PAGE 3 SUPPORTING FACTS
Polytheistic religions are not based on fact, but philosophy only. Christianity, on the other hand, is based on specific historical events: that there was a man named Jesus, that He taught his disciples, that He was crucified, and that He was resurrected. The center of Christianity is that in His crucifixion Jesus Christ provided salvation for us, and His bodily resurrection from the dead was God’s public confirmation of His Son’s divine authority.
One can make an informed, reasonable decision (not some blind leap of faith) regarding the life of Jesus, by considering the following:
1. Who was Jesus—(a.)did He actually exist, (b.)did He fulfill prophecies, and (c.) can we trust the New Testament manuscripts?
2. (a.)Did He claim to be God—(b.)was the idea of Jesus being God just a legend?
3. Do we have good reasons to believe Jesus rose from the dead?
HISTORICITY OF JESUS
1a. Extra-Biblical Testimony: The historical evidence for the life of Jesus is overwhelming--there are at least 15 ancient secular sources that give evidence for Jesus—which is why no respected scholar/historian denies the life of Jesus.
History is divided into B.C and A.D. (Anno Domini—Latin phrase meaning Year of the Lord) as if the whole world acknowledges that a new era began with Jesus.
History is divided into B.C and A.D. (Anno Domini—Latin phrase meaning Year of the Lord) as if the whole world acknowledges that a new era began with Jesus.
RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE
1b. Expected Testimony (Fulfilled prophecies of Jesus Christ as Messiah):
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/prophchr.html
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/prophmessiah.html
Probability of Christ fulfilling just eight of the 300 prophecies that pertain to Him in the Bible: 1 x 10 to the 28th power.
http://www.goodnewsdispatch.org/math.html
1c. Established Testimony (Textual reliability of the accounts of Jesus):
The New Testament Manuscripts have the most copies by a landslide of any other historical document; --The time span between the oldest copies and the original New Testament manuscripts is closer than any other historical document. In short, the New Testament Manuscripts are the most well attested documents of antiquity!
If bible critics dismiss the New Testament as reliable information, then they must also dismiss the reliability of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Caesar, Homer, Tacitus, etc. On the other hand, if the critics acknowledge the historicity and writings of those other individuals, then they must also retain the historicity and writings of the New Testament authors; after all, the evidence for the New Testament's reliability is far greater than the others.
DID JESUS CLAIM TO BE GOD?
2a. I may never utter the words, “I am married” but when I make references to “my wife” the implication is clear. Similarly, the New Testament manuscripts might not quote Jesus as saying, “I am God” but it is implied clearly.
John 14:9 “…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
John 10:30 “I and the Father are one .”
Was the idea of Jesus being "God" just a legend?
2b. --According to Sherman White (classical historian from Oxford) it takes more than two generations to wipe out the solid core of truth of a historical figure and morph into some legend. Two generations after Jesus’ death in AD 30 lands you in the second century. The gnostic gospels began to appear in the second century. These gnostic gospels contain all sorts of stories about Jesus, trying to fill in the years between his boyhood and the beginning of his ministry. The gnostic gospels are, therefore, the better candidates for the legends sought by the critics, not the biblical gospels.
Early Testimony: Dr. Zukeran wrote a great article that analyzed how we can be confident the New Testament manuscripts (and the original Christian creed) was completed in the first century: "Jesus' ministry was from A.D. 27-30. Noted New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce, gives strong evidence that the New Testament was completed by A.D. 100. Most writings of the New Testament works were completed twenty to forty years before this. The Gospels are dated traditionally as follows: Mark is believed to be the first gospel written around A.D. 60. Matthew and Luke follow and are written between A.D. 60-70; John is the final gospel, written between A.D. 90-100.
The internal evidence supports these early dates for several reasons. The first three Gospels prophesied the fall of the Jerusalem Temple which occurred in A.D. 70. However, the fulfillment is not mentioned. It is strange that these three Gospels predict this major event but do not record it happening. Why do they not mention such an important prophetic milestone? The most plausible explanation is that it had not yet occurred at the time Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written.
In the book of Acts, the Temple plays a central role in the nation of Israel. Luke writes as if the Temple is an important part of Jewish life. He also ends Acts on a strange note: Paul living under house arrest. It is strange that Luke does not record the death of his two chief characters, Peter and Paul. The most plausible reason for this is that Luke finished writing Acts before Peter and Paul's martyrdom in A.D. 64. A significant point to highlight is that the Gospel of Luke precedes Acts, further supporting the traditional dating of A.D. 60. Furthermore, most scholars agree Mark precedes Luke, making Mark's Gospel even earlier.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written within about 50 years of Jesus’ life. Paul’s letters were written within 16-20 years of Jesus’ life. The apostles were witnesses of His resurrected life. The idea that Jesus was God and rose from the dead was central to the earliest testimony of Christians (so this idea did not come up later like the legend myths like to claim).
