Historical evidence of Jesus

[ted]

First of all the bible was written after Jesus supposed death and secondly were not written by his followers, so it isn't really an eye witness account either.

Peter was not one of Jesus' followers? (I&II Peter)

John? (John, 1-3 John, Revelation)

Matthew? (Matthew)

I'd say that these guys were as close as one could be to being eyewitnesses.

Secondly, the Bible we have today was not assembled into its 66 book as it is now until after the death and ressurection of Jesus, but all of the OT was written before He was born. Jesus Himself refers to Scripture throughout His ministry.

Anyway.....

t.

[traveller]

What did he look like?

He was rather plain looking.

Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him.

What were his interests and hobbies?

His interests? The people. Hobbies? Teaching men to fish.

Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

What did he talk about with his friends?

A whole lot of things! For instance: Abraham was his friend based on this verse:

Jam 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

So, one of the things He talked about to Abraham was this:

Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Gen 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

or: to Moses:

Exd 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here [am] I.

Exd 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground.

Exd 3:6 Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exd 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

Exd 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

See - he had a lot to say to Moses.

He also said this:

Mat 5:

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

What did he do for a living?

Mostly, He lives. But, in the flesh He was a carpenter.

Mar 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

He is a creator

Isa 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

All these normal things that we ask about everyone the bible is silent about. There are hardly any personal facts about Jesus himself anywhere in the bible and that has always struck me as odd considering how devoted his followers supposedly were to him. Maybe these and other facts were ommited because there were no facts to write because he is another in a long line of mythological figures.

there is so much more in the bible. Another thing that He told His friends is this:

Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

[secondeve]

My 2 Cents:

1. There is enough evidence to satisfy history and historians that a man named Jesus existed. However, the fact that he did exist is no proof for his divinity. We have people in history who claim that Greek kings descended from the gods, but while we accept (albeit with a grain of salt) what the writers say about things which, given our knowledge of the physical world, could have happened, we are skeptical of claims of the divine or the supernatural. Ancient writers thought that unicorns existed; we know they didn't. Ancient writers believed the Greek and Egyptian gods existed; nobody now believes they were real entities, but if we read about people who thought they existed and who interpreted omens as proof of this, we still don't change our minds and start worshipping Sekhmet or Horus.

2. Regardless of whether or not some of what he said was questionable or openly biased, Josephus is not an eye-witness for Christ, which was the original question. He is going off what he has been told, or what he believes. This tells us that Jesus existed; it does not prove he was the son of God, only that people believed he was.

3. That anyone throughout history has been willing to die horribly or at all for the sake of Christ and God does not prove the divinity (or existence) of either. People have died willingly for their gods for as long as humanity has understood the concept. Look at the Trojan War. People on both sides believe they were favoured by their gods, and acted accordingly, even if it led to their death. Agamemnon killed Iphigenia, his beloved daughter, in order to please the goddess Artemis (who his preists told him he had offended) to get a fair wind to sail to Troy. Who would do that unless they believed with heart, mind and body?