1
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. - C. S. Lewis 2
What is Apologetics? Apologia means defense, answer. Apologetics is reasons the Christian faith is rational. 1 Peter 3:15 - Peter said to the early Christians, Always be prepared to give a defense [an apologia] to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is within you. 3
The non-christian, Historian, H.G. Wells I m a historian. I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all of history. 4
The historian, Kenneth Scott Latourette As the centuries pass, the evidence is accumulating that measured by his effect on history Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on the planet. 5
Did Jesus really exist? Can I trust the Gospels as history? Is Jesus Really God? Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? 6
Is Jesus the Only Way to God? Does Jesus Have an Answer for Evil and Suffering? Why are There Good nonchristians and Hypocritical Christians? 7
Did Jesus really exist? 8
What would you say? 9
Modern Writers Speak Matthew Kalman, Time Magazine, September 5, 2009 If its dates were genuine, the burial box or ossuary could well be circumstantial evidence for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, a tenet supported only by gospels and scripture written, at the earliest, a generation after his crucifixion and, of course, by the faith of hundreds of millions through 2,000 years. 10
Modern Writers Speak 11
Charles Templeton Charles Templeton s fictional archaeologist in the novel Act of God The [Christian] church bases its claims mostly on the teaching of an obscure young Jew with messianic pretentions who, let s face it, didn t make much of an impression in his lifetime. There isn t a single word about him in secular history. Not a word. Not a mention of him by the Romans. Not as much as reference by Josephus. 12
What would you say? Did Jesus really exist? 13
How do we know anything in history happened? How do we know anyone existed in history? Not scientific proof repeatable observable 14
How do we know anything in history happened? How do we know anyone existed in history? But historical proof - witnesses 15
How do we know anything in history happened? Is there historical evidence for Jesus outside of the Bible? Yes! 16
Let s look at three ancient historians Tacitus Josephus Pliny the Younger 17
Cornelius Tacitus Roman Historian Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 55-120), an historian of first century Rome, is considered one of the most accurate historians of the ancient world. In 115 A.D., Tacitus was writing about the great fire of Rome in 64 A.D. An excerpt from Tacitus tells us that the Roman emperor Nero fastened guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abomination called Christians by the populace... 18
Cornelius Tacitus Roman Historian Therefore to squelch the rumor, Nero created scapegoats and subjected to the most refined tortures those whom the common people called Christians, hated for their abominable crimes. 19
Cornelius Tacitus Roman Historian "Christus [Christ], from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome 20
Cornelius Tacitus Roman Historian 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. [Annals 15:44] 21
Josephus Josephus, a Jewish historian (A.D. 38-97) wrote about Jesus in his Jewish Antiquities. He [Annus] 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 over to be stoned. 22
Josephus Jesus was a wise man who did surprising feats, taught many, won over followers from among Jews and Greeks, was believed to be the Messiah, was accused by the Jewish leaders, was condemned to be crucified by Pilate, and was considered to be resurrected. Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 3, Section 3, Arabic text version, 23
Pliny the Younger Pliny the Younger, in a letter to the Emperor Trajan in about 112, says, They are in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it is light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to do 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 deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food but food of an ordinary an innocent kind. [Letters 10:96] 24
Lucian - a Greek Satirist "The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account. You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains their contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then 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. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property." Lucian, The Passing of Peregrinus 25
Why the Koran is Not a Reliable Source The Koran mentions Jesus It tells us he was a miracle worker, virgin born, a prophet of God. It also rejects the divinity of Jesus and says that the people were fooled by the apparent crucifixion. The Koran was written around 653 AD 900 miles away. Therefore it is not a reliable witness to what happened. 26
His Enemies Speak! Even the Jewish Talmud, written by the Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus, concurs about the major events of his life. From the Talmud, we learn that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock, gathered disciples, made blasphemous claims about himself, and worked miracles, but these miracles are attributed to sorcery and not to God. 27
Ten Non-Christian Authors Mention Jesus 1. Josephus 2. Tacitus 3. Pliny the Younger 4. Phlegon a freed slave who wrote history 5. Thallus a first century historian 6. Seutonius a Roman historian 7. Lucian a Greek satirist 8. Celsus a Roman philosopher 9. Mara Bar-Serapion a private citizen to his son 10. Jewish Talmud 28