Finally, the majority of New Testament scholars believe that Paul's epistles were written from A.D. 48-60. Paul's outline of the life of Jesus matches that of the Gospels. 1 Corinthians is one of the least disputed books regarding its dating and Pauline authorship. In chapter 15, Paul summarizes the gospel and reinforces the premise that this is the same gospel preached by the apostles. Even more compelling is that Paul quotes from Luke's Gospel in 1 Timothy 5:18, showing us that Luke's Gospel was indeed completed in Paul's lifetime. This would move up the time of the completion of Luke's Gospel along with Mark and Matthew."
Conclusion: Not enough time had passed from the time they were written for a legend to be plausible. F.F. Bruce, professor of biblical criticism puts it this way, “Had there been any tendency to depart from the facts in any material respect, the possible presence of hostile witnesses in the audience would have served as a further corrective.”
DID JESUS RISE FROM THE DEAD?
Skeptics need to provide plausible explanations to four indisputable historical facts about Jesus:
Historical Facts:
*William Lane Craig has outlined the following facts with supporting details in many debates with skeptics. These facts have yet to be adequately/plausibly explained beyond the Christian worldview:
#1 After his crucifixion Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in a tomb.
- This is an important fact, because otherwise anyone could just say, “Jesus was never buried.”
- If the burial story is accurate, then the location of Jesus’ tomb was known and the claims of the disciples could have been easily cross examined.
#2 Empty tomb--On the Sunday after the crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a group of his women followers.
Scholars have concluded this as fact based on:
a. The empty tomb is also multiply attested by independent, early sources (Mark, Matthew, John, Acts, implied by Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church).
b. Embarrassing Testimony: The tomb was discovered empty by women. The testimony of women was not highly regarded during that time (women weren’t even permitted to serve as witnesses in a Jewish court of law). Therefore, any legendary account would have made males discover the tomb to provide credibility to the story.
c. Josh McDowell explains in his Evidence for the Resurrection article: "The disciples of Christ did not go off to Athens or Rome to preach that Christ was raised from the dead. Rather, they went right back to the city of Jerusalem, where, if what they were teaching was false, the falsity would be evident. The empty tomb was "too notorious to be denied." Paul Althaus states that the resurrection "could have not been maintained in Jerusalem for a single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned."
d. Both Jewish and Roman sources and traditions admit an empty tomb. Those resources range from Josephus to a compilation of fifth-century Jewish writings called the 'Toledoth Jeshu.' Dr. Paul Maier calls this 'positive evidence from a hostile source, which is the strongest kind of historical evidence. In essence, this means that if a source admits a fact decidedly not in its favor, then that fact is genuine.'
#3 Eyewitness Testimony: Jesus appears alive after his death—On different occasions and under various circumstances different individuals and groups of people experienced appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
Acts 2:32—“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.”
The writers not only said, “Look, we saw this or we heard that…,” but they turned the tables around and right in front of their most adverse critics said, “You also know about these things…You saw them.”
Acts 2:22—“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know…” (Remember, the strong point F.F. Bruce made: “Had there been any tendency to depart from the facts in any material respect, the possible presence of hostile witnesses in the audience would have served as a further corrective”).
a. Jesus appeared to Peter, the 12 disciples, 500 people at once, to His younger brother James (who, up to that time, was apparently not a believer), and to Paul who at the time was still a persecutor of Christians.
Common objection: Jesus was seen alive after His death and burial only by His friends and followers (i.e. they saw what they wanted to see). Using that argument, they attempt to water down the overwhelming impact of the multiple eyewitness accounts. Was Saul of Tarsus a follower of Christ? The facts show the exact opposite. Saul despised Christ and persecuted Christ's followers.
Acts 2:32—“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.”
The writers not only said, “Look, we saw this or we heard that…,” but they turned the tables around and right in front of their most adverse critics said, “You also know about these things…You saw them.”
Acts 2:22—“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know…” (Remember, the strong point F.F. Bruce made: “Had there been any tendency to depart from the facts in any material respect, the possible presence of hostile witnesses in the audience would have served as a further corrective”).
a. Jesus appeared to Peter, the 12 disciples, 500 people at once, to His younger brother James (who, up to that time, was apparently not a believer), and to Paul who at the time was still a persecutor of Christians.
