Historical Jesus and Evidence

How do we know that Jesus Christ is an historical person and what is the historical evidence

            Jesus Christ is mentioned by numerous pagan sources and Christian sources the Christian sources could at this point considered biased that is until we have looked at the pagan sources. The pagan authors consist of correspondence from emperors to senior officers in the Mediterranean and vice versa as such these would be considered very good sources in this instance the reason being despite their negativity they prove a religious group existed known as Christians and also a person known as Jesus Christ existed. Although this may sound and read as if you are following the pagans as an historian and a Christian you have know found substantial evidence this then leads us to believe the Bible is a good source of history and aspects of Jesus life and works and the persons that have followed not only him but his disciples which kept the faith developing to what it is today.

            Among the sources we have Tacitus a Roman Historian who has associated Christ with Pontius Pilate the Procurator under the Emperor Tiberius.

            Pliny who sent a letter to Emperor Trajan raising concerns about the Christians.

            Suetonius mentions that under Claudius the Jews were thrown out of Rome for rioting over Christ this shows that not only the name is known in the Mediterranean but also in Rome by the Jews Christian followers and Romans alike.

            These witnesses are of vast importance as the persons or authors and co responders that are mentioned are all educated persons and have positions in Roman life. The Bible itself then adds the final touches and gives us the links as too what the Jesus was doing and his message to his followers.

Christian History Information

            How does Christ's person and work constitute the beginning of Christianity.

 

            Jesus was an extraordinary person he was able too reason at an early age which is shown via his observation skills .it was not until after he was Baptized by his cousin John the Baptist that his skills came to the attention of the public ,the way he embraced mans laws and added his own which was to go one step forward as oppose to being negative.  His positive skills and the manner he expressed himself caused a large following he was able to speak so even the uneducated could follow his beliefs even by treating none Jews as equals in his ministry would have been a first a religion that embraced all regardless of gender and race would have been so advanced for his generation it must have scared the elders and also the Roman army.

            Despite the above Jesus was still able to teach his followers the disciples even though he had visitors who wished to hear him speak or heal them ,most religions or cults would have turned people away while the Teacher was training his followers this more so made Jesus and his teachings unique.

            When Jesus was crucified some followers would have fell by the wayside as their leader or rabbi had left them it must have seemed the end of everything dear ,but the resurrection secured Christianity because he was seen to have spoken to numerous persons complete with the wounds he was given from the crucifixion and from the spear this then caused the following to strengthen not only was this event the foundation it was the foundation stone with all men being the children of god.

            Jesus as the rock and Christianity as its foundation created the biggest religion which was global in its teachings and beliefs.

Christian History

What makes the personality and character of Jesus Christ special

 

The personality and characteristics of Jesus Christ where unique or profoundly original this is to say they was different from other teachers and preachers of the day as of Jewish descent he was brought up with the teachings of the old testament as with rabbis of the day Jesus had his own interpretation of  life which is he believed we should follow the law of the land along with his teachings of brotherly love, when questioned by his followers he would use the phrase "I would say" this would be giving a direct approach and made him original in thought.

Another aspect of his personality and characteristics is that he was observant both as a child and in manhood this could be from his early years of being in Nazareth which is a major trade route, this would have been ideal for learning about life outside of his own world by listening to conversation and conversing with the populace and asking questions ,Luke2:52 tells us Jesus grew in body and mind. Could this mean Jesus was also outgoing at an early age for him to be able to develop his communication skills ready for his teachings.

John4 showed another original approach with Jesus in his discussion with the woman at the well in this he shows his ministry is open too all regardless of gender this included none Jews alike.

The best attributes to his personality was the sermon on the mount by not just following the law he embraced it thus showing compassion for all mankind and not just Judaism this was added to his preaching and healing abilities, this must have been a wondrous experience as oppose to a person just reading form a scroll.

What we have is a unique young man who developed his skills at an early age and as such was full of confidence but also compassion which gave us a teacher who was willing to give his time explaining the old testament and answer new question along with being a healer of the sick and able to run a seminary ( teach his disciples).

