Tacitus, the most important Roman historian of the first century, wrote as follows:

"Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class 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 Tiberias at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate, 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 ... Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty: then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind" (Tacitus, Annals 15.44)

It is clear passage that Tacitus was no friend of the Christians. He called Christianity a 'mischievous superstition'. But at the same time, he tells us the following:

1. Christ was crucified under Pontius Pilate, who was known of to Roman historians.

This is totally consistent with the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John on this point and is in fact part of the apostles creed - an important Christian statement of faith of the early church.

2. This happened during the reign of Tiberias (i.e. a time consistent with the A.D. 33 date which is the year most likely to have been the year of the crucifixion).

3. Christ's crucifixion briefly stopped the spread of Christianity ('for a moment') but then it broke out again from Judea and spread even to Rome. Its clear that Christianity started amongst JEWS.

4. Already an immense multitude believed in Jesus by the time of Nero and were arrested for their faith by Nero.

3. Pliny the Younger

Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, wrote as follows to the Emporer Trajan around 111 A.D.

"I have asked them if they are Christians, and if they admit it, I repeat the question a second and third time, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them. If they persist, I order them to be led away for execution; for whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their stubborness and unshakable obstinacy ought not to go unpunished...

They also declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: that they met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately amongst themselves in honor of Christ as if to a god, and also to bind themselves by oath, not for any criminal purpose, but to abstain from theft, robbery, and adultery ...

This made me decide it was all the more necessary to extract the truth by torture from two slave-women, whom they called deaconesses. I found nothing but a degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths."

- Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96

This letter, this time from a persecutor of the church, shows us that the Christians by the early second century most definitely considered Christ to be a god, if not God.

4. Other Jewish Writers

The Talmud is a collection of writings very important in Judaism. It mentions Jesus, but not favorably. According to the Talmud, Jesus was a false Messiah, who practiced magic and deceived the people. He was called a sorcerer. This corroborates the accounts of the gospels that Jesus did many supernatural signs and wonders - like healing the sick, feeding the five thousand with a few loaves and fishes and so on.

Conclusion:

If we are to believe historians and writers hostile to Christianity who lived around the time of Christ or the early church, then Jesus really did exist. Furthermore, belief in Him was so strong amongst even a multitude of people that He was worshipped as God. He did supernatural things amongst the Jewish people, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate according to Tacitus, and was believed by many to be the Christ.

If we can believe anything in history we should believe these reports by the detractors of Christianity. They effectively put to rest the ideas, popularised by some, that Jesus of Nazareth never really existed, or if he did, the stories that went around about Him and who He was were not believed until much later.

AnswerOutside the Bible and the forgery in the writings of Josephus in his Antiquities, nothing is written about Jesus by any contemporary writers in Jesus' time.

The trial of Jesus of Pontius Pilate cannot be found in any Roman records.

Not one of the great miracles of Jesus was written outside the Bible.

Pliny the Younger wrote about the Christians as a religion and not of Jesus. Worshiping Apollo or Hercules does not make them real.

Tacitus wrote about the Christians, which were then a budding religion and not of Jesus.

Quote;

"To identify the James of Josephus with James the Just, the brother of Jesus, is to reject the accepted history of the primitive church which declares that James the Just died in 69 A.D., seven years after the James of Josephus was condemned to death by the Sanhedrim."

"This passage (Nero's), accepted as authentic by many, must be declared doubtful, if not spurious, for the following reasons:

1. It is not quoted by the Christian fathers.

2. Tertullian was familiar with the writings of Tacitus, and his arguments demanded the citation of this evidence had it existed.

3. Clement of Alexandria, at the beginning of the third century, made a compilation of all the recognitions of Christ and Christianity that had been made by Pagan writers up to his time. The writings of Tacitus furnished no recognition of them.

4. Origen, in his controversy with Celsus, would undoubtedly have used it had it existed.

5. The ecclesiastical historian Eusebius, in the fourth century, cites all the evidences of Christianity obtainable from Jewish and Pagan sources, but makes no mention of Tacitus.

6. It is not quoted by any Christian writer prior to the fifteenth century.

7. At this time but one copy of the Annals existed and this copy, it is claimed, was made in the eighth century -- 600 years after the time of Tacitus.

8. As this single copy was in the possession of a Christian the insertion of a forgery was easy.

9. Its severe criticisms of Christianity do not necessarily disprove its Christian origin. No ancient witness was more desirable than Tacitus, but his introduction at so late a period would make rejection certain unless Christian forgery could be made to appear improbable.

10. It is admitted by Christian writers that the works of Tacitus have not been preserved with any considerable degree of fidelity. In the writings ascribed to him are believed to be some of the writings of Quintilian.

11. The blood-curdling story about the frightful orgies of Nero reads like some Christian romance of the dark ages, and not like Tacitus.

12. In fact, this story, in nearly the same words, omitting the reference to Christ, is to be found in the writings of Sulpicius Severus, a Christian of the fifth century.

13. Suetonius, while mercilessly condemning the reign of Nero, says that in his public entertainments he took particular care that no human lives should be sacrificed, "not even those of condemned criminals."

14. At the time that the conflagration occurred, Tacitus himself declares that Nero was not in Rome, but at Antium.

Source; http://books.Google.com/books?id=kz7NDQffaqcC&dq=The+christ+remsberg&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=TH_4zoHHSt&sig=fSI2gf9L7kWDjYibB1j_zLnY4Og&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPA17,M1

Answer to your question; It's not possible that Jesus ever existed.