James Patrick Holding

Tekton Apologetics Ministries

<http://www.tektonics.org>

“Skeptics silenced….rogues refuted.”

The Evidence for JesusTwo Aspects of the Case for Christ

Myths in the “Christ Myth”“If Jesus really existed, there would be records of him all over the place.”

Myths in the “Christ Myth”What about those “missing” records???

• Literacy in the first century: It wasn’t there!

• Preservation of material: It’s not here now!

• A “high view” of Jesus: It wouldn’t happen!

The Marginal Jew• Crucified! The ultimate disgrace

• A Jewish preacher from a backwater

• Bad associations

Myths in the “Christ Myth”“There were a lot of writers who would have mentioned Jesus if he really existed, but they didn’t.”

Remsberg’s ListJosephus

Tacitus

Seneca

Pliny

Juvenal

Martial

Arrian

Petronius

Dion Pruseas

Paterculus

Appian

Theon

Persius

Plutarch

Valerius

Lucanus

etc.

The Evidence for JesusNaturally, we have:

…but that’s another teaching.

The Evidence for JesusAncient Historians Who Mention

JesusJosephus

Tacitus

Pliny

Lucian

Thallus

Tacitus• Lived c. 66-117 AD

• Author of the Annals, the Histories, and other works

• Considered biased, but also the most reliable ancient historian

Tacitus on JesusHence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also…

Tacitus on Jesus: Pushbacks

• “It’s written too late.”

• The “procurator problem”

• “The Christians forged it!”

Josephus• Lived c. 37-100 AD

• Author of the Antiquities, the War, and other works

• Considered reliable overall, though he was a bit of a scoundrel

Josephus on Jesus(Ananus) assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James… (Antiquities 20.9.1)

Josephus on JesusNow there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. When Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day. Antiquities 18.3.3

Forgeries?

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.

For Further Reading

http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html

http://www.tektonics.org/qt/remslist.html