 

Universal Life Church

Master of Christian History Lesson # 2

Answers to Questions lesson # 2

1.    How do we know that Jesus Christ is a historical person and what are the historical evidences?

The gospel writers Luke (1:1-4) and John (20:30-31) made known that Christianity is a historical religion. Christianity cannot be apart from the Christ of history. The great Roman historian Tacitus (A.D. 55-A.D. 117) associated the name and beginnings of Christianity with "Christus" who in the Emperor Tiberius' reign was executed under the judgment of Pontius Pilate, the Procurator. Lucian (c. A.D. 125-c. A.D. 190) around A.D. 170 wrote a satire on Christians and the Christian faith. Lucian wrote that Christ was crucified for starting a new cult. He also wrote that the Christians believed that Christ taught them that they were brothers and ought to obey His laws. He further mocked them for bowing down to a crucified sophist.

These witnesses by the pagans are greatly important as historical evidence because they come from cultured Romans who generally mocked Christianity. On this foundation, in addition to the Bible which is also a historical writing, Christ did historically exist.

Flavius Josephus (c. A.D. 37-c. A.D. 100), a rich Jew who attempted to defend Judaism to the cultured Romans in his writings, mentioned Christ. He mentioned James the brother of Jesus who was assumed to be Christ. Josephus thought of Christ as a man of wisdom who was condemned to die on a Roman cross by Pilate. Josephus was not friendly toward Christianity. As such his mentioning of Christ garners more historical importance.

Other Evidence

Numerous apocryphal gospels, acts, epistles, and apocalypses are founded upon the historical existence of Christ. Inscriptions and pictures of the dove, the fish, the anchor, and many other Christian symbols in the Roman catacombs offer evidence to the belief in a historical Christ in addition to the existence of the Christian calendar, Sunday as the day of Christian worship, and the Christian church itself.

2.    What makes the personality and character of Jesus Christ special?                                

Holy Scripture offers some points on the personality and character of Jesus Christ. In reading the Gospels, Jesus has a profound originality. When Jewish and other authorities quote others as authorities for sundry statements, Jesus basically gave the phrase "I say." These occurrences in the Gospels show Jesus' original, creative thought which amazed the people of His day (Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32). Jesus' genuineness is very apparent in the scriptural record. Jesus was the only person on earth that had nothing to hide and could be completely Himself (John 8:46). The Gospels also bear witness to Jesus' balanced character. There was no excess in Jesus' character. This can only be sufficiently explained by the historical account of Jesus' Virgin Birth.

 

3.    How does Christ's person and work constitute the beginning of Christianity?

The awe-inspiring importance of Christ's personality is not separate from His work.

The death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, along with His character, work, and teachings, constitute the beginning of Christianity.

Rev. Dr. John W. Hyland
Universal Life Church

Master of christian history lesson 13

 

 What set the post-Nicene fathers apart from the ante-Nicene fathers?

The Ante-Nicene fathers, are the Church Fathers who worked before the Council of Nicaea regardless of whether they were apostolic fathers, apologists, or polemicists. They studied the Scriptures in a more or less scientific way to gain theological meaning.

While the Post-Nicene Fathers which include the Eastern Post-Nicene Fathers and Western Post-Nicene Fathers are the Fathers of the church who were part of the schools of Biblical interpretation.

Rev. Andrew

Christian Ethics from ULC

Christian Ethics – Lessons 1 & 2  Homework questions

 

1.           Christian Ethics is a proper study of Jesus' life and teaching, and the knowledge gained applied to personal and social problems as they arise in day to day life.

 

2. Agape love is the love that transcends all, and is given willingly and completely by a person to another without thought of anything in return.

 

3.           Christendom means those areas and countries of the world which have accepted the Christian ideal and accepted its influence.

 

4.           The Church, provided it is faithful to its mission of preaching the Gospel and is a fellowship of those trying to follow the teachings of Christ, should be more aware of what is right more than the society surrounding it. This enables it to proclaim  the principles of Christian morality.

 

5.           The Bible is the fountainhead of Christian theology.

 

6.           The Old Testament should provide us with guidance on how to proceed in ethical situations, but should be taken in conjunction with the New Testament and Jesus; moral insights as provided therein.

 

7.           The New Testament gives us the historical revelation of God in Christ.

 

8.           True.

 

9.True

 

10.  As defined in Lesson 2, Christian Ethics is the study of the way of life set out by Jesus Christ and applied to the demands and decisions of our own personal and social lives.