Summary Even if we had no Gospels, from non-christian ancient writings we can know: 1. Jesus was from Nazareth. 2. He lived a wise and virtuous life. 3. He was crucified under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius Caesar at Passover time, being considered a Jewish king. 4. He was believed by his disciples to have been raised from the dead three days later. 5. His enemies acknowledged that he performed unusual feats they called sorcery. 6. His small band of disciples multiplied rapidly, spreading as far as Rome. 7. His disciples denied polytheism, lived moral lives, and worshiped Christ as Divine. Doesn t this confirm the view of Christ presented in the gospels?!! 29
How would you respond? Is this good reporting? Matthew Kalman, Time Magazine, September 5, 2009 If its dates were genuine, the burial box or ossuary could well be circumstantial evidence for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, a tenet supported only by gospels and scripture written, at the earliest, a generation after his crucifixion and, of course, by the faith of hundreds of millions through 2,000 years. 30
Did Jesus exist? 31
Did Jesus exist? 32
Question for the Heart Now that we have seen that Jesus existed We must answer his question to Peter and to us Who do you say that I am? 33
Can I Trust the Four Historical Biographies of Jesus [the Gospels] as History? 34
What are the Gospels? We have four ancient biographies of Jesus written by: Matthew a disciple and eyewitness. John a disciple and eyewitness Mark wrote down Peter s eyewitness account Luke a Gentile doctor who interviewed eyewitnesses 35
Can I trust the historical writing of the Gospels? Some say, No! We have trusted other writers for information about the ancient world: Josephus Tacitus Pliny the Younger But when it comes to the four biographies of Jesus, suddenly we cannot trust them! 36
Reza Aslan, Author of Zealot says No. I certainly rely on the gospels to provide a narrative outline to my biography of Jesus of Nazareth, but my primary source in recreating Jesus life are historical writings about first century Palestine, like the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus The gospels are not, nor were they ever meant to be, historical documentations of Jesus life. These are not eyewitness accounts of Jesus words and deeds.they are testimonies of faith composed by communities of faith written many years after the events they describe. In other words, the gospels tell us about Jesus the Christ, not Jesus the man. The gospels are of course extremely useful in revealing how the early Christians viewed Jesus. But they do not tell us much about how Jesus viewed himself. To get to the bottom of that mystery, which is what I try to do in the book, one must sift through the gospel stories to analyze their claims about Jesus in light of the historical facts we know about the time and world in which Jesus lived. 37
Can I trust the historical writing of the Gospels? Some say, No! Surprise! Arguments searching for Jesus are really about the reliability of the biographies. Like an illusionist, they have misdirected our attention. 38
You cannot trust the gospels. 1. They are writing with an agenda so that you will believe in Jesus. 2. And they were written much later. They are not written by eyewitnesses. 3. We don t have the originals What would you say? 39
Understanding the Time Line Questions Jesus life and miracles What is the Date? Quality? Writing of Gospels Mark Matthew Luke John What is the Quality? Our first physical copies Mark Matthew Luke John 40
Objections to trusting the Gospels: They are Biased Objection: They are biased witnesses. They want me to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Response: Then we can t trust the Holocaust witnesses. Truth: When authors know that they are describing unbelievable events, it causes them to be even more truthful. 41
Ancient Sources Valued Eyewitnesses Modern historians tend to discount the eyewitness testimony of Jesus' disciples written down in the Gospels, because they think that they are biased and therefore unreliable as historians. However... "Thucydides, Polybius, Josephus and Tacitus - were convinced that true history could be written only while events were still within living memory, and they valued as their sources the oral reports of direct experience of the events by involved participants in them.... [because a] person involved remembers better than a disinterested observer.... Good [ancient] historians were highly critical of those who relied largely on written sources." -Richard Bauckham 42
Objection 2: The Gospel Were Garbled Over Time Objection: There is a time gap between the events of Jesus and the writing of the gospels. There were spread orally and like the children's game of telephone, the truth get's garbled. Response: Yes, they were written later. But like the Telephone game played OUT LOUD. And the gospels are written by eyewitnesses. 43
Objection 3: We Don t Have The Originals Objection: They are ancient documents and not reliable. We don t have the original. Response: Let s think about how other ancient documents are judged for example, Plato s Republic 44
How Do Experts Determine Reliability of Ancient Document Copies? 1.Time Gap Writing of Gospels Our first physical copies 2.Number of Copies 3.The Agreement Between Copies 45
Ancient Documents: Time Gap and # of Copies Author Written Earliest Copy Plato s Tetralogies Span 400s B.C 200s B.C. 200 years 238 Tacitus Annals 100 A.D. 1050 A.D. 1000 years 36 # of Copies Caesar s Gallic Wars Thucydides History Pliny the Elder s Natural History 58-50 B.C. 800s A.D. 900 years 49 460-400 B.C. 200 B.C. 200 years 188 79 A.D. 400s A.D. 400 years 200 Homer (Iliad) 900 B.C. 400 B.C. 500 years 1900 New Testament 50-100 A.D. 46
