Evidence vs. Proof. Did Jesus actually live?
In this class, we won’t be able to ‘prove’ anything to you. I’m sorry. But think about that word for a second. Proof.
The question of God isn’t a scientific question. It is a philosophical question. And the story of Jesus is a historical question.
The ‘proof’ necessary to answer philosophical questions as well as historical questions is actually a subjective amount of evidence. So, it doesn’t become a matter of what hard undeniable proof do you need. It is a matter of how much evidence do you need in order to be convinced? And is that standard, that personal bar of evidence that you set, is it consistent?
For example, Whitney can say that Wilson left the house at 0805. Now I can analyze that claim and say “ok well, I was here at 0830 and Wilson was unloading the truck when I got here. Plus, I know Whittney personally and know that there is no reason for her to lie about something like that.” Based on that, my bar for believing her claim is rather low. Now… if I was a first timer here, with no knowledge of anyone here, and Whittney comes out of nowhere and tells me that Wilson left at 0805. I can say to myself “Wait, I got here at 0950 and I didnt see Wilson anywhere (because maybe I didn’t realize he was in the prayer room) Wait, did he really leave at 0805? Is she just trying to boast on her husband’s behalf? Now my bar of evidence shifts further.
Another example, I cannot prove to you that Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated. But, I can make a fair assumption that he was, based on the reliability of the scholars who study the event, the tradition, and the eyewitness testimony of those who were there.
So, can we then claim that a belief in Christ meets our standards that we hold other historical claims to? Most definitely.
We have fair arguments that attest to the reliability of the gospel writers memory, who wrote them, the historical accuracy in them, and the question of if Jesus ever even lived.
Let’s touch on one… Did Jesus live? What’s our evidence?
There are about 12 ancient works that we can reference that exist outside of the bible and the early church that recognize His existence. Why aren’t there more? Mind you, there were no Netflix producers on contracts to make X amount of docu-series about anything and everything. The only way you were written about in those times is if you were rich and famous. Up until the extreme end, Jesus was another common man. It wasn’t until the early church started making some noise until he was extensively looked into.
Several examples of outside sources that mention Jesus…
1- Josephus. 1st century Jewish historian who wrote about Jesus in his book called Antiquities. He mentions how Jesus performed “wondrous works” and references how his brother James was called to be persecuted.
2- The Talmud. Religious text for Jews that outline their theology and laws. Oddly enough it mentions Jesus, which is odd because you would think they would want to suppress the name. That is unless he was actually too big of a deal at the time to not be mentioned.
3- Tacitus. (mid 50’s – 105 AD roughly) He was thought to be the most reliable Roman historian. In his final work ‘Annals’ book 15 ch. 44, he mentions how Jesus was executed under Pontius under the reign of Tiberius.
4- Suetonius. (2nd century) Roman historian, thought of as one of the fathers of the biography genre. His works are important in terms of dating Acts, as he talks about the Jews being expelled from Rome under Claudius (apx. 42AD) He notes that the reason for said expulsion is due to the instigation of “Chrestus” or “Christos.”
5- Pliny the Younger- (2nd century) Roman politician. He wrote back and forth with Trajan (emperor) about how to deal with Christians that did not revere Caesar, and how they would sing to Christ in Hymns.
6- Lucian- (2nd century) Very satirical writer. Not a fan of Christians, looked down upon them. He recognized Jesus as a distinguished person who instituted novel rights so to say and was then put to death for his efforts. But he mocked Christians for believing that he was anything more than that.
From these works and people alone we are able to derive that He lived, He lived in the first third of the first century, He was Jewish, gathered disciples, worked wondrous feats, was at conflict with Jewish authority, had a brother James who was martyred in 62 AD by the high priest Albinus, crucified under Pontius (26-36AD), believed to be raised from the dead by His followers who worshiped Him as God, believed to be the messiah by some, His ministry intersected with John the baptizer, sorcerer who led Israel astray, and theTalmud translates his death to ‘hung’ which would’ve been the phrase used for suspension by a pole or cross.