Historical Proof of Christ's Existence
11 Jul '10 16:18A myth has been circulating for some time that there is no proof of Christ's existence. That is not true. There are many references from original source documents from the era (mostly Roman) which indeed reference Christ and the first Christians.
The myth seemed to evolve out of the history written by Josephus who barely mentioned the early Christians. But, he did mention them. And, he was not a historian as we know of them today, he was a "court" historian. He was a kind of PR man for the Roman rule. So, his job was to make the Romans look good, report about their victories and etc. It certainly was not part of his job description to describe people who were different, unusual or rebelling against the norms. Even so, he did mention them. Considering that bad reporting by a historian might result in jail, even mentioning them at all is considerable proof of their existence.
Historicity of Jesus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus
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Roman Historian proof
from:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/forums/?ID=138266598
Cornelius Tacitus
Author's Background
Cornelius Tacitus (56-120 AD) has been called the greatest historian on ancient Rome. He lived during the reign of several Roman emperors and was a Roman historian and a governor of Asia [Turkey] in AD 112. He wrote two major works: Annals and the Histories. The following is a quote from the Annals.
Reference To Jesus Christ
Consequently, to get rid of the report, 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 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 Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. 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. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. - Annals 15.44
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christ lived during the reign of Tiberius (AD 14-37).
2) Pontius Pilate put him to death.
3) The word "superstition" suggests a religion.
4) Christ had followers who were named Christians.
5) The Christians suffered under Nero and they were hated by others.
The myth seemed to evolve out of the history written by Josephus who barely mentioned the early Christians. But, he did mention them. And, he was not a historian as we know of them today, he was a "court" historian. He was a kind of PR man for the Roman rule. So, his job was to make the Romans look good, report about their victories and etc. It certainly was not part of his job description to describe people who were different, unusual or rebelling against the norms. Even so, he did mention them. Considering that bad reporting by a historian might result in jail, even mentioning them at all is considerable proof of their existence.
Historicity of Jesus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus
+++
Roman Historian proof
from:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/forums/?ID=138266598
Cornelius Tacitus
Author's Background
Cornelius Tacitus (56-120 AD) has been called the greatest historian on ancient Rome. He lived during the reign of several Roman emperors and was a Roman historian and a governor of Asia [Turkey] in AD 112. He wrote two major works: Annals and the Histories. The following is a quote from the Annals.
Reference To Jesus Christ
Consequently, to get rid of the report, 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 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 Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. 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. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. - Annals 15.44
Conclusion
This reference reveals several key things:
1) Christ lived during the reign of Tiberius (AD 14-37).
2) Pontius Pilate put him to death.
3) The word "superstition" suggests a religion.
4) Christ had followers who were named Christians.
5) The Christians suffered under Nero and they were hated by others.
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