Author Written Earliest Copy Span # of Copies Plato s Tetralogies 400s B.C 200s B.C. 200 years 238 Tacitus Annals 100 A.D. 1050 A.D. 1000 years 36 Caesar s Gallic Wars 58-50 B.C. 800s A.D. 900 years 49 Thucydides History 460-400 B.C. 200 B.C. 200 years 188 Pliny the Elder s Natural History 79 A.D. 400s A.D. 400 years 200 Homer (Iliad) 900 B.C. 400 B.C. 500 years 1900 New Testament 50-100 A.D. c. 117 fragments c. 200 (books) c. 250 (most of NT) c. 325 (complete NT) 50 years 100 years 150 years 225 years 5,856 Greek 23,968 including Latin Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, Slavic, etc. Source: Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh MdDowell, p. 52, 56 47
1. The New Testament is Reliable because of the Number of Manuscripts The New Testament is the most frequently copied and widely circulated ancient document. The New Testament has the shortest time gap between original writing and our current copies. 48
2. The NT is Reliable because of the Preservation of Manuscripts When we compare the copies, how much are we not sure of? How much disagrees? Iliad has a 5% textual corruption NT has a.5% textual corruption. That s right -- POINT 5%. Meaning 99.5% pure. 49
3. The NT is Reliable because of the Eyewitnesses How is history proven? Eyewitnesses Are the Gospels written by Eyewitnesses? Four strong pieces of evidence. 50
3. The NT is Reliable because of the Eyewitnesses A. The documents say they are written by eyewitness. B. The documents read like they were written by eyewitnesses. C. The documents line up with geographical and cultural facts. D. Everything points to an early writing. 51
3a. The NT Says it was Written by Eyewitnesses Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertake to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. 52
3. The NT is Reliable because of the Eyewitnesses John 19:35 The man who saw it has given testimony and his testimony is true. Iranaeus says Matthew composed his gospel while Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel and founding the church in Rome. Mark is a well know NT character. His mother s home was were Peter went (Acts 12:12 ff). He is a helper on the journeys. Tradition states that he wrote from Peter s point of view. Much internal evidence points to this. 53
3b. The NT Reads Like it was Written by Eyewitnesses For example Mark 15:21 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. ct. Romans 16:13 No reason to include unless readers knew Alexander and Rufus and could verify! 54
3b. The NT Reads Like it was Written by Eyewitnesses But can eyewitnesses be trusted? They included the embarrassing parts: Peter include his own betrayal the disciples include their own denseness. What do they gain from writing? Fame? Fortune? No - Death and Suffering! They have no motive for embellishing! 55
3c. The NT is Reliable because it matches the External Evidence Archaeology Supports Example - Pilate 56
3c. The New Testament is Reliable because it Matches the External Evidence Geography Supports Culture Supports 57
3d. The New Testament is Reliable Because All the Evidence Points to to Early Writing The Jewish Temple was destroyed in AD 70 fulfilling many of Jesus predictions and proving that worship had shifted away from the temple. Yet, the Book of Acts makes no mention of the destruction of the Temple (AD 70) or the death of Paul (AD 65), James (AD 62) (even though martyrdom of Stephen was included) the fire of Rome and persecution of Christians (AD 64) This strongly suggests it was written before those things happened. 58
3d. The New Testament is Reliable Because All the Evidence Points to to Early Writing This strongly suggests Acts was written before 62 A.D. AND Acts refers to Luke s former book. Therefore, Luke was written before 62 AD. And the gospel of Luke seems to rely on the stories in the gospel of Mark. Therefore, Mark was written earlier. 59
Conclusion A. The documents say they are written by eyewitness. B. The documents read like they were written by eyewitnesses. C. The documents line up with geographical and cultural facts. D. Everything points to an early writing. Evidence is very strong they were written by eyewitnesses. 60
4. The New Testament is Reliable Because of the Witness of the Early Church Fathers. Clement (c. AD 95) cites: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter. Ignatius (c. AD 107) cites: Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 3 John, Revelation. Other Church Fathers quote extensively. 61
The Gospels are reliable history! The Gospels are reliable history because of the: 1. Number of manuscripts. 2. Purity of the manuscripts. 3. Eyewitnesses. 4. External agreement. 62
What about the other gospels? The Gospel of Thomas? The Gospel of Peter? The Gospel of Mary? The Secret Gospel of Mark? 1. They are not a gospel. 2. Nor written by. 3. They have later dating. They have origin. 4. They reflect Gnostic elements that the church was battling in the first century. 63
What about the other gospels? The Gospel of Thomas? The Gospel of Peter? The Gospel of Mary? The Secret Gospel of Mark? 5. They are not mentioned by the church fathers. To the contrary, Irenaeus of Lyons writing in about 160AD declares that there were four and only four gospel. The DaVinci Code idea of political exclusion in AD 325 is not based on fact. 64
Conclusion To be skeptical of the New Testament books is to allow all of antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested biographically as the New Testament John Warwick Montgomery, History and Christianity 65
Are the biographies of Jesus reliable history? 66
Are the biographies of Jesus reliable history? 67
Question for the Heart Now that we have seen that the Gospels are reliable history We must think about this All who are on the side of truth listen to me, said Jesus. Are we willing to read these historical accounts of Jesus to seek to know more about him? 68