Did Jesus really exist? That’s a very good and important question. The Bible may be full of stories, but how reliable is a well over 2000-year-old book? Are there any other sources that confirm Jesus’ existence?
Let’s start with the Bible. The Bible is split into two sections, commonly known as the Old Testament and the New Testament. The New Testament is full of stories and sayings of Jesus. To clarify, Jesus did not write the Bible himself. This second part of the Bible was written by close friends of Jesus or written down later by followers based on well researched eyewitness accounts. It is important to know that the storytelling culture was very strong at the time. Because few people could read and write, storytelling was an essential part of culture. Stories were often remembered and passed on very accurately. The first parts of the New Testament were written less than 25 years after Jesus’ death. Many eyewitnesses were still alive when the stories were written down. In other books from the Classical Antiquity this time is much longer and these documents are also considered important historical books.
Manuscripts
There are over 5,600 manuscripts of the New Testament (or parts of it). This is far more than any other historical document which are all widely accepted as accurate and reliable sources. This indicates that the original text of the New Testament can be reconstructed with far great accuracy. Researchers indicate that if you look closely at the text and the background information, you can only come to one conclusion; and that is that there is only a maximum of 30 years between the actual events and the time when the four Gospels were written.
Scientists
What do leading scientists and archaeologists who don’t identify as Christians say about the question: Did Jesus really exist? The details of his existence have been disputed for centuries, but almost all scientists and archaeologists agree that the person Jesus actually walked this earth.
Non-christian sources
At the time when Jesus is said to have lived, there were historians who recorded in detail everything about what happened in their days. The most famous Jewish historian of that time is Flavius Josephus, who wrote down some phrases about Jesus, such as that he was a wise man, had Jewish and Gentile followers, and he also described his death. Four other sources have been found that tell about the life of Jesus. Many historical scholars confirm that Jesus was born a Jew between 6 and 2 BC. He spent his childhood in Nazareth. He was baptized by John the Baptist. He gathered students around him and taught them and others about the faith. About year 30 he went to Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover and caused a stir in the temple. He was captured and interrogated by Jewish authorities and executed by Pontius Pilate. He was sentenced to death and crucified and buried.
Did Jesus really exist? You can safely assume that Jesus really lived. But where does his story end? At his death or does the story continue? That’s a question for you to discover the answer to.
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