Common objection: Jesus was seen alive after His death and burial only by His friends and followers (i.e. they saw what they wanted to see). Using that argument, they attempt to water down the overwhelming impact of the multiple eyewitness accounts. Was Saul of Tarsus a follower of Christ? The facts show the exact opposite. Saul despised Christ and persecuted Christ's followers.
#4 The origin of the disciples’ belief in his resurrection.—The original disciples suddenly and sincerely came to believe that Jesus was risen from the dead even though their Jewish heritage should have slanted their beliefs the other way.
As H.D.A Major explains, “Had the crucifixion of Jesus ended His disciples’ experience of Him, it is hard to see how the Christian church could have come into existence. That church was founded on faith in the Messiahship of Jesus. A crucified Messiah was no messiah at all. He was the one rejected by Judaism and accursed of God.”
Think of the situation the disciples faced following Jesus’ crucifixion. Their leader was dead! The disciples were all Jewish (they had beliefs, they had religion, and they had a tradition). There was nothing in the Jewish tradition about a messiah that would be shamefully executed as a criminal. (This idea would have literally been invented out of nowhere). Jewish beliefs on the afterlife had nothing about anyone rising from the dead to glory and immortality BEFORE the general resurrection of the dead at the end of the world.
- The original disciples suddenly came to believe, nevertheless, so strongly that God had raised Jesus from the dead that they were willing to die for that belief. What in the world caused them to believe such an unJewish/outlandish thing, and spread the message of the risen Christ?
- No one has ever explained (with logical consistency) how the idea of Jesus' resurrection would even occur to anyone if it hadn't actually happened.
Excruciating Testimony: Had there been any visible benefits accrued to them from their efforts--prestige, wealth, increased social status or material benefits--we might logically attempt to account for their actions, for their whole-hearted and total allegiance to this "risen Christ." As a reward for their efforts, however, those early Christians were beaten, stoned to death, thrown to the lions, tortured and crucified. Every conceivable method was used to stop them from talking
Common objection: people die for things they believe in all the time (suicide bombers). Exactly, so these disciples would not have died horrendous deaths for something they knew to be a lie!
The Bottom line: The only reason to deny the historical reliability of the Greek manuscripts and form some outlandish conspiracy theories of the life and resurrection of Jesus is a philosophical (anti-supernatural bias) one, not a historical one.
Additional thoughts and considerations from former skeptics that became believers in Jesus Christ after seeking the TRUTH and putting the pieces of TRUTH together by researching the EVIDENCE:
Many critics and skeptics throughout history have sought out to disprove the life and claims of Jesus. All have failed in their attempts. In fact many are so overwhelmed by the mountain of evidence that they realize it would take more faith to remain an atheist/agnostic than to believe and receive Jesus in their heart. Here are a few of the more well-known former skeptics that became (at the very least) believers in God, and most followers of Christ:
C. S. Lewis was an Oxford educator and accomplished writer who became an atheist as a young man. Influenced by arguments made by Christian thinkers, Lewis, "...came into Christianity kicking and screaming." The reasoning for his beliefs have been articulated in many books, the most popular of which is titled "Mere Christianity".
Lee Strobel was for many years a hard-nosed journalist and atheist. As Strobel set out to confirm justification for his atheism, he unexpectedly, found that the evidence he encountered led him instead to the Christian faith. He is now a pastor, producer, and author of several very successful books.
Josh McDowell set out to disprove the Christian faith as a college student only to arrive, after many months of study, at the conclusion that Jesus Christ must have been who he claimed to be. McDowell wrote the classic book “Evidence that Demands a Verdict.”
Dr. Ralph O. Muncaster was an atheist with a skeptical nature and sharp critical thinking skills. While doing research to dispute the Bible, Dr. Muncaster, was surprised to find evidence that supports the Bible's claims. As a result, Dr. Muncaster now helps those with skeptical minds as they seek the Evidence of God.
Dr. Hugh Ross was the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. After testing the scientific and historical data, Dr. Ross became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God.
J. Warner Wallace was a conscientious and vocal atheist through his undergraduate and graduate work in Design and Architecture (CSULB and UCLA); he always considered himself to be an “evidentialist”. His experience in law enforcement only served to strengthen his conviction that truth is tied directly to evidence. But at the age of thirty-five, J. Warner took a serious and expansive look at the evidence for the Christian Worldview and determined that Christianity was demonstrably true
David Wood was an atheist who went to jail for trying to murder his father (after reasoning that feelings, emotions, and ethics have no grounding in an atheist worldview and were therefore illusory and ultimately meaningless). While in jail David met a Christian who could answer all his condescending objections that he was used to foisting upon Christians who usually had no answer. David was determined to shake the faith of his Christian friend and studied the gospels and books on the Bible as much as he could to find holes. It was during this intense study trying to undermine the gospels that he became convinced of their reliability and truth.
