I recently saw a thread in this sub-forum about Jesus being white. The conversation spiraled out of control when someone asked for proof that Jesus even existed. Thus, this post has been created to provide the evidence for Jesus' existence - not to demonstrate that Jesus was
the Christ.
Though this article is from Wikipedia, it still serves as valuable to those who are interested in having some basic knowledge in degrees on the historicity of Jesus. I would like to note that some significant adversaries of Jesus are found discussing him. This means that it cannot simply be shrugged off as more Christians providing sources for Jesus' existence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_JesusIf you do not approve of Wikipedia in any sense, here are the sources that have been found to mention Jesus. Research them on your own if need be.
Pliny the YoungerQuote
Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ — none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do — these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshiped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.
TacitusQuote
Nero fastened the guilt of starting the blaze and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians [Chrestians] by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.
SuetoniusQuote
As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Claudius] expelled them [the Jews] from Rome.
JosephusQuote
About this time came Jesus, a wise man, if indeed it is appropriate to call him a man. For he was a performer of paradoxical feats, a teacher of people who accept the unusual with pleasure, and he won over many of the Jews and also many Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon the accusation of the first men amongst us, condemned him to be crucified, those who had formerly loved him did not cease to follow him, for he appeared to them on the third day, living again, as the divine prophets foretold, along with a myriad of other marvellous things concerning him. And the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.
Mara bar SarapionQuote
For what benefit did the Athenians obtain by putting Socrates to death, seeing that they received as retribution for it famine and pestilence? Or the people of Samos by the burning of Pythagoras, seeing that in one hour the whole of their country was covered with sand? Or the Jews by the murder of their Wise King, seeing that from that very time their kingdom was driven away from them? For with justice did God grant a recompense to the wisdom of all three of them. For the Athenians died by famine; and the people of Samos were covered by the sea without remedy; and the Jews, brought to desolation and expelled from their kingdom, are driven away into every land. Nay, Socrates did “not” die, because of Plato; nor yet Pythagoras, because of the statue of Hera; nor yet the Wise King, because of the new laws which he enacted.
The TalmudQuote
It is taught: On the eve of Passover they hung Yeshu and the crier went forth for forty days beforehand declaring that "[Yeshu] is going to be stoned for practicing witchcraft, for enticing and leading Israel astray. Anyone who knows something to clear him should come forth and exonerate him." But no one had anything exonerating for him and they hung him on the eve of Passover. Ulla said: Would one think that we should look for exonerating evidence for him? He was an enticer and God said (Deuteronomy 13:9) "Show him no pity or compassion, and do not shield him." Yeshu was different because he was close to the government.
Closing questions:1. If one does not believe that Jesus existed nor that he was the Christ, how can one explain the radical amount of conversions from Judaism to Christianity as described in Acts 2 and in Josephus' writings?
2. Furthermore, and in regard to Jesus being
theChrist, why would Saul-Paul, a contemporary of Jesus who was a significantly established member of the Sanhedrin, known for his persecution of the followers of Jesus, not only renege on his persecutions, but himself become a Jesus follower?
This post was edited by Diligence on Jan 4 2012 05:42pm