THE HISTORICAL JESUS

Exploring the Certainty of Jesus’ Existence

by Brandon Coats

Introduction

The possibility of the existence of Jesus is demanded by non-Biblical references to Jesus, the probability of the existence of Jesus is demanded by Biblical references to Jesus, and the certainty of the existence of Jesus is demanded by Divine references to Jesus.

The Possibility of the Existence of Jesus (from Sources Without the Bible)

The following references to Jesus (some general and some specific) demand the possibility of His existence (the criticisms regarding these references have no bearing on the possibility of the existence of Jesus):

1. Seutonius (Roman Historian), Life of Claudius, approx. AD 120: ‘As the Jews were making constant disturbance at the instigation of Christ, he expelled them from Rome (25.4),’ and Lives of the Caesars, approx. AD 120: ‘Punishment by Nero was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition (26.2).’

2. Tacitus (Roman Historian), Annal, approx. AD 116: ‘But, despite kindly influence, despite the leader's generous handouts, despite appeasing the gods, the scandal did not subside, rather the blaze came to be believed to be an official act. So, in order to quash the rumor, Nero blamed it on, and applied the cruelest punishments to, those sinners, whom ordinary people call Christians, hating them for their shameful behavior (15.44.2). The originator of this name, Christ, was sentenced to torture by Procurator Pontius Pilate, during the reign of Tiberius, but although checked for a moment, the deadly cult erupted again, not just in Judea, the source of its evil, but even in Rome, where all the sins and scandals of the world gather and are glorified (15.44.3).’

3. Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, (Pliny the Younger; Roman Governor), Epistles, approx. AD 106: ‘They affirmed, however, that the whole of their guilt, or their error, was, that they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verse a hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves to a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up (10.96).’

4. Josephus (Jewish Historian), Antiquities, approx. AD 93: ‘At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders (18.63),’ and ‘Since Ananus was that kind of person, and because he perceived an opportunity with Festus having died and Albinus not yet arrived, he called a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought James, the brother of Jesus (who is called 'Messiah') along with some others. He accused them of transgressing the law, and handed them over for stoning (20.9.1).’

A brief search of other historical documents will uncover more general and specific references to Jesus.

The Probability of the Existence of Jesus (from Sources Within the Bible)

The Biblical writings of the person and power of Jesus demand the probability of His existence: a) because the Bible is an accurate and genuine historical document, and b) because the record of the person and power of Jesus is an accurate and genuine record of an historical figure.

The above-stated conclusion is based on the following premises (none of which can be honestly disproved):

1. The Bible is an historical document as accurate and as genuine as any other historical document (for example, the Bible is as valid a source of truth as the Constitution of the United States of America).

2. The probability of the Bible as an inaccurate or counterfeit historical document has never been successfully argued.

3. The Biblical writings of the person and power of Jesus are as accurately and as genuinely recorded as the person and power of any other historical figure (for example, Jesus is as valid an historical figure as Thomas Jefferson).

4. The probability of the Biblical record of the person and power of Jesus as inaccurate or counterfeit has never been successfully argued.

The Certainty of the Existence of Jesus

The Biblical writings as the work of God demand the certainty of His existence: if the Biblical writings are the work of God, and if the Biblical writings record the person and power of Jesus, then the existence of Jesus is certain.

Conclusion

Historical documents without the Bible demand the possibility of the existence of Jesus, the Biblical writings as historical documents demand the probability of the existence of Jesus, and the Biblical writings as the work of God demand the certainty of His existence.