KBM Was Jesus Real?

Today, we are continuing our series on Apologetics having answered the question in our last study “Is The Bible True?” This week we will be studying the question and answer to the question “Was Jesus Real?” It is amazing how many people actually do not believe Jesus ever even existed historically. For example…

Richard Carrier who has a PhD in Ancient History wrote, “I am convinced by the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was a mythical figure, invented by early Christians, and that the Gospels are not historical records but literary creations reflecting theological agendas.”

Robert M. Price who has a PhD in New Testament wrote, “The Gospel story, with its figure of Jesus of Nazareth, is a tapestry of Scripture quotes from the Old Testament and incorporates many of the recurrent features of the Indo-European and Semitic hero myths…I conclude that Jesus is best understood as a mythic figure rather than a historical one.”

Thomas L. Brodie who has a PhD in Biblical Studies and was the former director of the Dominican Biblical Institute wrote, “The Gospels are essentially a rewriting of the stories of Elijah and Elisha when viewed as a unified account in the Books of Kings…I have come to the conclusion that Jesus did not exist as a historical individual but is a literary construct based on earlier biblical narratives.”

Are these men right? Could Jesus be completely made up? The short answer is no and that isn’t just because the bible, which we determined was from God and true therefore in our last study, but because the external evidence is so great for him existing.

Tacitus (56 - 118 AD), the Roman historian, wrote in his work Annals about Jesus being executed by Pilot and Christianity spreading.

Tacitus: The Histories and The Annals, Volumes I–IV: English Translation Book XV

Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus, and the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment, only to break out once more, not merely in Judaea, the

Josephus (37 -100 AD) the great Jewish Historian would write this…

The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition Chapter 3: Sedition of the Jews against Pontius Pilate; Concerning Christ, and What Befell Paulina and the Jews at Home

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; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst 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.

The point is very early on both secular people wrote about Jesus, the crucifixion he endured, and the movement he created after words.

Truth be told, if Jesus wasn’t real, hadn’t been crucified, and did rise from the dead there would be no people called Christians today, as Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 NKJV

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Was Jesus real? Most certainly, and not only do we know he was real we know he was raised from the dead, but Christianity wouldn’t exist if he hadn’t.