Nabeel Qureshi was raised as a devout Muslim in the United States. Qureshi grew up studying Islamic apologetics with his family and engaging Christians in religious discussions. After one such discussion with a Christian (David Wood) at his university, the two became friends and began a years-long debate on the historical claims of Christianity and Islam. Nabeel’s resulting journey was chronicled in his first book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.
Sir William Ramsay, who spent 15 years attempting to undermine Luke’s credentials as a historian, and to refute the reliability of the New Testament, finally concluded: "Luke is a historian of the first rank . . . This author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.” Ramsey converted to Christianity and wrote several books on his discoveries that have yet to be refuted.
Andre Kole was a giant in the world of magic, creating tricks for the greatest magicians in the world including making the statue of liberty disappear for David Copperfield. He was commissioned to study the miracles of the bible to expose them as magic tricks and thus disprove its legitimacy. Through this investigation, Andre Kole became a Christian and has since dedicated himself to spreading the Gospel via the art of magic, performing in more countries than any other magician in history.
Andre Kole was a giant in the world of magic, creating tricks for the greatest magicians in the world including making the statue of liberty disappear for David Copperfield. He was commissioned to study the miracles of the bible to expose them as magic tricks and thus disprove its legitimacy. Through this investigation, Andre Kole became a Christian and has since dedicated himself to spreading the Gospel via the art of magic, performing in more countries than any other magician in history.
Sir Lionel Luckhoo was in the Guiness book of World Records as the “most successful lawyer in history.” He won 245 murder trials consecutively (if anyone could find a loophole or shortcoming, this guy could). Luckhoo had this to say after researching the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, “I say unequivocally that the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.”
http://www.dayton-fgbmfi.org/luckhoo02.htm
http://theemmauswalk.tripod.com/christianityorislam.html
http://www.dayton-fgbmfi.org/luckhoo02.htm
http://theemmauswalk.tripod.com/christianityorislam.html
CONCLUSION
When you look thoroughly within the Christian worldview you find the grounding for the things we all talk about because we know them intuitively to be true. Things we know through experiencing them (love, a sense of moral obligation/guilt, and a sense of meaning, value, and purpose).
Ravi Zacharias, a man who grew up in a Hindu culture, with a Hindu family, with no prior commitment to Christianity, and with no motive other than to find answers to life's deepest questions had this to say about Jesus Christ and the Christian worldview:
“Jesus Christ really gives us the explanatory power of what life is all about… I know of no other worldview (religious or otherwise) that has the explanatory power for all the existential realities that you and I confront in our lives that are inescapable.”
Our prayer is that the logical flow chart will help you answer those questions that you may try to run from but you cannot escape. They will find you in your deepest hours —through illness, divorce, and the death of a loved one:
1. Origin--Where did we come from?
2. Meaning/Purpose—Is there any purpose or meaning in life?
3. Morality—How can I know right from wrong?
4. Destiny—Where do we go after we die?
The Christian worldview has more background facts (philosophical, scientific, and historical points of reference) than any other worldview. This cumulative case gives the Christian worldview more explanatory power than any other worldview to answer these questions coherently, and consistently.
When your worldview cannot answer these questions coherently, this insatiable hunger that something is missing in your life will always come back like hunger pangs crying out for fulfillment. People believe that this anxiety will go away if they reach certain levels of success or they can overwhelm the emptiness with physical pleasure. This insatiability destroys the mind, body, and soul—it is how many become addicted to sex, drugs, alcohol, food, money, power, and fame. Solomon, one of the richest kings of all time—who denied himself nothing his eyes desired, and withheld no pleasure from his heart—said this about life, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”--Ecclesiastes 2:11
Blaise Pascal summed this up by saying “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
Last, but not least, the profound words of G.K. Chesterton, “For the Christian, joy is central and sorrow is peripheral. That is because life’s fundamental questions are answered and only the peripheral ones are not. But for the one who does not know Christ, sorrow is central and joy peripheral, because the peripheral questions may be answered but the fundamental ones are not.”
Resources
http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html
http://carm.org/manuscript-evidence
http://thedevineevidence.com/jesus_history.html
https://www.probe.org/the-historical-reliability-of-the-gospels/
Koukl, Gregory. Jesus: Man or Myth?. www.str.org 2010
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/is-there-historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection-of-jesus-the-craig-ehrman
Craig, William Lane. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2010. Print.
Craig, William Lane, did Jesus rise from the dead?, Impact 360, 2014 Amazon Digital.
http://www.awakeandamazed.com/id66.html
http://askawiseman.com/skeptics/