Did Jesus Exist?
The question did Jesus exist is a matter of historical debate, and there is no single definitive piece of evidence that can conclusively prove his existence. However, there are several pieces of evidence that have been put forward to support the idea that Jesus was a real historical figure.
New Testament Evidence
One of the most significant pieces of evidence is the collection of texts known as the New Testament, which contains numerous accounts of Jesus’s life, teachings, and miracles. While the historical accuracy of these texts is a matter of debate, most scholars agree that they were written by early Christian communities and provide valuable insights into the beliefs and practices of these groups.
Roman and Jewish Historians
In addition to the New Testament, there are several other historical sources that mention Jesus or early Christianity. For example, the Roman historian Tacitus wrote about the execution of Jesus by the Roman authorities, and the Jewish historian Josephus made several references to Jesus and early Christian movements in his works.
Tacitus
Yes, it is generally agreed among scholars that the Roman historian Tacitus and the Jewish historian Josephus were not contemporary writers in relation to the life of Jesus. Tacitus was born in AD 56 or 57, approximately 20-30 years after the death of Jesus, and his account of Jesus appears in his work “Annals,” which was written around AD 116, over 80 years after Jesus’s death.
Josephus
Similarly, Josephus was born in AD 37, after the death of Jesus, and his references to Jesus and early Christianity appear in his works “The Jewish War” and “Antiquities of the Jews,” which were written around AD 75 and AD 93, respectively.
While the accounts of Tacitus and Josephus provide some valuable historical information about Jesus and early Christianity, their works were not written during the lifetime of Jesus or his immediate followers. This means that their accounts may be based on second-hand information, rather than eyewitness testimony, and may be subject to historical inaccuracies or interpretive biases.
Archaeological Discoveries
Archaeological discoveries have also provided some evidence of the existence of early Christian communities in the region where Jesus is believed to have lived and preached. For example, the discovery of ossuaries (bone boxes) containing inscriptions with biblical names and references to Jesus and his disciples have been found in Jerusalem.
While these pieces of evidence are not conclusive proof of Jesus’s existence, they do provide some support for the idea that he was a real historical figure.
Counter Arguments for the Existence of Jesus
Dr Robert Price a well known Mythicist argues that there is no evidence to support the existence of a historical Jesus.
Price contends that the New Testament documents are unreliable as historical sources, as they were written many years after the events they purport to describe, and were written by people with an ideological agenda.
According to Price, the non-Christian sources that are often cited as evidence for Jesus are either too vague or too late to be of any use.
Price argues that the Jesus story is based on earlier mythological motifs, such as the dying and rising god, which were common in the ancient world. He claims that the Jesus story is simply a variation on these earlier motifs, and that there is no reason to believe that the story is based on an actual historical figure.
Ultimately, the question of Jesus’s existence remains a matter of interpretation and debate among historians and scholars.