by Touchofgrey 189 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Is there any independently verified evidence that a miracle worker called jesus existed and did the things that the bible said he did?
The four gospels were written by unknown authors many decades after the so called events, so can't be considered as eyewitness accounts.
I think that there may have been a apocalyptic preacher who was executed by the Romans and the story evolved from their.
The academic consensus is that Jesus of Nazareth was a historical person.
The supernatural aspect of his life is a matter of religious faith.
Dr. Bart Denton Ehrman is a good reference for that if you want more details.
JOSEPHUS is the only one I have heard spoke of Jesus. Lots of good stuff on you tube. Yes Bart Ehrman books
are great reading if you're interested in early Chistian history. Thriftbooks have lots. Start with Misquoting Jesus.
I like bart Ehrman and aware of his work, prof james tabor is also worth considering .
This topic was more for those who still believe that jesus was a real person who performed miracles and was raised from the dead.
I have asked the question a few times and the ones promoting jesus on here won't or can't answer my question so I thought I would start a topic .
Touch of Grey, I recommend you read ‘The Case for Christ’, by Lee Strobel. That book should answer your questions.
No, there is nothing I would grace with the word "evidence" for the "Jesus" of the Gospels.
Later references are only repeating the Mythos that had grown up since the time of Paul.
Had a person ANYTHING like the Jesus of Gospels existed, he WOULD have been written about at the time, even discounting fanciful miracles, someone who caused enough trouble for the Romans to crucify him would have been recorded, other trouble makers were written about, at the time they lived and died, and there were plenty of guys writing about such things, during the period this Jesus is supposed to have lived.
The Jesus of the Gospels is a totally Fictional Figure.
https://www.ruthlessreviews.com/features/the-case-for-christ/
Biahi
Lee Strobel believes that the four gospels are eyewitness accounts, that's not true, biblical scholars date them to many decades after the so called events.
That's not independently verified evidence of a miracle worker called jesus.
There is no contemporary evidence for the magical Jesus as presented in the 'gospels'. Paul's writings contain very little in the way of biographical details about Jesus and no specific details about his 'ministry'. Paul's own account of his 'conversion' also lacks detail, and the more detailed and contradictory versions in Acts were conveniently written after Paul's death (but are consistent with a temporal lobe seizure). Paul's conversion from opposer to Christian is also not remarkable, and similar conversions into various denominations are also seen today. There were any number of itinerant rabbis in the first century and just as many personality cults surrounding them, and it is entirely unremarkable that stories about one or more were compiled into the stories of the Jesus motif as presented in the 'gospels' decades later.
Our current dating system started from a man called Jesus Christ was born 2024 years ago. That is pretty strong evidence.
also as has been said Josephus and many other ancient historians recorded Jesus.
there is no doubt about this very special man called Jesus but there is doubt about the miracles and who he claimed to be?
Mikejw:
Our current dating system started from a man called Jesus Christ was born 2024 years ago. That is pretty strong evidence.
Our dating system (first adopted in the 6th century) is based on a tradition around someone who according to the source material would actually have been born in 4 BCE. Nothing about that establishes any 'supernatural' claims about Jesus, including the claim that he was 'Christ'. Our current names of four days of the week are based on Norse deities but it doesn't mean they're real.
also as has been said Josephus and many other ancient historians recorded Jesus.
A very small number of non-Christian sources (not "many") from the second century mentioned Jesus (or at least mentioned Christians), but did not confirm any claim that he was supernatural.
there is no doubt about this very special man called Jesus but there is doubt about the miracles and who he claimed to be?
All of the stories about Jesus' ministry in the gospels were written decades after his death, and it is impossible to know what if anything in the 'gospels' accurately represents anything Jesus actually said or did. We can reasonably conclude from Paul's writings that during Jesus' life or shortly after his death he was considered special by a small number of followers, and they convinced Paul (who never met Jesus) that Jesus provided a redemptive 'sacrifice', but nothing else can be reliably established.
