Is Jesus A Historical Figure?

Issues – December 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Is JESUS A Historical Figure?

It is a common ploy of some atheists not only to deny the authenticity and central message of the Bible – that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to Earth to seek and save the lost – but to further assert that Jesus Christ of Nazareth never existed. For example, Bertrand Arthur Russell wrote in his book Why I Am Not a Christian: “Historically, it is quite doubtful whether Christ ever existed at all.” Skeptics, like Russell, claim that there is no external evidence that confirms the Bible’s extensive account of the life of Jesus. Is this a valid conclusion, or is there external evidence which verifies that a person named Jesus of Nazareth actually existed? Judge for yourself.

Written Historical Evidence
Writing shortly after the time of Christ’s death, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote: “Now, there was about this time 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 received the truth with pleasure.” 1 Conveying the story of the stoning of James the half-brother of Christ, Josephus wrote: “So he (the High Priest) assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James.” 2 The reference to James, a leader in the early Church and the half-brother of Christ, agrees with Scriptures’ reckoning (Mt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3; Acts 15:13; Gal. 1:19). Josephus was referring to a genuine historical Jesus.

Some have asserted that Josephus’ statements were “refined” by a Christian editor centuries later. While this is possible, it doesn’t undermine that Josephus refers to an historical Jesus. Furthermore, in 1972, a Jewish scholar found a copy of the above passage in an Arabic translation of Josephus’ Greek writings. The original translator was most likely Muslim. Since neither medieval Jews nor medieval Muslims would have had any reason to authenticate the historic life of Jesus, the mention of Jesus in Josephus’ writings appears authentic.3

Reporting on Emperor Nero’s decision to blame the Christians for the fire destroying much of Rome in 64 AD, the Roman historian Tacitus wrote: “Nero fastened the guilt ... 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 Tiberius at the hands of ... Pontius Pilatus, 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.” 4

A third important historical source of evidence concerning Jesus Christ and those who believed on Him is found in the letters of Pliny, a Roman governor of Bithynia (then a province of Asia Minor) to Emperor Trajan asking for advice on how to legally prosecute those accused of being Christians. In one letter (about 112 AD), Pliny relates to Trajan what he has learned about these Christians (who were numerous in Bithynia): “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.” 5

Other Written Evidence
Lucian of Samosata was a second century Greek satirist. While his flippant remarks in one of his works were meant to ridicule early Christians, he does supply significant comments about their founder, Jesus Christ. He wrote: “The Christians ... worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account ... It was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after His laws.” 6

Suetonius mentions Christ in his biography of the Roman Emperor Claudius and repeatedly observes, in his biographies of Caligula and Vespasian, that the Romans knew about Christ’s prophecy of a King rising in the East who would rule the entire world. The Lord Jesus is even mentioned, albeit obliquely, in the Jewish Talmud.7

Besides Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny, Lucian, Suetonius, and the Talmud, other non-biblical first century writers have documented the unique life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Men such as Clement of Rome (a leader in the Church at Rome and likely a companion of Paul), Hermas (likely referred to by Paul in Romans 16:14), Ignatius (a personal disciple of one or more of the original apostles), Papias (a disciple of John, the apostle), and Polycarp (a disciple of John, the apostle). All these men had access to information pertaining to Jesus Christ from eyewitness accounts.

Besides these, there are many second century writings still in existence which corroborate the biblical accounts of the life of Christ. These accounts are from writers such as: Apollonarius, Aristides, Athenagoras, Celsus, Clement of Alexandria, Dionysius of Corinth, Hegesippus, Hippolytus, Irenaeus, Julius Africanus, Justin Martyr, Marcion, Melito, Montanus, Polycrates, Tatian, Tertulian, and Theophilus.

Summary
Both the historical and the biblical evidence is overwhelming to substantiate the unique teachings, miracles, and character of Jesus Christ. He really died after being nailed to a Roman cross and arose from the grave three days later just as He said He would.

Clement of Rome wrote these words just a few years after Christ’s resurrection: “God has made the Lord Jesus Christ the first-fruits by raising Him from the dead.” 8 His contemporary Ignatius recorded this statement: “For I know that after His resurrection also, He was still possessed of flesh. And I believe that He is so now.” 9 The external evidence is quite conclusive: Jesus of Nazareth was an historical figure, just as the New Testament narrative declares.

Biblically speaking, Jesus Christ proved His credentials as Messiah, Savior and the incarnate Son of God by working many miracles – each one a sign to the Jews, and a warning if rejected. Jesus Christ changed, controlled and multiplied the elements, healed the sick, rebuked evil spirits, raised the dead, and affected His own death and resurrection. His resurrection would be the ultimate sign to the Jews and would ultimately determine whether or not they would believe on Him as Messiah (Mt. 12:38-40). If there were no resurrection, then Jesus Christ obviously could not be their Messiah.

Jesus Christ truly was who He proclaimed to be, and His miracles, including His own resurrection, provide evidence to this truth. The external evidence supports the Bible’s presentation of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. There is no logical middle ground on this matter; as Thomas Aquinas surmised centuries ago, “Christ was either liar, lunatic, or Lord!” 10 So which is it? If Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.

END NOTES The Works of Josephus – The Antiquities of the Jews (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA; 1987), 18.3.3, p. 480Ibid., 20.9.1, p. 538John P. Koster, Jr., The Atheist Syndrome (Wolgemuth & Hyatt Pub., Brentwood, TN; 1989), p. 61Tacitus, Annals, 15.44, cited by Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI; 1998), p. 82Pliny, Letters, translated by William Melmoth and W.M. Hutchinson (Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, MA; 1935), vol. 11, X: 96, cited in Habermas, The Historical Jesus, p. 199Lucian, “The Death of Peregrine,” 11-13, in The Works of Lucian of Samosata, translated by H.W. Fowler and F.G. Fowler, 4 vols. (Clarendon, Oxford, England; 1949), vol. 4., cited in Habermas, The Historical Jesus, p. 206John P. Koster, Jr., op. cit., p. 61David Bercot, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA; 1998), p. 558Ibid.Thomas Aquinas, quoted by Nancy Gibbs, “The Message of Miracles,” Time (New York, NY; April 10, 1995), Vol. 145, No. 15, p. 68

By Warren Henderson